For the second year in a row, Afropunk has had to go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today they’ve announced the 2021 lineup for a live stream that they’re dubbing Black Spring. The event will take place on April 23 at 1 PM PST. The live stream will focus on Afro-Latine and Afro-Caribbean artists and includes performers like Rico Nasty, Seu Jorge, Black Pantera, ChocQuibTown, Dawer X Damper, Jup Do Bairro, Projexx, Seafoam Walls and more. The festival will be broadcast on the Afropunk website and be set in Miami, FL.
The festival will be hosted by Santana Caress Benitez and is described as a “moment to celebrate African lineage and not allow the exploits of colonialism to further separate us whether we speak Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, or Dutch. We are Black,” said Tina Farris, the producer of the event.
Afropunk is also teaming up with NPR for a special Tiny Desk Meets Afropunk program that will feature appearances by ChocQuibTown, Calma Carmona, Luedji Luna and Nenny while Jorge “Gitoo” Wright will be hosting the program. “Celebrating with Tiny Desk is the perfect partner for this expansion in highlighting Afro-Latine and Afro-Caribbean voices,” said Farris. “NPR has always been a purveyor of world music, and we are excited about expanding the AFROPUNK tenants with their audience.”
Last October the organization held a digital Afropunk festival, which was held over three days. The theme for that festival was Planet Afropunk: Past, Present and Future is Black. The festival is renowned for hosting festivals in Brooklyn and Atlanta, booked with impressive lineups that touched on many differenet styles of Black music, from Solange and The Flatbush Zombies to Gary Clark Jr. and TV on the Radio.