Last weekend, there was only one place in New York where you could find Janelle Monáe, Das Racist, Erykah Badu and TV on the Radio performing––for free––along with a skate park, BMX course, 15 of the city's most decadent food trucks, a small village-sized craft market, and every style maven in Brooklyn. The Afropunk Festival took place in Fort Greene, and after a one-year hiatus, it came back bigger and better than ever, with over 50,000 attendees. The festival's cultural legacy is rooted in a 2003 documentary also titled Afropunk, which documented black musicians and fans involved in hardcore/punk subcultures. In 2012, the festival demonstrates exactly why Brooklyn is the melting pot of diversity, with any barriers completely dispelled.
On Day 1, I got to a late start but headed to the main stage to see The Skins, an all female, Brooklyn-based rock/funk five-piece collective whose synergy was so instantaneous it had the crowd bopping accordingly. After that, I spent a few hours hopping between the Nike SB-sponsored skatepark, where amateur skateboarders put on a show of tricks and falls, and the BMX course, where bikers catapulted themselves 15 feet into the air and had me holding my breath the entire time. The highlight of the opening day, however, was undoubtedly Erykah Badu, whose sounds never fail to soothe the soul. Her arrival on a sun-soaked stage was something of a dream.
The heat was out in full force on Day 2, but that didn't deter crowds from Commodore Barry Park. A stellar Sunday line-up meant that I had to be slightly diplomatic with my choices of who to see due to clashes, but I managed to dash between Toro Y Moi and Janelle Monáe and catch half of their sets before sharpening my elbows in order to be front row at TV on the Radio. Looking out behind my shoulder, I recall an endless sea of revelers looking beautiful in the light of dusk, decked out in vibrant hues, exuberant prints, fleshed dashikis, brilliant moustaches, and an array of turbans determining that Afropunk was just as much as a visual collision of culture as it is an exquisitely curated musical masterpiece.
By the time darkness descended over Brooklyn, I was definitely heart-warmed with joy (and with copious amounts of beer) as TV on the Radio closed out with "Wolf Like Me," which had everyone in the park roaring in unison––a moment of magic. What a weekend.
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OXYMORRONS
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Toshi Reagon
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Toro Y Moi
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Stack-Aly
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TV on the Radio
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On Day 1, I got to a late start but headed to the main stage to see The Skins, an all female, Brooklyn-based rock/funk five-piece collective whose synergy was so instantaneous it had the crowd bopping accordingly. After that, I spent a few hours hopping between the Nike SB-sponsored skatepark, where amateur skateboarders put on a show of tricks and falls, and the BMX course, where bikers catapulted themselves 15 feet into the air and had me holding my breath the entire time. The highlight of the opening day, however, was undoubtedly Erykah Badu, whose sounds never fail to soothe the soul. Her arrival on a sun-soaked stage was something of a dream.
The heat was out in full force on Day 2, but that didn't deter crowds from Commodore Barry Park. A stellar Sunday line-up meant that I had to be slightly diplomatic with my choices of who to see due to clashes, but I managed to dash between Toro Y Moi and Janelle Monáe and catch half of their sets before sharpening my elbows in order to be front row at TV on the Radio. Looking out behind my shoulder, I recall an endless sea of revelers looking beautiful in the light of dusk, decked out in vibrant hues, exuberant prints, fleshed dashikis, brilliant moustaches, and an array of turbans determining that Afropunk was just as much as a visual collision of culture as it is an exquisitely curated musical masterpiece.
By the time darkness descended over Brooklyn, I was definitely heart-warmed with joy (and with copious amounts of beer) as TV on the Radio closed out with "Wolf Like Me," which had everyone in the park roaring in unison––a moment of magic. What a weekend.
OXYMORRONS
Toshi Reagon
Toro Y Moi
Stack-Aly
TV on the Radio
