(Write-up taken from my Instagram page and shortened to meet YouTube description character limit)
Once again, @PaakHouse knocked it out of the (MacArthur) Park :-). I said it my write-up last year, but I couldn’t wait to attend again for this year’s event. Naturally, once announcements for tickets/RSVPs went out, I immediately got to re-working my schedule since it was fully booked. With @AnthonyAnderson as host (and an appearance by @SethRogen) and performances by an all-too-awesome lineup alongside @Anderson._Paak and @FreeNationals, there was no way it wasn’t going to be a day of good vibes—and I wasn’t going to miss it.
@MichaelRelth and I left home early and after waiting in line for just short of half an hour, we got our community meal tickets, gift tickets, and wristbands. It was while I was holding those things I really realized—.Paak is 100% about community. What other artist do you know is providing free meal tickets to make sure people get fed and providing free music/art experiences? I don’t remember who said it because there were too many artists showing .Paak love, but one commented on how he’s one of the few people in the music industry who genuinely cares about people.
I’ve never been able to interview him (cuz his press manager has told me he isn’t doing press 🙃😭), but I’ve been able to glean the reasons .Paak cares so deeply about others from his other interviews and from his song lyrics. From seeing domestic violence to living large to homelessness, he isn’t one to take what’s important for granted. And in creating .Paak House, you can clearly see where he places his value: friends, family, and community.
This event was larger in size than the year before, at least, it looked that way, but despite the large numbers of attendees, there was still such great intimacy. You'd think with the lineup he had, there would be more aggression, but there wasn’t any pushing or shoving; there was nothing but positive energy from every employee and attendee I interacted with and I genuinely felt as though I was spending a day at the park with my Los Angeles community.
The performances started with @JuiceHipHop dancers and Anthony and his son @Not_Nathaniel dance battling, @Mereba then came on to sooth the crowd with her angelic tones, @ThunderCatMusic and @Domi_Keys jammed out, @EmilyKingmusic gave the audience her all with her energetic stage presence, @KamasiWashington and @MauriceBrownmusic and @JDBeckmusic went IN on Kamasi’s song Street Fighter Mas (which got so stuck in my head that I replayed it at work the following Monday 7384859949 times in a row), @KaliUchis brought out an ultra-cool and feminine vibe as she sang and grooved on stage, @FreddieGibbs graced us with his talents when rapping and spitting his raw lyrics, the crowd got a little bit of TDE love when @JayRock came out, @Norah_Yarah_Rosa captivated all, @Bluefacebleedem got everyone rowdy, the OG @LosAngelesConfidential took the mic, and @YBNCordae closed the event out.
I had an amazing time spending my day in the park, watching such diversity in art—music, dance, etc.—come alive. Not only were the festivities memorable, but the sense of community was as well. I saw familiar faces from the year before and I felt that same sense of connection with fellow attendees—what I was surrounded by at .Paak House was a reflection of my home, of LA.
While so many artists get into the thick of fame and get washed away by it, .Paak continues to stay grounded. The foundation and the event he created are for the people, for the next generation; that commitment to remembering his roots is too powerful not to acknowledge. In this day and age, people are all too easily carried away and uprooted from what’s important, but .Paak House serves as a reminder that community, giving back, and being present are what really count.
Thank you to the .Paak House team for all you’ve done to put this event on; thank you to .Paak for all that you do in music and outside of it.
💗💗💗.
That said, you bet a bitch gon’ be back again in 2020!!!
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