Afropunk Announces 8th Annual Festival August 25-26

Article Contributed by GMA | Published on Friday, June 8, 2012

The Afropunk Festival is returning to Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park for the 8th Annual Afropunk Festival on August 25-26. The 2012 festival brings together its most stellar line-up yet, featuring a diverse mix of performers including Erykah Badu featuring the Cannibanoids, Gym Class Heroes, Janelle Monae, Das Racist, Skindred, Toro Y Moi, Reggie Watts, Spank Rock, Ninjasonik, Toshi Reagon, Straight Line Stitch, The Memorials, Radkey, Bad Rabbits, Gordon Voidwell, The London Souls, Cerebral Ballzy, Phony Ppl, Body Language, and more to be added!In addition, the largest Street Skate and BMX showcase returns with the NikeBattle For the Streets Skate and BMX Competition. The event will feature the nation's best amateur skaters and BMX riders in a competition to be judged by top professionals in both sports.Described by the New York Times as putting “rock and rebellion squarely in the category of African-American music,” the Afropunk Festival has become a Brooklyn intuition and the focal point for the burgeoning Afropunk movement.Over the past seven years, the Afropunk Festival has established its position as a platform for musical artists on-the-verge of hitting it big, such as Grammy-nominated Santigold, The Noisettes and Janelle Monae. Afropunk mainstays like Saul Williams, The Dirtbombs, Mos Def, and Bad Brains have also graced Afropunk’s stages.Regrettably, last year’s festival was cancelled due to Hurricane Irene. The storm almost put an end to the Afropunk Festival, but through the organizations’ dedication and hard work, and the support of this year’s sponsors which include Nike, vitaminwater, Kind and media sponsors The Fader and WNYC, the festival is back delivering the best music, food, culture and sports—and still free to the public!