See photos from Afroplus Fest’s almost rained-out, chaotic weekend

When I spoke to Davido for The FADER a few weeks back, he told me Washington, D.C. is the city where he feels the most love.

That was abundantly clear at AfroPlus Festival at Northwest Stadium in Prince George’s County in Maryland, just outside of D.C, last Labor Day weekend. Thousands of attendees came out to see the likes of Ayra Starr, Davido, Tems , Wizkid, and more Afrobeat stars. PG County simply loves Afrobeats, and perhaps that passion was underestimated by festival organizers; throngs of gate-crashers who mobbed the entrance and contributed to hours-long lines,sparking a flood of internet commentary. Despite the mess, running to stages in between sets was filled with spontaneous conversations other attendees (from streamers, to music lovers) and artists putting their soul into their performances as the audience flailed, dancing and singing along.

Ahead, photographer Jay Lloyd captured the artists on the ground at North America’s largest Afro-Caribbean Hip-Hop music festival.