Laurel Streetfair World Music Festival
Laurel District, Oakland
August 9, 2025
In a surreal scene that evoked the fondest of memories, bubbles were floating on the breeze down MacArthur Boulevard. The hot August sun was casting longer shadows, and an ever-increasing percentage of the cloudless blue sky was turning golden. People of all ages, walks of life, creeds, and colors filled the street, flashing huge smiles as they danced to the dulcet sounds of Los Rakas.
Arguably the most Oakland act of this century, these Panamanian hip hop veteranos from east Oakland had the entire audience proclaiming, “Yo Sí Soy Raka!”
In a time of xenophobic bounty hunter kidnappings, this moment during the 24th annual Laurel Streetfair World Music Festival was everything everywhere all at once.
When I made it back after the first time I was displaced from the Town, I tried to lean into the whole “new” Oaklander thing. I went to First Friday, but the only people I knew there were all working in various capacities. Looking at the sea of unfamiliar faces on Telegraph avenue, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Oakland that I had been missing during my 11 month sojourn no longer existed.
The very next day though, I went to the Laurel Streetfair, where I couldn’t walk ten feet without running into someone I knew. These were people who irrefutably lived their lives in Oakland: activists, organizers, artists, musicians, long-time friends and acquaintances, current and former co-workers, and families from my son’s schools.
A decade later, the Laurel Streetfair is still free, family-friendly, and fabulous.
Multicultural in ways that DEI efforts could never, the annual festival continues to prove to be a sanctuary so safe that not even a neoliberal mayor could gentrify it.
Occurring on the first Saturday in August, the festival takes over MacArthur Blvd between 35th and Maybelle avenues in the Laurel District. You could argue that this neighborhood is in the hills, but it’s also kinda not. What isn’t debatable is that it’s one of the few remaining working class retail stretches in Oakland that still features independent businesses that residents actually need and use.
In Lak'Ech Danza Azteca bless the dance floor ahead of the Los Rakas performance during the Laurel Streetfair World Music Festival.
At this year’s streetfair, vendors were selling arts, crafts, and food from around the world. There were also local brewers pouring craft beers and ciders.
The main stage offered a diverse lineup, including afrobeat, blues, brazilian, cumbia, and samba. A member of the City Council even sang classical Indian music.
I went to the festival specifically to check out Los Rakas, a duo composed of cousins Raka Rich and Raka Dun. The group’s name derives from the Panamanian slang word “rakataka,” which means someone from the ghetto.
Los Rakas came of age in the east Oakland flatlands, and their sound, which they have dubbed Panabay, reflects exactly that: electronic funk infused with influences from throughout the entire western hemisphere.
These Grammy-nominees have performed at the White House and are featured in the soundtracks of two different video games. The fact that they’re still sort of slept on is irrefutable proof that they are hella Oakland.
Los Rakas perform their anthem "Soy Raka" during the Laurel Streefair World Music Festival.
Backed by a DJ and conguero, they sang and rapped en espanol. Raka Dun had a hype dancehall vocal style, whereas Raka Rich had more of a sensitive, soulful crooner style.
“Africana” was an ode to black women, whether mothers, abuelas, aunts, or partners: “Eres especial, sobrenatural, espectacular. Eres number one.” (You are special, supernatural, spectacular, you are number one)
Another song, the anthem “Soy Raka,” was a celebration of Oakland street culture: “Tenemos to el estilo, to talento, todo el flow. Hasta la yeyesita dicen que lo hacemos mejor.” (We have all the style, all the talent, all the flow. Even the bougie girls say we do it better.)
Their overall aesthetic was upbeat and positive, but some songs were blues songs that didn’t sound like the blues. For instance, the song “Abrazame” was a beautiful love song that gave all the feels, but in Raka Rich’s rap verse, we learned that the woman he is in love with is married to someone else.
Their beats were all danceable, and even the downtempo ones had my hips not lying. More importantly, the crowd loved them and the whole moment was a vibe.
At the end of a long, hot day, this Raka party was as happymaking as a good friend’s wedding.
Los Rakas perform "Abrazame" during the Laurel Streetfair World Music Festival.
