Afropunk Festival
| Afropunk Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | alternative, blues, R&B, hip-hop, electronic, rock |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Founded by | Matthew Morgan, James Spooner |
| Attendance | 70,000 |
| Website | |
|
afropunkfest | |
Afropunk Festival is a music festival held annually in Brooklyn, New York City since 2005. It was held in Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park in 2015, and expanded to Paris and Atlanta that year. Taking its name from James Spooner's 2003 documentary film, Afro-Punk, the festival originally sought to provide black people an opportunity to build community amongst the predominantly white punk subcultures.[1] The festival shifted to include soul music to attract a wider audience, bringing in headliners like Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz, and Gary Clark, Jr..[1] Musical performers now represent a variety of genres, primarily known to reflect African-American culture.
It should be noted that though the festival came from James Spooner's vision, he has said in numerous occasions that it has strayed far from his original vision, such as promoting mainstream acts that do not fall in line with the D.I.Y. punk ethos and / or have sexist and homophobic messages. Spooner himself does not employ or curate any part of the festival nor does he receive any of its profits.
Notable performers
The following performers have performed at the event at least once
- D'Angelo
- Kelis
- Lianne La Havas
- Lauryn Hill
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Grace Jones
- Lenny Kravitz
- Gary Clark, Jr.
- Sharon Jones
- Bad Brains
- Shinobi Ninja
- The Suffers
- Shabazz Palaces
- Body Count
- Chuck D
- DJ Lord
- Questlove
- Mykki Blanco[2]
- Death
- Rye Rye
- Danny Brown
- the London Souls
- Theophilus London
- Wicked Wisdom
- Jean Grae
- Eve[3]
- Trash Talk
- SZA
- Unlocking the Truth[4]
- Lolawolf[5]
Future events
Afropunk Festival expanded to Paris and Atlanta, Georgia in 2015, although the Atlanta festival was cancelled due to Hurricane Joaquin.[5][6] Expansion to Oakland, California is a possibility.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 Giorgis, Hannah (August 26, 2015). "Gentrifying Afropunk". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ↑ Afropunk Festival Hosts 60 Acts Over Two Days in Brooklyn - NYTimes.com
- ↑ African-American artists play in every style at the Afropunk Festival in Fort Greene, Brooklyn - NY Daily News
- ↑ The Dopest Street Style Snaps From AfroPunk Fest 2014
- 1 2 Spanos, Brittany (June 2, 2015). "Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, Grace Jones to Headline AfroPunk NYC". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (October 1, 2015). "Afropunk Atlanta Cancelled Due to Hurricane Joaquin". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ↑ Afropunk Festival Plans to Expand to Atlanta
Coordinates: 40°41′50″N 73°58′45″W / 40.697104°N 73.979037°W