Childish Gambino Gives Life + Chance Offers Blessings At Governor's Ball

Photo Credit: Laurent Chevalier for Okayplayer.

This past weekend's Governor's Ball was intense, beautiful + full of #BlackExcellence.

Getting there is the exclusive part: it feels like an adventure. I'm a Brooklyn native who loves to travel, and am often still surprised by the vastness of my city. Conversely, I know what a struggle it can be to get around the boroughs, so I was weary, but ready and excited, for the journey to Governor’s Island for Governor's Ball.

I hopped on the 2 train with my homegirls, landed on 125th and walked about 10 blocks, until crossing a bridge that would lead us right into the park. Once inside, I was greeted with a sea of high waist jean shorts, crop tops, colorful, flowy cardigans, “pennies” (a term I just learned this weekend, for penny jerseys) and lots and lots of bare chests. This was nothing like the planet I come from, where chokers, headwraps, twist outs, culottes, off shoulder tops, bodycon dresses, African prints, neutral colors and bright palettes reign.

We aimlessly walked around, heads in the air, observing the fashion, generous sun and vibrant grass until our feet led us right into Michael Blume’s tent. Blume and his band, clad in angelic white, were more than what they seemed: the innocence of their attire juxtaposed against their ecstatic dancing, booming voices and candid lyrics about sex and dating (“Relationships,” “Manufactured Love”), queer identity, activism and self love (“High Frequency”), felt like a modern sermon on millennialism. “He has a churchy kind of sound,” our photographer Laurent [Chevalier] leaned in and whispered.

Before heading to Kehlani, we grabbed some snacks — matcha soft serve in a warm, crispy, fish-shaped waffle cone, with red bean surprises at the bottom from Taiyaki NYC — and caught a snippet of Francis and the Lights, whose dancing black silhouette against a white backdrop hypnotized the crowd. I was pleasantly surprised by Kehlani, who stunned the audience in a vampy chocolate-burgundy jumpsuit, lace bra and long, wavy weave. Performing hits like “Too Much,” “Distraction,” “Gangsta,” “CRZY” and “Do U Dirty,” it was the first time that day I saw people grinding, whining, jumping and throwing hands in the audience.

Michael Kiwanuka’s bluesy, meditative soul was the perfect answer to Kehlani’s hype performance. With calming, contemplative tracks like “Black Man in a White World,” “Cold Little Heart” and “Love Hate,” and his stellar guitar solos, I entered a soothing trance that I broke out of when I heard Lorde’s deep, whimsical vocals. Chance The Rapper closed the first night with an explosive performance that was worth experiencing, even if we were sardined between so many bodies (I could smell sweat, fart and everyone’s dinner). “Blessings,” “No Problem,” and “Special,” performed by his talented backup singers, kept me grounded... and his wonderfully wide smile... and the way he teased us by slightly lifting his tee, revealing abs. Ty Dolla $ign joined Chance for the “Blessings” finale, which made his set all the more special.

On Saturday, a.k.a. Day 2, we headed straight to Rae Sremmurd. Their crowd was lit: everyone was dancing, rapping along, smoking joints. Of course, RS knew exactly what we wanted to hear, and saved “Black Beatles” for the very end. Yet, I was most excited to see the Wu-Tang Clan, because I crave '90s nostalgia, especially in hip-hop. Their set design was playful: a red Chinese Restaurant owned by Ol' Dirty Bastard, and an apartment complex called “Shaolin Apartments 160 Park Hill”. The Wu came out in matching black, white and yellow outfits (loved RZA’s jumpsuit), blasting “Bring Da Ruckus”. Wu still has the same synchronicity and brotherhood that I remember: they seamlessly rapped between one another and aroused the crowd, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of Wu-Tang Forever.

Method Man tried to crowd surf and they dropped him, but this didn’t bring down Wu’s energy. They perform “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Triumph” and “Gravel Pit,” and even brought out Redman for “Da Rockwilder”. Fun fact: Redman drove artists around on a golf cart at the fest, because he’s adorable. A pleasant surprise was “Got Your Money,” performed by Young Dirty Bastard. RIP ODB.

GovBall ended with performances by Childish Gambino and Phoenix — at the same damn time. As a big fan of “Awaken, My Love!” I chose Gambino. He rose onto the smokey blue-black stage in a shiny silver-white jumpsuit, performing “Me and Your Mama,” with an amazing live band. Early on in his set, I noticed the audience was split between those who love his rap and older material, and those who are enamored with AML. Both were satisfied that night: he did “The Worst Guys,” “Sweatpants” and “Worldstar,” in addition to “Boogeyman,” “Have Some Time” and “Terrified”. Yet, I could sense his heart was really into AML, which he described as “music from his soul”. “Riot,” “Redbone” and “Baby Boy” were performed with such care and delicacy compared to his older joints, which were still a treat to experience. Between his sensual, turnt up dance moves, soulful vocals and aggressive rhyming, I watched Childish embody a full, well rounded artist.

It’s a wonder seeing three prominent black headliners at GovBall, but they were all men. I’d love to see a black female headliner next year, or another woman of color (shout out to Kehlani this year, though!). This would, hopefully, diversify the fest goers and inspire more inclusivity in performers. Nonetheless, any time that being in New York City feels like a brand new place is a pleasant surprise. At GovBall, this was both exciting and disappointing, but not enough to turn my carriage into a pumpkin.