In our best David Diamante impression, we say, “The time has come! I said, ‘The time has come!'” Yes, the time has come for thousands and thousands of fans to descend upon Audi Field for this year’s Broccoli City Festival. Gunna, Megan Thee Stallion, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Victoria Monét, Kaytranada and many more talented acts are set to take the stage. Not to mention, Bryson Tiller is set to host a special edition of Trap Karaoke, Duke Dennis will be in the building, Everyday People will stop through and Uncle Waffles is teaming up with Coco Butter for a special set. To top it all off, Issa Rae, creator of Insecure and Rap Sh!t, will be hosting the official Broccoli City Festival pre-party. With all of that going down, we have some last minute questions for the festival founders, headlining acts and the fans. Will Gunna bring out IDK to perform “Tiffany” in his hometown? What will Trapsoul Karaoke with Bryson Tiller look and sound like? Here are the seven biggest questions we heav heading into this year’s Broccoli City Festival.
What special guests or performances will we witness?
Interestingly enough, many of the artists on this year’s lineup have worked together in recent years. Victoria Monét has teamed up with Kaytranada for “Alright” and recorded “Persuasion” with Bryson Tiller. Key Glock has delivered “Dubai Plates” with Gunna and “Ungrateful” with Megan Thee Stallion. Gunna and Lil’ Yachty have recorded several songs together, including “Fallin’ In Luv” and the “Drip or Drown” remix. Additionally, many of the artists performing at this year’s Broccoli City Festival have locked in with local artists. Megan Thee Stallion appears on Wale’s “Poledancer” while Gunna recently released “Tiffany” with IDK. With all of that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if we’ll witness any of these artists link up to perform these standout tracks at Audi Field. It’s not out of the question.
What does Megan Thee Stallion’s set mean for the future of the Broccoli City Festival?
Throughout the history of the Broccoli City Festival, several talented women have graced the stage, including Coco Jones, Summer Walker, GloRilla and Joyce Wrice to name a few. However, very few, if any, women in Rap have had the opportunity headline a night at a major music festival. Not only is Megan Thee Stallion headlining Broccoli City this weekend, but the Houston native is also filling in a headlining slot at Lolapalooza following Tyler, The Creator’s departure from the lineup. By taking this next step in career, the GRAMMY Award winner puts herself in conversation with Cardi B and Nicki Minaj as one of very few women in rap to earn top billing at a event like Broccoli City, Rolling Loud or Made In America. Furthermore, Megan Thee Stallion’s ability to headline Broccoli City Festival sets the stage for future iterations of the event. Could GloRilla, who rocked the stage in 2023, return to headline in 2025? Could a legend like Missy Elliott make her way home to the DMV to headline in the near future? Megan Thee Stallion headlining this year’s festival truly puts into perspective how much women, particularly Black women, have had a profound impact on the trajectory rap and it lays the ground work for others to have a similar headlining set in the future.
Will any of the region’s emerging superstars make a special appearance?
For those who are unaware, music festival lineups are organized and put together months and months before they are shared with the world. As a result, some artists that may feel like no brainers for a festival in Washington, D.C. could be excluded. In recent months, the nearby town of Woodbridge, Virginia saw not one, but two of its hometown heroes release smash hits. Out in the world of country months, Shaboozey has made noise with his number one hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and his contributions to Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter. Elsewhere, Tommy Richman has capitalized off of his appearance on Brent Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life and delivered not one, but two big hits — “Million Dollar Baby” and “Devil Is A Lie.” While neither Tommy Richman nor Shaboozey are on the Broccoli City Festival lineup, that doesn’t mean they won’t be in attendance. Few things would blow the lid off the building quiet like an unexpected performance of “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” or “Million Dollar Baby” at this year’s festival. Maybe, Tanner Addell could bring out Shaboozey. Maybe, homegrown DJs DJ Bo and DJ K-Meta could bring out Tommy Richman. Who knows? I guess we’ll all find out soon.
How will Gunna take advantage of his return to the Broccoli City Festival stage?
For those who may not remember, Gunna performed at the Broccoli City Festival on Sunday, May 8, 2022. As rain poured down from the sky, the Atlanta native riled up the crowd with performances of then-recently released hits like “Pushin’ P” with Young Thug and Future and “P Power” featuring Drake. Within 48 hours, he went from performing in front of thousands to turning himself into the authorities.
On May 11, 2022, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged him, Young Thug and two dozen others under the RICO Act. As fate would have it, Gunna was able to plead guilty to one charge and earn a probational release six months later. However, as the title of his fourth studio album points out, his release was both a gift and a curse.
Immediately after his release, internet investigators began to wonder if he and Young Thug were on good terms while Twitter lawyers debated whether or not his guilty plea qualified as “snitching.” Meanwhile, fans continued to place emphasis on his music, empowering him to make his grand return with “bread and butter.” Within six months he followed up with the aforementioned album, A Gift & A Curse, giving birth to the summer smash, “fukumean.” Less than a year later, he doubled back to deliver his fifth studio album, One Of Wun.
Two years later, Gunna has ascended from a late afternoon performance slot to a headlining set at Broccoli City Festival. No, it’s not a homecoming performance in Atlanta or a performance spot at the GRAMMYs, but his return to Broccoli City Festival is significant in the ongoing saga that is his career. Will he lean into the symbolic significance of his return or will he simply approach it as he would any other major music festival performance? Either way, fans at Audi Field will be in for a fun night when steps foot on stage.
What is the future of Broccoli City Festival?
Within a decade, Broccoli City Festival has transformed from a local festival celebrating fashion, culture and music during The Blog Era to one of the nation’s premiere events in entertainment. Led by co-founders Brandon McEachern and Marcus Allen, the festival has changed its name from Global [Cooling] to Broccoli City while expanding to two days and graduating from the RFK Festival Grounds and FedEx Field to Audi Field. Along the way, the festival has brought in everyone from Lil’ Wayne and Nipsey Hussle to Summer Walker and Megan Thee Stallion. Not to mention, everyone from MSNBC’s Symone Sanders to Issa Rae has made their way to the nation’s capital to attend. As the festival enters it second decade, it’s fair to ask, “What’s next for the festival?” In 2022, Broccoli City’s Jermon Williams hinted at the possibility of hosting additional events in different cities. Considering the festival originated in Los Angeles, expanding to different cities feels like a natural evolution. Could Broccoli City team up with Slim & Husky’s and head to Nashville? Or could the festival team up with Black On The Block and return to Los Angeles? With the support of Live Nation, nothing feels out of the question. Not to mention, it’s fun to wonder if the festival could further expand from two to three days or move from one weekend to two weekends like Coachella. The possibilities are endless as Broccoli City nears its teenage years.
