REVIEW: GearFest celebrates black artists and creatives on campus


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GearFest, sponsored by the USC Black Student Assembly and BSA Creative Experience, provided a venue for student artists and performers of color to display their talents on campus. Sophomore Kaylah Baker (left) and freshman Jordyn Simone (right) lead the crowd. (Naiya Ross/Daily Trojan)

Hundreds of students descended onto McCarthy Quad Saturday for this year’s edition of GearFest. From Southern comfort food courtesy of Granny’s Kitchen to on-site haircuts provided by Questcutz, GearFest was all about embracing black art and culture.

Sponsored by the USC Black Student Assembly and BSA Creative Experience, this year’s event celebrated the different strokes that black people and creatives come in. This theme was evident throughout the event, as student musical performances ranged from emotionally gripping vocal displays to mosh-inducing rap sets. Excluding a few acts, most of the festival’s performers and artistic contributors were USC students.

GearFest kicked off with an energetic, colorful performance by dance group Syann. The group’s dynamic performance foreshadowed the talent and charisma that each individual artist would bring to the stage throughout the festival.

As the first singers to perform, USC students Zoe Rosemond, Ayoni Thompson and Amir Kelly set the tone for GearFest. The three acts served as an emotional introduction to the event, with each act building off its predecessor. The artists performed a combination of original unreleased tracks and covers of classics, drawing the audience closer to the stage with each new song.

After Kelly’s mesmerizing performance of his debut single “Maui” concluded the singing portion of GearFest, singer Bran Movay met the engaged audience with a lighthearted energy and put everyone in the mood to dance. DJ A la Mode handled that urge as he transitioned from classics like Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss” to a compilation of Caribbean beats.

In between musical performances, “Death of Cool” put on a fashion show to display another facet of artistic talent within the University’s black student community. Handmade hair care products by students also lined the perimeter of the festival, which students could purchase.

The event’s hosts, juniors Marquia McKnight and David Friebe, smoothly transitioned from set to set, engaging with the audience on multiple occasions to ask fun, sarcastic questions such as, “Is cereal a soup?” and “Is water wet?” When the charismatic duo wasn’t testing the audience, they were stressing the importance of the event.

“GearFest is for the culture,” Friebe said. “This is for us, by us.”

That sense of black student community was especially strong as GearFest honored the life of student Victor McElhaney, a senior who died over spring break. Students participated in moments of silences and held memorial performances in McElhaney’s honor.

Come sunset, GearFest’s energy had shifted dramatically as the crowd’s excitement boiled with the ensuing hip-hop performances.

With a cover of J.I.D’s “Off Deez” and a performance of a few crowd favorite originals, Clarence The Kid amped the energy up another notch. After his set, freshman rapper 24kGoldn, the youngest performer at 18 years old, took the stage. Despite a short three-song set, 24kGoldn generated the most energy of the six-hour event as his hit song “Valentino” reverberated through McCarthy Quad.

Headliner YBN Nahmir served as an apt closing act to the evening. The rapper’s energy was contagious, and he and closed the event on a high note with a performance of “Bounce Out With That.”

Overall, GearFest successfully illustrated the diverse, vibrant nature of the black community that exists within USC. With creative displays of culture and attention-grabbing performances, BSA and Creative Experience curated an engaging experience for all.