vigoronline

EarthGang. Photo by Leon Laing.

With one glance, EarthGang looked like a modern-day Outkast.

Olu O. Fann aka Johnny Venus channeled his inner André 3000, wearing a fur coat, checkered vest and glasses with red lenses. WowGr8 aka Doctur Dot rocked a camouflage jumpsuit, a more traditional outfit. You can say WowGr8 is the Big Boi of the group. With EarthGang’s soulful, funky and eclectic music, the Atlanta-based artists are indeed ATLiens.

The extraterrestials invaded Club XL in Harrisburg on April 14. With a stage presence that kept the audience engaged, the group performed 15 songs including “Missed Calls,” “A.W.O.L.,” “Meditate” and “Proud of U,” a song from the upcoming album Mirrorland. The opening acts, Lil Zeddy, Pineapple Papi and ashtondylan, warmed up the stage with their impressive sets. The show is part of Harrisburg University’s concert series.

Dreamville Festival
Before making a pitstop in Harrisburg, EarthGang performed at the Dreamville Festival, an event featuring Dreamville Records artists and other acts. J. Cole founded Dreamville Records and held the fest in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 6. The Dreamville Records artists (I interviewed J. Cole and Ari Lennox previously) appear on the latest cover of XXL magazine. Maya Camille, a member of the Baltimore-based Mini Hip-Hop Museum, shares her experience from the fest.

“Dreamville was a phenomenal event — an intentionally beautiful mix of art, music and black culture,” Camille tells vigoronline.com. “From the moment I walked onto [Dorthea Dix Park], I felt a spark of magic that only grew throughout the day.”

Dreamville Records recruit J.I.D., an EarthGang collaborator, will perform at Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts on May 8.

This is part one of the EarthGang story.