tierra whack brings down house — with alicia keys’ help

Last year, Philly native Tierra Whack made major waves with the release of her 15-track visual album, Whack World, comprised of wildly different vignettes about everything from daddy issues to chicken wings. Drastically jumping from one vocal style to another, Whack has spent the last year building a dedicated fan base of quirky kids who fuck with her steez and with her creative chops. This is probably why she brought down the house at day one of AFROPUNK Brooklyn 2019 — though Alicia Keys helped.

Skipping out onto the Red Stage dressed in a patchwork jumpsuit with a butt-length ponytail, Whack opened her set with a balls-to-the-wall performances of her singles, “Only Child” and “Clones.” But nothing topped the moment that Alicia Keys came out on stage to accompany Tierra on the piano. Really. Seriously. Keys busted out the melodies of a couple of her personal favorite songs from last year’s Whack World,  “Black Nails” and “Fuck Off,” before serenading Tierra and the crowd with her own classic “If I Ain’t Got You.” Honestly, it was the collaboration we never knew we needed.

Tierra Whack is an honest-to-goodness embodiment of what the AFROPUNK spirt is all about. Powerful, expressive, authentic, driven, and hyper-talented, standing in front of her performance stage, it was impossible to deny the fact that she’s a superstar in the making.