Afropunk livestream adds Common, Yves Tumor, Dua Saleh, Bootsy Collins & much more

The virtual fest will also feature speakers (listed below), and two of the new additions are jazz musicians and frequent collaborators Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin, who will take part in a discussion called "Punk Is Jazz, Jazz Is Punk." A press release describes:

The festival is also set to host “Punk is Jazz, Jazz is Punk,” a conversation with Grammy Award winners Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin moderated by curator Tyree Boyd - Pates. At face value, it’s hard to imagine something that could be further in sound and structure from “Jazz” than “Punk Rock” but Punk and Jazz have elements in common -- the most important being attitude. Whether it came from the boundary-pushing free Jazz of the late ‘50s or the experimental electronic sounds of the late 60’s and 70’s, the spirit of adventure, creativity and general fuck the system, throw “the rules” out the window mentality has always been a part of Jazz’s historical trajectory and is what makes it Punk. Punk is anti-rules. Terrace and Roberts' ability to merge Jazz with some of today’s biggest Hip Hop stars, Soul Singers and old Jazz greats is testament to musical renegade mentality. We want to dig into and dissect their ethos and delve into the future melding of Jazz, Punk, Rock and Hip Hop into a genre fluid expression of Blackness.

In addition to the music and speakers, the fest will include art galleries, food via GrubHub, discussions on activism, the virtual Hair & Beauty Village, a virtual market with a curated selection of Black-owned vendors, and more. It goes down October 23-25 on PLANETAFROPUNK.com with exclusive content on Facebook Live, and it's free but you can donate to help support Black Futures Lab, Color of Change, Movement for Black Lives, Equal Justice Initiative, Fair Count, and The Bail Project and other organizations.

Of the "Planet Afropunk" theme, Nichelle Sanders, Strategic Advisor at AFROPUNK, said:

Being Black on planet earth is like science fiction. With the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others, we have seen the pain and trauma of the past resurrected, and all while suffering through a global pandemic. But, as Black people, our unity and creativity are our greatest weapon against oppression and adversity. To convene a global family reunion at this moment in time is therefore essential.

Now more than ever we need the resilience and creativity of our community to keep our culture alive and thriving. In creating PLANET AFROPUNK we’ve designed a safe space for our community to celebrate and inspire, cry and shout, and to heal and motivate one another. AFROPUNK’s approach to activism and fighting oppression has always been to celebrate Black music, art and culture – and ultimately Black joy. The AFROPUNK community is global, and we’ve built this planet to connect seamlessly. All across the world we are connecting in sameness and in difference to discover the joy in our Blackness, but also in the visual and musical artists and authors. And this is what AFROPUNK enables.

We can’t wait to see the faces, hear the voices and connect the AFROPUNK community - as unique, expressive and unapologetic as it is - to each other. Welcome to PLANET AFROPUNK!