When Matthew Morgan and James Spooner joined forces in 2002,
their focus was giving a voice to thousands of multi-cultural kids
fiercely identifying with a lifestyle path-less-traveled. Morgan, a
visionary with 15 years in the music industry, instinctively
understood that the indie rock/punk/hardcore scene had powerful
appeal beyond the predictable Caucasian audience; the passion
evident in writer-director Spooners hours of riveting hand-shot
footage was the indisputable proof. The result: 2003s Afro-Punk,
the seminal cult classic film spotlighting Black Punks in
America.
3. Afro-Punk became a touchstone of a cultural movement
strongly reminiscent of the early days of Hip-Hop. Alternative
urban kids across the nation (and across the globe) who felt like
outsiders discovered they were actually the core of a boldly
innovative, fast-growing community. The online members have been
the driving force behind the exploding Afro-Punk (AP) culture,
creating an authentic virtual home in www.afropunk.com, and
nurturing the musics best and brightest via expansion of the
Liberation Sessions, a live performance series hosted by
Spooner.
4.
5. Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in
Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the
pioneers of the genre. Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble
under the name Mind Power, Bad Brains developed a very fast and
intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex, and was
often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of
their peers. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of
Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings featured
elements of other genres.
6. TV on the Radio is an American band formed in 2001 in
Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans through numerous diverse
genres, from alternative rock and electro to free jazz and soul. TV
on the Radio is composed of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David
Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone
(vocals/guitars/loops) along with Jaleel Bunton
(drums/vocals/loops) and Gerard Smith (bass/keyboards).
7.
Kimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a
solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. Dawson became
well known as the female counterpart to Adam Green in the band The
Moldy Peaches. Since the Moldy Peaches went on hiatus in 2004
Dawson has released a string of lo-fi homemade albums and toured
widely in North America and Europe. Her music is sometimes
described as anti-folk.
8. Janelle Mone is a Grammy Award-nominated American singer,
songwriter, and performer. She moved to New York to study theatre
at the American Musical Academy. Her original plan was to pursue a
career on Broadway, but she soon changed her mind and returned to
her love for music, an art form which, according to her, has the
potential to change the world.
9.
10.
CREDITS:
Images and some text taken from http://afropunk.com