For the last five years of my life I have been following Afropunk on social media. I love the concept of a musical space for Black and brown people, especially those who do not fit the stereotype of what they should be, what music they should listen to, how they should dress, how they should talk. Afropunk is for the black kids who got called white for listening to punk rock in school. The black girls who were called “ghetto” for dyeing their hair pink and purple. The black kids who dress out of the ordinary. And I wanted to take part in a festival that celebrates the diversity of Black and brown people. Not just diversity of skin color but diversity of interests.
Every year at Afropunk people come out to SLAY. My fashion sense genuinely cannot meet the level of slayage that most of these people reach. I kept my outfit simple. The skirt was from Forever 21 ($20), the top and shoes were from my mum, the earrings were from Shien.com and the sunglasses were thrifted from GRIME Thrift Store in Worcester, MA ($10). Simple, cheap, cute with a lot of color.
I’m always looking for new music to listen to so even if I haven’t heard an artists’ music, I’ll still listen to them live. I wanted to see Princess Nokia, Willow Smith, Jorja Smith, SZA, Sampha & Solange. I don’t know much music from these artists except for SZA & Solange. But, I had heard good things about them so I was excited. Anto, Seli & I arrived at Commodore Barry Park and skipped the line (lol). We arrived just in time for Princess Nokia whose performance was lit as F**K. After this, we walked around just taking in the beauty of the people. I could not get over it. The outfits, the hairstyles, the general carefreeness of everyone. Amazing. ALSO, Ebonee Davis, a model I follow on Instagram walked right past me and smiled. So, my life is made.
Afropunk had an Activism’s Row which included organizations like Black Lives Matter, Planned Parenthood, Brooklyn March Against Gentrification, Racism and Police Violence; amongst others. They also had a Marketplace. I headed straight to one of my favorite black-owned business, The Wrap Life. I purchased a new head wrap, and met the owner – Nnena.
And to add to the spending of money – Anto, Seli & I waited in line at John’s Juice for $10 pineapple juice served in a pineapple. Let’s face it – that’s a ridiculous price but we did it for the ‘Gram and your aesthetic is priceless. I mean, it was a good amount of pineapple juice.
We watched Willow Smith and Jorja Smith’s performances and vibed out. I knew only one song in each performance but still really enjoyed it. After, we ran across to see Sampha and we left during Sampha’s (AAMAZINNNG) performance to get a space for SZA. I’m obsessed with SZA and I did not get to enjoy her performance because the space was so small and crowded and I could barely hear her. So, we decided to leave her performance and just go get a space for Solange’s. :(. I was pretty bummed about that, but then Anto and I got coconut paletas, so yay.
Seli left before Solange’s performance (girl, wyd??), so Anto and I just chilled on the green for an hour. There was a dope ass DJ playing some oldie goldies and we danced. Soon after, NYC’s mayor came on stage for a short speech??? Ok Bill. Then, SOLANGE CAME ON! I never felt so amazing ever. EVER. Solange was beautiful, powerful, life-changing, inspiring – she was Black Girl Magic. When she performed “F.U.B.U” and “Don’t Touch My Hair”, it felt like a spiritual experience. No exaggeration.
Afropunk was such an amazing experience – the people, the culture, the vibe, the music – everything. It felt so great to be surrounded by the diversity of people of color, specifically Black and brown people. Afropunk also placed emphasis on people of the diaspora and I thought that my West Indian/Latinx/Caribbean people were well-represented. Definitely the best way to end my summer. See you next year Afropunk BK!
Cheers,
Stamped and Solo