Princess Nokia, JPEGMAFIA, and Glitter Moneyyy Perform at Van's Warehouse
Ouroboros is an age-old symbol which depicts a serpent of sorts eating at its own tail; the line to enter the House of Vans on June 8th eerily resembled the lengthiness and lack of determinism found in ouroboros’ coiled iconography. The line whipped and looped around the corners of the warehouse located by Randolph and Elizabeth. Dozens of youth stood with winged eyes, glossed lips, and glittered brows. Similar to the festival fashion scene, concertgoers took impressive charge of their outward appearance. This would be a great opportunity to insert photos exemplifying the fashion-forward attendees, but my deprived Samsung Galaxy S7 captured nothing of the sort.
After standing behind upwards of two hundred people, my friends and I had reached the door. Upon entering the venue, one’s eyes are bombarded with neon Van’s signs and a relatively airy dance floor ahead of the stage. To one’s right are well-stocked bathrooms and past the stage is a bar as well as an open-air space with food and beer trucks. The venue meets a wide host of needs and is rather accessible. Security seemed professional and not overly abundant.
Glitter Moneyyy took to the stage seconds after I became situated. Glitter Moneyyy is a rap duo held up by the passionate political glam of Queen TrAshley and TayyySlayyy, self-proclaimed “femme rap powerhouses that cover issues ranging from dildos to punching Nazis in the face over bumping hip-hop and trap beats” (as found on their Facebook page). The duo’s sound is somewhere in between being a powerful sidekick to Cupcakke and being featured in at least two episodes of Broad City. Their energy is fierce, fun, and flavorful. Their set came to an end with arguably their biggest and baddest song, “Hahaha,” off their 2017 album Twurk for the Nation. “Head shoulders knees Toes/Ears eyes mouth nose/Blood spit skin bones/My body is my own,” rapped the sweat-glistened TayyySlayyy. Glitter Moneyyy held nothing back as an opening act who both energized and empowered their audience.
A short intermission ran for twenty minutes as I bodied one and a half sliders, pissed poorly in a urinal (I’m not good with crowded urinal etiquette nor performance), and mingled with old friends. JPEGMAFIA took to the stage and within seconds Peggy’s shirt was nowhere to be found (JPEG’s nickname is Peggy). JPEGMAFIA is an Air Force veteran, an avid hater of Morrissey, a journalism graduate, a provocative commenter, and a tireless performer. Peggy’s music is highly regarded for its unique blending of politically combatant lyricism, sonic dissonance, and multifaceted rebellion. Peggy’s newest album, Veteran, is a chamber swirling with animus, incoherent thoughts, ripe one-liners, and an overall artistic mastery in its shapelessness. Though his music could easily be tossed up as finely niche, JPEGMAFIA seemed beloved to most of the crowd. A great deal of Peggy’s music is centered on reflecting the complex state of affairs in which America finds itself, though whether it’s through his own voice or mocking another’s opinion can be hard to distinguish. Peggy addresses a country which is divided and a country which noticeably freezes when asked to reflect on its colonial history, “Chains on my body, looking like a rapper/Acting like a slave when I’m gunning for my masters” (“Baby I’m Bleeding”). Veteran displays a diverse array of equally inspired instrumentals accompanied by visceral bars. JPEGMAFIA has never been shy about conversations on racism, rape culture, and societal expectations. His music is intentionally provocative, so much so that some will wonder whether it borders on being insensitive or offensively militant.
JPEGMAFIA’s post-modern style is conducive to introspection and performs simultaneously as an art which is extremely punishing (even more so when moshed to). My lip bled, while my sweater lay buried beneath spilled drinks and dried mud. Luckily a friend of mine was able to salvage the sweater and offered it back to me in a state of temporary dampness and noticeable stench. Peggy interacted with the audience minimally aside from his introduction and his conclusion. Upon the closing of his set, Peggy had something to say. Having repeatedly called out the lead singer of The Smiths, Morrissey, Peggy decided to continue this tradition. Peggy highlighted his criticism of Morrissey with points about the singer’s controversial support of British right-wing candidates as well as his past polemic and arguably racialized comments. Peggy, where you been at?[video width="544" height="976" mp4="https://www.pizzafm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/video-1528580027.mp4"][/video]
It was a dragging hour between JPEGMAFIA’s performance and Princess Nokia’s. Filled to the brim with popular bangers, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi, G Herbo, Valee, and Cardi B to name a few, feet remained dancing. Suddenly, the crowd went silent (as concerts tend to do) as the first glimpse of Destiny Frasqueri, more commonly known as Princess Nokia, eclipsed the front row.
“Kitana, Kitana, Kitana, Kitana/Mortal Kombat, I'll see you mañana/Mortal Kombat, I'll see you mañana/Mortal Kombat, I'll see you mañana!” (“Kitana”) Princess Nokia revved the crowd automatically to an extreme level of hype. Bodies flew in every direction as drinks were spilled and eyes were teary. Seeing a contemporary feminist icon like Nokia at 10 P.M. reference Blue’s Clues is a moment of immaculate wonder, “Pow-pow-pow, Blue's Clues” (Tomboy). Princess Nokia conducted the night with a thrilling contrast between her newest EP, A Girl Cried Red, and her 2017 album, 1992 Deluxe. The latter is an album burning with Nokia’s impassioned lyrical commitment to her home of New York City, brujería, and her own personal memories regarding her life and inspirations. A Girl Cried Red sounds largely different. The album stands as a sort of ode and channeling to Nokia’s admiration of the emo and pop punk scene. Songs sink and rise along the album with a darkness which feels familiar. Melodies drift between a lo-fi SoundCloud rap roughness and a precise Avril Lavigne séance.
Princess Nokia danced, smiled, and talked with the audience. She offered her set to the crowd as a safe-space and as a platform for the celebration of women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and the merging of all three. She warranted that the staff working security should be mindful and respectful towards all the various people attending the show, advocating that she demands to see no violence and nothing besides respect. Princess Nokia called for all the women to move to the front and made sure everyone was well hydrated before engaging with her music and energy. Nokia could often be seen reaching her hands out to the audience, for two minutes she held hands with one enthralled spectator. She announced her sorrow but advocated for compassion and comradery to the people of Puerto Rico. Nokia’s dynamic performance lit the night with tender rebellion towards the bigotry enveloping the world and instead called for a celebration of the loving but struggling individuals all around.