Rabat – Last night, June 27, the performance of American hip hop trio Migos at Mawazine’s OLM Souissi stage saw crowds in the thousands.
The trio consists of three rappers who have all made a name for themselves in their own right: Takeoff, Offset, and Quavo. The three, who are all related, popularized the dance move of “dabbing” with their 2016 single “Look at My Dab.”
By 2017, Migos had solidified their place in the rap game with their hit “Bad and Boujee,” which hit number 1 on the Billboard Charts.
They are also known for their high-energy stage performances, which was further evidenced last night. Thanks to the group’s meteoric rise to fame, all the three sections of the concert which have varying price points and exclusivity – black, gold, and free – were packed full of high energy fans.
Migos helped to get the crowd pumped by calling on the crowd to form circle pits, where participants back up into a circle before ramming back into each other as they jump up and down.
Some concert-goers felt the performance was too rambunctious, with reports of injuries and fainting. “I saw two people getting carried out of the festival. One of was being manhandled by police, probably due to inappropriate behavior, and the other was a girl being carried out on a stretcher,” one concertgoer, Hugo OJ, told Morocco World News.
Read also: Mawazine: Les Amazones d’Afrique Bring World Music to Bouregreg
“She was probably too small and the crowd was rough. It can be hard when you are too small for such a rowdy crowd,” he continued. Another attendee, who was in the gold section of the concert, described the experience as “horrible.”
“I was being stepped on and pushed, and couldn’t even enjoy the concert or see the artists. At one point I injured my foot by being crushed by the crowd. Today I have bruises,” the attendee, Selma Lyoubi, said. “People were just going crazy.”
Lyoubi recommends that future Mawazine attendees who may be afraid of crowds at the more packed concerts attend the free section instead. “The public section the previous night for Travis Scott’s performance was much better.”
“In the public section, you are a little further away but this sometimes means you can actually see the artists better and stay out of rough crowds,” she said.
However, not everyone agreed that the crowd was too rowdy. “It was amazing when they performed their hits, ‘Bad and Boujee’ and ‘Stir Fry,’ and the crowd was really pumping,” said concertgoer Hamza Khales.
Mawazine, a festival in Rabat with six venues, is currently in full swing until tomorrow night, June 29.
The festival is organized by Maroc Cultures under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. Having drawn over 2.5 million attendees in recent years, Mawazine is the second largest music festival in the world, after Donauinselfest in Vienna, and the largest festival in Africa.
The festival attracts international artists as well as highlighting local Moroccan musicians. This year, the festival has seen major international acts perform, such as Marshmello, Black Eyed Peas, Travis Scott and Future.
The festival lists the democratization of culture in Morocco as one of its initiatives and provides free access to 90% of its shows each year.
Read also: Mawazine: Youssoupha Brings Franco-Congolese Rhythms to Rabat
