I’m At Something In The Water & Here’s How It’s Going

Couldn’t make it to party with us in person? I’ve got you covered! Check here for my thoughts about the festival, along with reviews of the sets I attend!

DAY ONE

Today was definitely a great start to the weekend! First, I grabbed some food and headed to Hope Tala’s set. I admit I was not familiar with any of her music. But my cousin wanted to see her so I tagged along. And I’m glad I did. She has a soothing voice and a beautiful tone and I really liked her songs “Crazy” and “All My Girls Like To Fight“, She also sang an unreleased song called “Is It Enough?” that has a powerful message about the injustices in the world today.

Next, after finding a shaded area to chill because it was so hot, I headed over to see Duckwrth’s set. It was so hype and such a vibe! His background vocalist was great as well. The crowd was so fun and he had everyone dancing. I loved hearing “Super Bounce” live!

Soon after his set was Syd. I was very excited to see her since I really love her new album. Her set was amazing. Her vocals are so smooth and buttery live, and I really enjoyed the bnd as well. She even did a couple The Internet songs, which had the crowd going crazy! She performed one of my favorite new songs of hers “CYBAH” too.

Then the next full set I saw wasn‘t until later that night. But I was able to catch a little of Moneybagg Yo (who I’ve seen live before) and Tobe Ngiwe on my way to see Roddy Ricch. Roddy’s set was my favorite of the night, mostly because I’m a huge fan. He did his best and most popular songs like “Down Below”, “Ballin”, “The Box”, and some features too like “Lemonade” by Don Toliver, “The Woo” by Pop Smoke, and “Too Easy” by Gunna as a tribute to YSL. He also did a mini tribute to the late great Nipsey Hussle, who was one of his closest mentors in the industry. The set was high energy and everyone in the crowd was super hype.

Then I headed over to see Usher, and on my way to the stage I heard Lucky Daye playing his set. I wasn’t able to wstxh the full set, but I‘ve seen him live before. So I know he delivered.

Usher’s set was so fun! He did a lot of his biggest hits like “U Don’t Have to Call”, “Caught Up”, and “Confessions”. He even did “Party“, a song he did with Chris Brown. He brought out Eric Bellinger and Vedo, and they each performed one song as well. And of course he closed out with “Yeah!”, which had everyone jumping and dancing all over the place.

All in all, Day 1 was a success in my opinion! I had so much fun, and I can’t wait for today’s festivities.

DAY TWO

So today I rushed to see Baby Tate as soon as I got there, as she did the last few songs of her set. I love Baby Tate and have been a huge fan for years! Seeing her perform was so fun. She’s upbeat and very beautiful in person. (I got pretty close to the front!) Her vocals and bars sound great live!

Next, I ate food from Capital Chicken & Watfles and chilled near Maria Isabel’s set. I hadn’t heard her music prior to, but it was a vibe. She’s got a great voice. Then I did the same for Adekunle Gold. I hadn’t heard his music either, but decided to check him out. And with his sound being Afrobeat, I instantly started dancing with the rest of the crowd. It was truly one of the hypest sets.

Then my friends and I waited around at that same stage. Here we saw DMV legends, Backyard Band. They’re a well known gogo band. (If you’re not familiar, it’s a genre that’s very specific to DC that takes popular songs and flips them into a more funky, call & response type of groove.) Even though I’m not the biggest fan of gogo music, I did enjoy their set! The DMV definitely showed up in the crowd because they were loving it. It was really cool to see everyone dancing and having a great time.

Then a little bit after Backyard Band was Chloe x Halle! I’ve seen them live before (at Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s On The Run II Tour), but this performance was so amazing. I was pretty close to the front with a good view, so I was able to hear the beautiful way their voices blend up close and personal. I have also been a fan of them for a while so I knew every word. They performed ”Do It”, “Tipsy”, “Forgive Me”, and so many more. (And Chloe didn’t do any solo stuff, just in case you’re wondering.)

Right after them came Snoh Aalegra, who was another artist on my must see list! And she did not disappoint. She sounds heavenly live, and since I stayed in the same spot I had for Chloe x Halle, I got that same up close & personal vibe. It was very chill, and she did my favorite songs of hers, ”Neon Peach“, “Find Someone Like You“, and “Dying 4 Your Love”.

I left Snoh’s set early to head over to Mariah The Scientist’s set. Hers was probably my favorite of the day. I absolutely love her music, and because she’s newer there wasn’t a huge crowd. So I made it way right up to the front and sang my heart out with the rest of the fans up there. This set was fun not just because of the artist, but the people around me in the audience were in awe just like I was. There’s no feeling like being in a crowd with people who have a mutual love for one of your favorite artists. Mariah did “Walked In”, “RIP”, “Beetlejuice”, and so many more songs that I enjoyed singing along to.

After that, I went back to the main stage for Lil Uzi Vert. As you could imagine, his set was very high energy. He is truly himself on stage during a performance, cracking jokes, coming down to take pics with fans, and all. The crowd was jumping, dancing, and shouting lyrics. He definitely knows how to keep a crowd hype. He did “XO Tour Llif3”, “The Way Life Goes”, “Money Longer”, “Top”, and of course “Neon Guts“ which he brought out Pharrell himself for!

And the last set of the night, which was an hour after Uzi, was Pharrell & Phriends. (FYI: SZA and Q Tip weren’t able to make it.)

Side note: The hour between Uzi & Pharrell was straight up chaos as far as the crowd. The crowd was moving in and pushing. There were a ton of emergencies (people getting injured, falling out, etc.) since Pharrell was the last and only set for all those tens of thousand of people to watch. (A few of them happened right in front of me, traumatic time say the least.) So to make sure I was safe I moved way further back towards the exits to be near someone I know! (So much for being up close like I was for CxH & Snoh, but there were over 50,000 people there. It just wasn’t happening.)

Nonetheless, Pharrell’s set was a literal dance party. He did hits of his own like “Frontin’“ & ”Beautiful”, plus “Lemon“, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, and “Freedom”. Then he brought out several “Phriends” throughout the set including T.I., Justin Timberlake, and he reunited Clipse! (And of course they all performed some of their biggest hits as well.)

The day and night went great and today, I was able to check off everyone I wanted to see on my list. Definitely super satisfied with how everything went and the sets I saw!

DAY THREE

So on Sunday, the last day of the festival, I was at the Sun stage (basically the main stage), all day.

But before that, I worked with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) to cover the Pull Up & Pitch event at the Community Market, which was also a part of the Something In The Water festivities. Basically, business owners were able to compete in a pitch competition for 3 prizes that all totaled to 20,000, courtesy of Black Ambition (founded by Pharrell) and Black Girl Ventures. I had a great time, got an official media pass, and even got to meet Pharrell (I wasn’t allowed to take a picture with him, unfortunately) since he came to help present the grand prizes. The Community Market had the most beautiful energy. Everyone was so nice and loving which was my general experience with majority of the people I met at SITW. (NABJ plans on releasing more content about this event soon! Stay tuned.)

Then, as I previously stated, I headed to the actual festival venue a few blocks down. I grabbed some tacos, and quickly headed to Bia’s set. After I finished, I made my way up front and was there all night! I had to sacrifice to see the artista I was most excited for which were Teyana Taylor, 21 Savage, and Tyler, The Creator.

And everything worked out just fine. As I was waiting for those artists, there were several other in between those sets. After Bia was EARTHGANG. They had a high energy set, and I knew a few songs before but their set made me want to check out more. The way they can stay in the pocket and rap so effortlessly even while getting the crowd hype was captivating. And I love their sound and their vibe.

Next was Denzel Curry. He is a straight up rager. He had the crowd going crazy, and there were a few mosh pits. He atopped the set to make sure water and medical aid was goven to those who needed it, of course. Though I vibed with a couple songs, his music isn’t really my cup of tea. But I definitely appreciate his energy and how he captured the crowd from the start to the end of his set.

Next was one of my favorite sets of the day: Teyana Taylor. She is someone I’ve wanted to see live for years, and the fact that I finally had the opportunity had me estática before she even came out. She did an amazing job, as the true entertainer she is. Dancing, singing, the works. She does a lot of athletic things. (One of my favorite moments was when she sang leaning backwards and held the pose as she gradually lowered herself down.) She also brought out Junie to do “Come Back To Me”. She also did songs like “Bad Bad Bad”, “Shoot It Up”, and ”Bare With Me”. All in all, her set might’ve been the most mesmerizing one of the weekend for me.

Next was Pusha T. I admit I only know Pusha T features for the most part, but I will admit his set was pretty cool. The crowd was definitely hype and he beought out Pharrell to do a few songs. My favorite part of his set was definitely when he did “Mercy”.

After him 21 Savage went on. I really loved his set. He did a lot of his hits like “a lot”, “Savage Mode”, “No Heart”, “ball w/o you”, “X”, and my favorite “Mr. Right Now”. His set had everyone jumping, chanting, and screaming the lyrics, even though by this time of the night we were tired and our feet were hurting.

And last but absolutely not least, about an hour after 21, Tyler, The Creator made his way to the Sun Stage. His set ties with Teyana Taylor for my favorite of the night. He had props and matching visuals. You could truly see his creative visions come to life during the set. He did “WUSYANAME”, “LUMBERJACK”, “See You Again”, “EARFQUAKE”, “I THINK”, and so many more that had the crowd going absolutely insane. (I witnessed two moshpits near me, I’m sure there had to be more in that huge sea of people.) He’s also a very funny person, and that also showed through his set as he’d crack jokes. He also brought out Pharrell and 21 Savage to perform their new song “Cash In Cash Out”, and the crowd knew the words even though it was released just days ago. His set had such a fun, upbeat energy, and it was the perfect way to close out the festival.

Something In The Water was an experience like no other. An amazing lineup in the Nation’s Capitol with such a compassionate, loving, beautiful energy from the artists and the attendees. (I also ate some pretty good food too. I am so grateful I was able to go and cover the festival, and I’m glad everything went well seeing as this was my first major festival. Hopefully you gained something and got to live vicariously through this recap of you weren’t able to attend.

To see more content from the festival, follow @somethinginthewater on their social media pages. And stay tuned to @joyellejournalism.