Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-Punk, Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of black people in punk music and subculture. Participation of black people in punk music has existed from the genre's very origins in the 1970s and has persisted to the modern day; it has played a key role in the scene throughout the world, especially in the United States and United Kingdom.
History
The term originated from the 2003 documentary Afro-Punk directed by James Spooner and Matthew Morgan.[1] But, Afro-punk music has been around since the mid-70s with Pure Hell. Pure Hell was the first all-black punk band that originated in Philadelphia, PA.[2] In addition, black people have been intertwined in the punk scene since its birth in the 1970s, with black-led bands such as X Ray Spex having connections and associations with key figures in the scene such as Johnny Rotten.[3]
AfroPunk's 2024 festival, titled "AfroPunk: BLKTOPIA" occurred from August 22-August 24 at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York.The festival hosted by Amari Marshall and headlined by Eryka Badu featured performances by artists including Phunky Nomad, Winter Wolf, Breezy Supreme, Hue, Rebelmatic, Jenny Haes Techno, DJ Moma, Larissa Luz, and Derand Bernarr. The event also included a ball hosted by House of Juicy Couture.[13]
Controversies
On September 4, 2018 Lou Constant-Desportes resigned from his position as Editor-in-Chief of the festival's official website, Afropunk.com, citing higher-up's dilution of the festival's radical beliefs as a major factor in his resignation. Constant-Desportes also accused the organization of "gaslighting, victim-blaming, and exploitation" as stated in an interview with the online publication Vibe.[14]
One month prior, in August of the same year (2018) Ebony Donnley, alongside another individual were removed from the premises of the AfroPunk festival in Brooklyn, New York by the festival's co-founder Matthew Morgan. The pair were allegedly removed as a result of the text written on Donnley's t-shirt, reading "AfroPunk sold out for white consumption".[14]
Gentrification of Afro-punk
The idea that "Afropunk sold out for white consumption" is not a recent concept. On August 15, 2015, in an article titled "Gentrifying Afropunk"[15] Hannah Giorgis also criticizes the current direction that Afropunk is headed towards, a broader appeal to audiences through the mixing of other genres like soul, instead of focusing strictly on punk music. This has caused a split in the afro-punk community, as some wish for Afro-punk to evolve with the times and cater to a growing audience, while others want afro-punk to remain untainted or separate from other genres of music. "While this move toward attracting wider audiences has worked, it's also shifted the focus away from the movement's origins-and pushed out punk fans in the process" [15]