Afro-Punk: Then & Now

Thirty thousand people are expected to turn up to the free 8th Annual Afro-Punk Festival taking place over the weekend of Aug. 25 and 26 at . “Leave your inhibitions at home,” was the piece of advice given by Afropunk event organizers to attendees.

The event has grown nearly ten-fold since its creation and this year’s line-up includes huge acts like Erykah Badu, Reggie Watts, Janelle Monae, Das Racist, and Gym Class Heroes. The theory behind band selection was to find musicians “we loved from the past, who were doing something different and combining/coupling that with new bands who bring something different/new now (e.g., Chuck Berry in the 50s and Janelle Monae in the Millennium)," said Afropunk organizers.

According to event creators, in 2002 the focus of Afro-Punk, a movement started by Matthew Morgan and James Spooner, was “giving a voice to thousands of multicultural kids fiercely identifying with a lifestyle of a path-less-traveled.”

Now the notion of Afropunk has evolved and today comprises a particular force within greater youth culture uniting gifted people of all backgrounds.

Hence the addition of the Nike Battle For the Streets Skate Competition, which features top amateur skaters and BMX riders from around the world. After meeting Jimmy Mac, the owner of Bull Dog Bikes and a major figure in the BMX world, creators sought to integrate a new component into the festival that broadened the outsider-feeling youth. Welcome Nike, a company that “has really invested in the community.”

With all the positive support and feedback from press, community and young talent, creators say that the greatest surprise along the way was “how biased corporate America—bordering on racism—remains. It's frustrating to have to constantly prove your worth—especially when you look at how Popular Culture is influenced by Black Culture in so many ways. With that said, we have enjoyed strong and consistent support from Nike as well as other brands who 'get it'.”

And what exactly is there to get? Youth who identify with themes and a lifestyle that are not in the mainstream? Or rather, that these kids whom the festival serves, “were once on the 'fringe' and now [are] considered the cool kids—something we already knew,” said the creators.

“The Afro-Punk community is young, gifted people of all backgrounds who started on the outside looking in, but now have broken through.” On the weekend of , you can join these creative outsiders turned insiders at what is sure to be a fantastic time.