KRS-One, nutcrackers and Baby Yoda: Scenes from the Bushwick Collective Block Party

The annual event on Troutman Street returned for its 11th year, showcasing some 40 new murals by street artists from around the world

By Scott Lynch

Thousands of people turned out for the 11th annual Bushwick Collective Block Party on Saturday, filling the streets for an all-day celebration of hip hop, graffiti, street art, fashion, chill summertime vibes, and superb people-watching. The booze flowed freely, smoke filled the air, food vendors fed all comers, and the neighborhood’s restaurants and bars were overflowing with party-goers.

The main attraction was a free concert at the St. Nicholas-Scott-Troutman triangle, where about a half dozen acts took the stage during the long, sunny, sweaty afternoon. Among the performers were Positive K, Nems (he of the “Bing Bong” song), Termanology, and DJ Statik Selektah, who brought out Havoc for a surprise set.

Positive K (Scott Lynch)

Host D-Stroy kept everyone entertained between performers, and the headliner, the legendary KRS-One, did a solid 45-minute set featuring rowdy renditions of Boogie Down Productions classics including “South Bronx,” “The Bridge Is Over,” and “My Philosophy” that got the big crowd jumping.

D-Stroy (Scott Lynch)

As always, the event was organized by Bushwick native Joe Ficalora, who founded the Bushwick Collective in 2012 as a way to cope with his mother’s death, transforming what was then a mostly barren patch of the neighborhood into an open-air gallery that has become a destination for street art lovers from around the world.

The Teacha, KRS-One (Scott Lynch)

“Yo, we’re here! Eleven years!” Ficalora exclaimed. “It just keeps getting more beautiful, with more people joining and helping out and contributing, and oh man, I couldn’t be more blessed with this show today. It’s just beautiful, man. Eleven years without my mom but I have this beautiful family holding me up.”

DJ Statik with Bushwick Collective founder Joe Ficalora (Scott Lynch)

The many new murals all over the Collective include pieces by Jerkface, Urban Ruben, Lexi Bella, Mr. Blob, Golden, Danielle Astrion, Coes Sneakers and Los CMS, and Hutek’s portrait of East Harlem’s DJ Kay Slay, who died earlier this year of Covid-19.

And that cute Baby Yoda piece that everyone will be Instagramming? That’s the work of ten-year-old Rihanna Gomez from Brownsville, who spray-painted the entire thing herself. “My dad gave me part of his wall,” she said. “It was fun. I just got a little frustrated with some messed up parts and stuff, but I’m proud of it.”

Here are a few more scenes from the day: