For two days, fans of hip-hop, electronic and indie music were treated to a collection of live shows, art and food this past weekend at The BUKU Music + Art Project, held at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans.
Day one featured an all-star lineup of artists like Kaskade, Zeds Dead, Pusha T and Nas.
Nas celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut album “Illmatic” by performing a few songs from that album before venturing into a medley of tracks from his other records. Fans knew every word of the rapper’s set, leading him to say he should “come back every year.”
The Ballroom stage was the place to be on Friday, with acts like Wavves and Miami Horror receiving a large turnout. Australian band Miami Horror thanked fans for showing their Southern hospitality, as the show was the band’s first time in Louisiana.
Pusha T’s show was well-received by the crowd. The rapper showed his longevity in rap music by carrying out a collection of songs from his time as a part of Clipse to tracks from his solo album “My Name is My Name.”
Chance the Rapper’s show was the most popular act of the Friday lineup. He performed many songs from his mixtape “Acid Rap” including crowd favorite “Cocoa Butter Kisses.” Chance and his live band, The Social Experiment, set a high bar for the Saturday shows to come.
Day two of BUKU started off with lesser-known artists like Thundercat and Dan Deacon taking the stage.
As the sun set on Mardi Gras World, Phantogram delivered its first Louisiana show with songs from the band’s recent album as well as past records.
The Flaming Lips performed its Power Plant set with a physically blinding laser light show. On the other side of the BUKU grounds, Baauer and RL Grime almost shook the Float Den to rubble from the bass of their combined set.
The late night lineup of day two featured performances from Schoolboy Q, Glitch Mob and Tyler the Creator. Tyler’s show appeared to be the best-received of the night thanks to his interaction with those in attendance. He spoke to the crowd after every song and cracked jokes at the expense of everyone in sight.
Rapper Danny Brown closed the festival to a weak crowd. It didn’t help Brown that the crowd could rarely understand him because of the multiple voices he uses while performing.
“[Buku] fills a void in New Orleans. We have festivals, but this is something that caters to a different crowd.”