afropunk
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Jidenna's Slow Whine Will Change Your Life
Somewhere on Beyoncé’s internet, it is written that your life will never be the same after Jidenna dances with you. With the release of his sophomore album, 85 to Africa, he has taken his jollof rice-fueled hips on a tour to bless the lives of many. We caught up with the Classic Man to find…
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A Legacy of Design: British Designer Joe Casely-Hayford Has Died
He was the product of a prominent family whose decidedly punk-rock sensibilities made him a pioneer in menswear. British designer Joe Casely-Hayford succumbed to a three-year-long battle with cancer on Thursday, at age 62. The grandson of acclaimed Ghanaian author, politician and pan-African nationalist J.E. Casely Hayford (Ethiopia Unbound), Casely-Hayford initially rose to prominence in…
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Afropunk’s Owners Get Real About the Festival's Growth, Recent Controversies
For Matthew Morgan and Jocelyn Cooper, it has been a long, 15-year journey to get the Afropunk Festival from the small, local hangout for passionate message-board friends in the alt-punk space congregating in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn, NY, to the internationally renowned entertainment juggernaut it is today. Borne out of a titular documentary exploring…
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Couple Thrown Out of Afropunk for Protest T-Shirt Questioning Festival's Inclusivity, Eroding Punk Nature [Updated]
It has been an oft-repeated refrain that the Afropunk Festival has changed from the punk-centered origins of its inception in the early 2000s—evolving well beyond the brainchild of James Spooner’s titular documentary to a festival powerhouse, with presence in three continents and five cites. As those transitions have accumulated over time, their weight can be…
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Can You Guess the Black Icons Who Wore These Hairstyles?
From Michael Jackson’s Jheri curl from the Thriller era to Colin Kaepernick’s iconic ’fro, one thing’s for sure: Black folks know hair, and our hair often makes a statement. But be clear, we are more than our hair; black people are supremely dynamic with a myriad of interests. Our strengths and scope of knowledge go…
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AfroPunk Trivia: Separating the Afros From the Punks
AfroPunk 2018 came and went, and The Root was in the house to make sure that black trivia was popping. In the midst of the wave of beautifully melanated millennials (well, mostly), we had to figure out who was really about that “afro” life. The Root rolled up on some AfroPunk 2018 attendees to separate…
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AfroPunk Brooklyn 2018 Was an Explosion of Style
Every year like clockwork, the ultimate young black reunion takes place on the lawns of Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, as all the stylish friends you wish you had come out stunting in their bright, bold, and very unapologetically black street style, ready to mosh and sway the hot evenings away. This year was no…
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'We Want H.E.R': R&B's Newest Star Talks Fame with Vogue, Takes Stage at AfroPunk
She may seem to hide behind sunglasses, but 21-year-old Gabi Wilson—better known as H.E.R.—has made it her mission to be at ease in the spotlight, as she told Vogue while prepping for last weekend’s AfroPunk festival in her home base of Brooklyn, NY. “[My style] is straight-up comfortable,” she said, confessing that she doesn’t really…
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Flirting With Festival Season? Here Are 5 Festival Must-Haves
South by Southwest—Austin, Texas’ annual interactive, film and music conference—is scheduled to officially kick off Friday, March 9, and serves as the unofficial commencement of festival season. Just a month later, Coachella, considered the model for all subsequent music festivals, will happen in California. Now in its 19th year, Coachella has become more renowned for…
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Wish You Were Here: Afropunk Was the New Year’s Eve Party We All Wanted to Attend
#HolidayEnvy is real, y’all: While the mercury is barely cracking zero degrees in many American cities, it is summer in South Africa, and we can’t think of a better way to ring in 2018 than with the beautiful people at Afropunk Joberg! And the beauties did not disappoint, bringing unparalleled style and statement to Johannesburg,…