“Mental health is a taboo topic in our community and people don’t want to talk about it,” Al-Mahdi said. “I saw a lot of bad things. Celebrities and people in the hospitality industry were having a hard time. [during the pandemic]”
R&B Soul Picnic, an event focused on outdoor music that promotes mental health awareness, is coming to Westside Park this weekend. Now in its third year, the two-day festival features performances by Atlanta-based talent such as Cee Lo Green, Brian Michael Cox, DJ Mars, DJ Trauma, Tracy Steele, Stormy Monroe, DJ Teflon, and DJ P. Nat. Musical entertainment will be presented.
“Breakfast Club” co-hosts DJ Envy and Kid Capri also play some feel-good tunes.
When Almadi conceptualized R&B Soul Picnic in 2021, his goal was to honor the deejays who set the mood through their sound.
“I wanted to reach out to different people in the R&B and soul fields who are orchestrators of moving people’s emotions,” said Almadi, a Rutgers University graduate.
Almadi spent two years at his home in Atlanta planning the first R&B Soul Picnic in Piedmont Park in 2022. Initially, he paid close attention to whether the music and environment connected with the audience.
“When the song came on, people were crying and screaming,” Al-Mahdi said.
Almadi said she intentionally held the event during Mother’s Day weekend and Mental Health Awareness Month to honor mothers and their sacrifices.
“Mothers are the strong pillars of the family,” he said. “She’s been through a lot, but she’s been a sponge for her emotions in her family.”
Participants are encouraged to bring coolers, blankets, lawn chairs, and beach towels to the park. There will also be vendors and food trucks.
Credit: James D. Love
Credit: James D. Love
The main attraction at R&B Soul Picnic is the Soul Healing Tent. The tent is a pop-up mental health center staffed by up to six certified therapists on both days of the event. Each festival attendee will be able to take a five-minute supplemental mental health screening.
“It’s about doing it in a way that’s easy to digest and focusing on mental health outlets in our community,” Al-Mahdi said. “We want people to come with their families and just have fun.”
Silence the Shame, a mental health nonprofit founded by former record executive Shanti Das, is one of R&B Soul Picnic’s community partners. The organization will be giving presentations on destigmatizing depression and mental health during the festival.
Dr. Marcus Green, founder of New Beginnings Today, an Atlanta-based counseling organization, hosts the Soul Healing Tent. He said his team would answer questions and distribute pamphlets during the consultations.
“Therapy is not a dirty word. It’s a safe space for you to become your best self, and we’re there to give you hope,” says Green.
Cox, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer, says the process of writing smash hits like Usher’s “U Got It Bad,” “Burn,” and “Confessions (Part II)” involves spending an entire day with the artists. He says it starts with talking. about their personal lives.
Credit: Kobe Boateng
Credit: Kobe Boateng
“Through our conversations, we see that we are all going through the exact same thing,” Cox said. “We want to tell stories because in moments like that, sometimes you feel like you’re alone.”
R&B Soul Picnic will be making its way through New York and North Carolina this summer. Almadi said she hopes her music festival grows into a standard outdoor event for others to deal with mental health and post-traumatic stress.
“We want to be the R&B version of Ultra Music Festival.” [in Miami] And heal the souls of the world,” Al-Mahdi said.
R&B Soul Picnic will be held on May 11th and 12th. Details can be found at: RNBSoulPicnic.com.
