Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-Punk, Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s and other

Black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and alternative subcultures, especially in the United States.

History

The term originated from the 2003 documentary ''

Afro-Punk Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-Punk, Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of African Americans and other Black people in punk and alternative subcultures, especially in the United States. History The term originated from the 200 ...

'' directed by

James Spooner James Spooner is an American tattoo artist and graphic novelist from New York City, living in Los Angeles. He is best known for his seminal documentary film ''Afro-Punk'' (2003), exploring the African American experience in the punk and alternat ...

. In the early 21st century, Afro-punks made up a minority in the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n punk scene. Notable bands that can be linked to the Afro-punk community include:

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

Pure Hell Pure Hell is a punk rock band, established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974, during the high point of punk culture in New York City, London and Los Angeles. It has been cited by Bad Brains "as an early influence". Career Among the pioneers ...

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this t ...

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stor ...

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing ...

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the lat ...

Wesley Willis Fiasco The Wesley Willis Fiasco was an American punk rock band based in Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States, led by Wesley Willis. History The band was formed by Wesley Willis on vocals, Pat Barnard on lead guitar, and his friend Dale Mein ...

Suffrajett Suffrajett is an American rock band from New York City, currently based in Chicago, Illinois, composed of singer/violinist Simi Sernaker, guitarist Jason Chasko, bassist Kevin Roberts, and drummer Danny Severson. Suffrajett has toured with Loc ...

The Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

Unlocking the Truth Unlocking the Truth was an American heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2007, the group consisted of Malcolm Brickhouse (guitars, vocals, key songwriter, composer), Jarad Dawkins (drums), and Alec Atkins (bass). History Foundin ...

and

Rough Francis Rough Francis is a rock band from Burlington, Vermont formed by Bobby, Julian, and Urian Hackney, along with Tyler Bolles. The Hackney brothers originally formed the group in 2008 to pay tribute to the music of their father's (and uncles') early ...

. In the United Kingdom, influential black musicians associated with the late 1970s punk scene included

Poly Styrene Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), known by the stage name Poly Styrene, was an English musician, singer-songwriter, and frontwoman for the punk rock band X-Ray Spex. Early life Poly Styrene was born Marianne Joan Ell ...

X-Ray Spex X-Ray Spex were an English punk rock band formed in 1976 in London. During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. Their 1977 single " Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album '' Germfree Adol ...

Don Letts Donovan "Don" Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band B ...

and

Basement 5 Basement 5 were a reggae punk fusion band from London founded in 1978. Their first vocalist was Winston Fergus, then Don Letts. One of their early performances was a support for Public Image Ltd.'s London debut at the Rainbow on Christmas Day 19 ...

. Afro-punk has become a movement, comparable to the early hip hop movement of the 1980s. The

Afropunk Music Festival Afropunk Festival is an annual arts festival that features music, film, fashion, and art produced by alternative black artists. The Afropunk Festival began in 2005, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Afropunk Festivals have also been ...

was founded in 2005 by

and Matthew Morgan.

Festivals

AfroPunk has Festivals in 5 locations. The 2019 Brooklyn AfroPunk Festival took place on August 24 and 25. The Atlanta AfroPunk will take place October 12 and 13. There will also be festivals in London, Paris, and Joburg. The line-up for the festivals vary depending on location, but include artists, Jill Scott,

Anderson Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

, FKA Twigs,

Leon Bridges Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2015 song " Coming Home", which received regular airplay and was also a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify. Brid ...

, Danny Brown,

Smino Christopher Smith Jr. (born October 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Smino, is an American rapper and singer. Smino is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari, Monte Booker, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae. He is a member o ...

Tierra Whack Tierra Helena Whack (born August 11, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager, but later on reverted to her birth name in 2017. Her debut studio album, ''Whack World'', was releas ...

Ho99o9 Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror) is an American punk rap group founded by theOGM and Yeti Bones in 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. They relocated to Los Angeles in 2014. They attracted a cult following on account of their live performance and began collab ...

, Earth Gang,

Kamasi Washington Kamasi Washington (born February 18, 1981) is an American jazz saxophonist, usually playing tenor saxophone. Archived July 9, 2015. Career Washington was born in 1981 and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of the Academy of ...

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...

Fever 333 Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, United States, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison ...

Leikeli47 Leikeli47 (or Leikeli) is an American rapper signed to RCA Records. In 2018, she released her second full-length album, ''Acrylic.'' She is known for concealing her face with a bandana or balaclava at all performances and professional appearan ...

Mahalia Mahalia is a given name and may refer to: *Mahalia Barnes (born 1982), Australian singer-songwriter *Mahalia Belo, British film and television director *Mahalia (singer) (born 1 May 1998), English singer, songwriter and actress, better known by the ...

, and many more.

References

External links

Afro-Punk Film Official SiteAfroPunk Festival Official Site"The True Story Of How Afropunk Turned A Message Board Into A Movement
The Fader, August 21, 2015
"Afro-Punk Scene Explodes Into A Multi-Genre Movement"
MTV, December 12, 2008

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' {{Authority control 21st-century music genres Punk African-American culture African-American music DIY culture Underground culture