Smino and other artists play at the first Commonwealth Festival in Boston

Hosted the first ever Commonwealth Festival Smino along with other rap and hip-hop artists on October 12th from 12pm to 8pm at City Hall Plaza

Despite windy conditions, the festival featured 12 artists, a “flea market” with several vendors, and two food trucks serving Asian-inspired dishes from Bon Me and Caribbean cuisine Jamaica Wed Hungry.

Marquis Jones “OG,” one of the festival organizers, said the spelling change for their “flea market” was intentional and dedicated to his friend “Flee,” who was killed in 2019.

The event also featured cocktails and beer in a bar area open to guests 21 and older.

The free event welcomed everyone as a celebration of local culture. Several small children milled about the plaza as artists performed and college-aged adults perused vendors’ clothing displays.

The “flea market” featured a wide variety of clothing, from feather scarves to vintage bags, down jackets and various trousers.

“[The festival] was curated by Cousin StizzBoston’s own artist,” said Joe Johnson, another festival organizer. Cousin Stizz is a rapper from Dorchester who produces slow trap beats inspired by Gucci Mane. The Boston native has worked with rappers Doja Cat and Offset and opened for Mac Miller in 2011 2015.

“The Commonwealth Fest is by us and for us, and the way I see it, this will be something that can grow and live forever,” Cousin Stizz said in an article about commonwealthfest.com.

Johnson said Commonwealth Fest was supposed to take place last year, but organizers were forced to cancel the event Hurricane Lee which brought all city events to a standstill.

“This year we utilized all of our resources and did what we could in a short time frame,” Johnson said. “It’s our first year, so all we can hope to do is provide good music – give people a space to shop.”

The city of Boston sponsored the event, reducing the planning effort and costs for the organizers.

The event is part of a larger event initiative by the city to offer free festivals and arts events at City Hall Plaza with the goal of supporting Boston’s diverse community and local artists.

“[The city was] “Being able to provide some of the infrastructure and obviously the space, that’s how we made that happen,” Johnson said.

After the opening DJ set, the first artist, Mell Hookstook the stage at 1:10 p.m. in front of a small crowd No, speaks Her performance followed at 1:25 p.m. The small crowd grew to about two dozen as more spectators streamed in. At 2 p.m. there were about 50 festival-goers between the crowd and the “flea market.” Other artists included Conductor Williams And Smoke Dza.

“Thanks, Boston. It’s always a joy to come home and perform in front of the people I call family,” Nay Speaks said at the end of her performance.

Commonwealth Fest gave small artists like Nay Speaks, with just over 500 monthly listeners on Spotify, the opportunity to take their place on a big stage. The festival also provided an opportunity for small business owners to showcase their products and reach a larger consumer base.

“Flea market” vendors Madi Marshall and Xavier Andru said they attend festivals and events in Boston at least twice a month, up to twice a week. For small businesses like White Witch Vintage Based in Salem and Ball of Thread owned by Marshall and Andru respectively, town festivals and large flea markets are important in helping them grow and reach larger markets.

“We support live music and our small businesses here,” Andru said.

While his company is based in central Massachusetts, Andru said he does most of his business in Boston and sells clothing at a store in Cambridge.

The goal of Boston vintage dealers is to support each other’s small businesses by collaborating on events, Marshall said.

“The sellers are a group of people I know,” Jones said. “I’m originally a rapper, but I started my own vintage company last year and met a lot of great people.”

The festival was an exhibition of support and community within Boston’s rap and vintage scenes. Organizers hope the Commonwealth Festival will grow and become a centerpiece of Boston culture in the coming years.

“It’s an event for the city, so it’s nice to be able to put this together,” Jones said. “I think next year and [in] It’s going to get bigger and bigger in the coming years.”

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