AFROPUNK Fest 2013

Brooklyn’s AFROPUNK FEST is thrilled to announce it’s back for the 9^th year! Chuck D & DJ Lord (performing Fear Of A Black Planet), Questlove (?love), DEATH, The Heavy, Trash Talk, Danny Brown, Saul Williams, Theophilus London, Vintage Trouble, The London Souls, The Coup, Mykki Blanco, K-OS, Big Freedia, Rye Rye, LE1F, Jean Grae, CX Kidtronik, The Dust Rays, The Skins, Meatloaf Muzik, Rebelmatic, Unlocking The Truth and Sunny Gang are all set to play Brooklyn, New York’s Commodore Barry Park on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25 from 12PM to 9PM each day.  This is only the first wave of artists – more to be come in a final announcement!

In addition to a killer line up of live music, vibrant art and good vibes – there will be over 26 of New York City’s best food trucks, a skate park free of cops on patrol and a custom bike show hosted by Brooklyn Rhapsody.  Described by the New York Times as “the most multicultural festival in the US,” the word AFROPUNK itself has become synonymous with open-minded, non-conforming and unconventional, placing the institution at the epicenter of urban culture inspired by alternative music.

This year’s line-up, rivaling those of the past, features New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia, NYC’s downtown darling Mykki Blanco and festival veteran Saul Williams. Other notables, blues-infused up-and-comers Vintage Trouble from Los Angeles and The Heavy from the UK, and hardcore punk band Trash Talk from Sacramento. Also to take the stage, Brooklyn’s own metal prodigies Unlocking the Truth and Battle of the Bands winners Meatloaf Muzik. This isn’t to mention hip-hop heavyweights Danny Brown, Jean Grae and Chuck D—just a few more artists sure to hold it down.

Come to AFROPUNK FEST 2013 this summer and sweat, skate, mosh, shout. Feel the music, free your mind, join the movement!

CUSTOM BIKE SHOW:

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Catch a competition of polished chrome and gleaming paint jobs as custom motorbikes line up for BROOKLYN RHAPSODY at AFROPUNK FEST. The inclusion of a bike show, echoing back to AFROPUNK’s origin, spotlights the presence of people of color in the scene.  This year, AFROPUNK is working with HARLEY DAVIDSON to create a custom bike that will be raffled off in the weeks to come.

Overlooked in much documentation of biker culture are such figures as Black custom motorcycle designers Sugar Bear, behind the signature Sugar Bear Springer, Ben Hardy, designer of the “Captain America” and “Billy” choppers from the film Easy Rider, and diverse motorcycle club Chosen Few. A culture primarily coming out of Los Angeles, see how the competition sizes up on the East Coast. We’re revving our engines in anticipation.

FOOD TRUCKS:

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Here for the second year in a row, the AFROPUNK BITES & BEATS food truck round-up, on Navy St. between Park Ave. and Flushing Ave. With 26 of New York City’s best food trucks, take a bite out of anything from a warm crêpe from EVERYTHING ABOUT CREPES, a steaming dumpling from RICKSHAW DUMPLING BAR. Not your taste? How about an ice cream sandwich from MELT BAKERY? Some empanadas from NUCHAS? Or maybe a slice of pizza from NEAPOLITAN EXPRESS? Try something hot. Try something cold, spicy, sweet. Try it all.

MARKET:

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Hit up the SPIN THRIFT MARKET this year to purchase everything you need to feed your shopping fix. Featuring over 80 local artists, goods sold include fashion, crafts, home décor and more with each piece exhibiting an individual charm specific to local businesses.

A hub for anything DIY and original, the buyers and sellers mutually benefit. Provided with a platform for their creativity, the retailers gain exposer and the opportunity to build or expand their following. The shoppers, provided with a concentration of diverse goods, walk away with plenty new items to wear, display and enjoy. When all of Brooklyn’s most unique independent retailers come together, the selection is infinite.

ART WALL:

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Surrounding the festival stage, the ART WALL is a giant canvas on which selected visual artists paint original work throughout the two days of the festival. Last year, BaJa Ukweli, Coby Kennedy and See One were a few participants to lay down their skills.

Integral to the AFROPUNK community, the ART WALL underscores the importance of art as a method for discussion, critique and analysis of the self, society and the world. Given its nature as a public occurrence, exhibiting both the final product and the process of the final product’s creation, the WALL also challenges the notion that art is for an elite class and champions the punk-like status of street artists that create on their own terms, independent of a larger institution.

ABOUT AFROPUNK:

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AFROPUNK is an influential community of young, gifted people of all backgrounds who speak through music, art, film, comedy, fashion and more. Originating with the 2003 documentary that highlighted a Black presence in the American punk scene, it is a platform for the alternative and experimental. Remaining at the core of its mission are the punk principles of DIY aesthetics, radical thought and social non-conformity. AFROPUNK is a voice for the unwritten, unwelcome and unheard-of.

This year you can skip the line while supporting the AFROPUNK community by making a small donation that will go towards furthering AFROPUNK’s efforts and culture.  As a thank you, your advanced donation will guarantee your entry and fast track you through the check in process at the festival – more details available HERE.

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