Erykah Badu, Joey Bada$$, Oshun + More Define Organic Vibes At DC's Broccoli City Festival 2015 [Photos + Recap]
Organic vibes, beautiful people [Photo: JazzShoots for Okayplayer]

Erykah Badu, Joey Bada$$, Oshun + More Define Organic Vibes At DC's Broccoli City Festival 2015 [Photos + Recap]

"What does organic mean to you?" This was the recurring question at this year's Broccoli City Festival held this past weekend in Washington, D.C. arguably the most star-studded (Erykah Badu, Willow Smith, Oshun, Thundercat, Joey Bada$$) celebration of Earth Day celebration 2015.

While festival attendees and featured artists attempted to define organic with their words, the truest answer was found in the festival's collective vibe. Broccoli City, a play on DC's time-honored nickname Chocolate City, is a holistic lifestyle festival, encouraging exercise and healthy eating habits. Upon entrance, festival attendees enjoyed free yoga, pilates and bike riding stations all located to their immediate right, while a clear view of the music stage was found to their immediate left, with a plethora of natural and organic food vendors and eco-friendly clothing vendors straight ahead.

The true essence of organic, however was arguably found in the performance art unfolding onstage, which was almost entirely raw and improvised in nature. The festival's featured visual artists painted live, while Willow Smith freestyled on stage and Erykah Badu AKA DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown improvised an entire set with the backing of virtuoso bassist Thundercat. Even when a torrential rain pour began, the crowd danced wildly until the end and to provide the perfect chaser, Erykah Thundercat and other performers washed the good medicien down with a wheatgrass shot backstage.

By the evening's end, "organic" still eluded easy definition. But it was undoubtedly lived and witnessed during the Broccoli City Festival, and maybe some things are better left unsaid. - Danielle Noel

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