Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents excerpts from several internet articles that refer to the vintage and afrocentric fashions worn by attendees of the 2015 AfroPunk festival in Brooklyn, New York. Four videos of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 AfroPunk festivals are also included in this post. In addition, comments about AfroPunk fashions from some of those video's discussion threads as well as from other YouTube discussion threads are also included in this post. A video of AfroPunk Paris (2015) is also showcased in the Addendum to this post.
The 2015 AfroPunk festival (New York) was the tenth annual event for that festival. I'm not sure if AfroPunk Festivals (New York) prior to 2013 had the same apparently high level of emphasis on afrocentric fashions. Articles that I've read about those previous festivals didn't mention afrocentric fashions in their descriptions of those attendees' clothing, hair, or accessories.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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EXCERPTS FROM SOME INTERNET ARTICLES & VIDEO DISCUSSION THREADS
Editor's Note:
Some of these excerpts are lifted from articles that were published in reaction to Black British blogger Zipporah Gene's post accusing African Americans of appropriating African cultures. However, my focus in this post is on the descriptions of the fashions that many festival attendees worn and not whether they were appropriating African cultures or reclaiming African cultures. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/young-paris-response-to-zipporah-genes.html for a pancocojams article that addresses Zipporah Gene's controversial post.
These excerpts are presented in relative order of the festival year with comments about the oldest festival year given first. I've assigned numbers to these excerpts for referencing purposes only.
There are lots of internet articles about the AfroPunk Festivals (New York). Most of these articles are photo slides with very little if any descriptive text. This is just a sample of the comments that I've come across about fashion worn at those festivals.
These comments refer to the 2013 festival:
1. From http://www.billboard.com/photos/5672668/afropunk-2013-festival-style-photos/1 AfroPunk 2013 Festival Style Photos
36 PHOTOS, 8/26/2013
"Style is something Brooklyn, New York...
Style is something Brooklyn, New York has plenty to offer. So with the AfroPunk Festival taking over the borough this past weekend (Aug. 24-25), it was safe to assume that a natty, but funky bunch would show up and show out to catch acts like Danny Brown, Saul Williams and Chuck D. They did.
In these coming shots, check out some of the most interesting hairstyles (thick dreads, detailed high-top fades) and clothing (skillfully tattered tops, crazy prints) the weekend had to offer."
****
These comments refer to the 2015 AfroPunk Festival (New York)
2. From http://www.racked.com/2015/9/15/9325959/african-american-appropriation-afropunk-fashion-history-zipporah-gene Accusing Black Americans of Appropriating African Clothing Misses the Point African-influenced styles can be traced back to the Black Power movement. by Nadra Nittle, Sep 15, 2015
..."Black hipsters have gravitated to the tribal-meets-boho look for years now. Picture a Zoe Kravitz or Solange Knowles type, hair styled in a piecey Afro, waist-length braids or locs. She dons a concrete-skimming skirt with red, green, and black print. Her septum ring and face paint, á la the Masai warriors of East Africa, vie for your attention.
At the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn last month, every other attendee rocked some version of this look. But draping oneself in the colors of the Pan-African flag and sporting tribal tattoos isn’t fashion forward, says African journalist Zipporah Gene. It’s cultural appropriation — even, she insists, when African Americans do it."...
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3. http://thegrio.com/2015/09/08/no-african-americans-culturally-appropriating-african-aesthetics-isnt-a-thing/
No. African Americans ‘culturally appropriating’ African culture isn’t a thing ; Opinion by Demetria Irwin September 8, 2015
..."don’t stamp the cultural appropriation label on the African-American AfroPunk attendees wearing flowing wax print maxi skirts (which are actually of Dutch origin but definitely an on-trend look that is capitalized on and has been inspired by African merchants and designers. That alone shows the complexity of cultural appropriation. Also, for the first generation Americans, reaching back to Africa or the Caribbean for style clues is only a plane ride away to their parents’ place of birth, not a deep dive into Google or fashion mags."
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4. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTm5gYZ5Bc
Young Paris: Afropunk 2015 *
"Good afternoon, this is Young Paris. We’re at the HausOAlt
Oh, AfroPunk is all. I was here last year as a guest. It’s funny, I did some social media stuff and a lot of it kinda went viral and people started following the aesthetic where I was going with this afro futuristic, afro-futuristic, traditional, contemporary concept, And it just started rapidly growing an audience. It’s just down to see the timing when it happened and that they’re able to put me on a platform where I can sharing the information. So that’s how I see it hear. Just the sharing.
Well my father co-founded the Congo ballet. And in their lineage they would use different colors to highlight their features. And so the national ballet had like a distinction within the Congo about how they would present themselves. He was a choreographer at thirteen and he continued this lineage. So I just carry on that tradition.
We wear different colors for different reasons. So with red, it symbolizes the blood of our people. Yellow is the sun that provides life. And green is the grass, It gives us food. And the white is –when we lose our ancestors, we wear white in remembrance of them because we carry on their lineage.
So my father died a couple of years ago, Since then I usually only wear the white.
For me I took the idea of this science and built it into a pop culture aesthetic around it."...
-snip-
*This is my transcription from the video. Additions and corrections are welcome.
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5. From http://www.vogue.com/projects/13298989/afropunk-fest-2015-street-style/ The Bold And The Beautiful
"As with anything punk—be it the boundary-pushing music, dress, or politics of its most hard-core loyalists—there is always a sense of urgency. The guitar must thrash harder, the music must be louder, and yes, the fashion must be bolder. The message of rebellion and personal freedom has to propagate quickly, honestly, and without pretense.
What the concertgoers of Afropunk’s eleventh annual music festival—which attracted an unprecedented number of iconoclasts to Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park—brought this past weekend was style with a same sense of immediacy and purpose. Bucking trends and rules, their dress played mercilessly with color and proportion—yet it was the subtle collision of detailing that drove the most fully realized looks home. SZA’s oversize tank was as impactful as a runway gown, especially as she leapt in the air while tousling her heap of copper curls. Traditional wax print was tied and repurposed into modern crop tops and jumpsuits, retro seventies glam mingled with Prada sneakers, and Americana and Afrofuturism motifs were all captured by Ben Rasmussen’s Polaroid camera.
As he explains, “It wasn’t just the fashion, it was their presence. Everyone we photographed was dressed beautifully, but what moved me was the energy and confidence that they exuded. . . . It is inspiring to see that sense of self.”
Here, that palpable confidence is on full display as we showcase the boundary-pushing style of this year’s Afropunk’s revelers."...
[slide show of photographs of some attendees]
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These two comments refer to the AfroPunk music scene in general and not specifically to the 2015 AfroPunk Festival (New York):
6. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fanQHFAxXH0 AFROPUNK: The Movie [FULL-LENGTH]
WARNING: Some of the comments in this documentary and in this discussion thread include profanity and the n word.
Zorgoon Trollstones, June 2015
"this!!!!!!!!! man I can relate on so many levels and i'd love to share my piece but im too lazy to put it on the internet. i'd rather do a video or do it in writing. Because the irony is, modern music came from African Americans and Jamaicans. Period. And rock has always been black. From BB King to Jimi Hendrix to Slash to Tina Turner (those vocals!). Soul, RnB, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Rock n Roll, Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Bebop, Doowop, Motown. Get in touch with your roots and you'll realize these ghetto kids who make fun of you are making fun of their roots and depriving themselves of their own heritage and inheritance. They're also limiting their own creativity and constricting their self expression. But on top of it all denying their own complexity as human beings, and thus their own humanity.
The Masai and Samburu warriors of Kenya dye their hair/dreadlocks bright red, as do the Hamar people of Ethiopia. The Nuba of Sudan wear elaborate and sometimes spooky face paint, making Black Metal face paint look like a rip-off.. Mohawks are a common African tribal style. Piercings are obvious. The dancing wildly and screaming vocals has always been park of African music, performance and even religion. So is wearing sharp or dangerous looking items as jewelry and adornment. Going through a punk/goth phase and also having been a confused coon helped me grow and get in deeper touch with myself and my culture as a Caribbean American. It was insane how much of our cultures collectively, have permanently transformed Mainstream culture. It's insane. Our hair is also big and wild by nature. Let your afro grow, it's the most rebellious thing you could ever do because it asserts your right to be human. Original. Honest. Your skin alone is the most shocking outfit you could ever wear. I stopped with the hair straightening etc because.. why? Why should I changed the most rebellious hair on earth to conform to a conformist way of anti-conforming lol?"
-snip-
This comment was reformatted to enhance readability.
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7. violetviolence79, December 2015
"...i agreed, i have notice since James Spooner is not longer part of the Afro-punk festival, its been going downhill in my opinion, the media only report what they're wearing and very little about the performers, smh"
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-snip-
Additional comments from videos that are embedded in this post are given below those videos.
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.
Example #1: AFROPUNK Music Festival
iamOTHER, Published on Aug 8, 2013
AFROPUNK is an influential community of young, gifted people of all backgrounds who speak through music, art, film, comedy, fashion and more. Originating with the 2003 documentary that highlighted a Black presence in the American punk scene, it is a platform for the alternative and experimental. Remaining at the core of its mission are the punk principles of DIY aesthetics, radical thought and social non-conformity. AFROPUNK is a voice for the unwritten, unwelcome and unheard-of. Watch more from AFROPUNK here: http://www.youtube.com/afropunktv
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's dicussion thread (numbers assigned for referencing purposes only)
I apologize for the spacing errors in this section. I'm not sure why they occurred.
1. Dominiku Chan, 2013
"gr8 show I wish i wore my african dress next year im going in I <3 Brooklyn"
**
2. JoJo Myles, 2013
"looking at these displays of individuality make me want to stand out more"
**3. rob mac, 2013
"Not my crowd but its great to see a different variety off black expression and culture from the norm."
**
4. Stephen Goodwin, 2013
""Individuals"......yet all the girls have the half shaved head hairstyle....yeh, haven't seen that lately, smh"
**
5. DirectedByRocko, 2013
"Unfortunately the festival has become more about style than about music and expression. People come decked out in "costumes" so they can have their photo taken or get in a blog video such as this. It is beautiful to see so many proud black people but some of them are only doing it because it's cool now and for approval"
**
6. Aspen Riley, 2013
"thats what my cousin said she said it change its all about fashion now"
**
7. Jamal Stead, 2013
SO many Beautiful people in one place, Diversity is Dope!
**
8. kevin hayden, 2013
"So some time i get really really jealous of New York because they have the coolest EVER , and they have a every strong Afrocentric scene there. I hope Chicago can catch up one day."
**
9. Ariel 0, 2014
"This..would help me as being a young African-American and not having to deal with what my family labels me as<3
But I'm confused?..Are this goers more focused on outfits and being 'unique'? Because I was hoping just to see down to earth, individuals who don't care and a few bands playing punk music or such and such...Err-sorry this is long winded, all I see is hip hop :("
**10. kali4good, 2014
Reply
"You see hip hop becus thats such a huge part of black culture so its only rightbut at afropunk there are also rock bands electro etc. The point of afropunk is an outlet for those who dont belong in this mainstream world. I know a couple of people who have gone i promise you if not all MOST of these people are genuine and thats just who they are. This is a place to let your creativity loose and just be YOU! So many different kinds of people go there. Its for black people who dont fit the mold the media portrays us as... its for the minority"
**11. Jose Ocampo, 2014
"As much as i loved afro punk i laos found it to be very corny, it felt like tons of hipset kids worrying more about what vintage or ethnic clothing their wearing than actually listening to the music its afropunk but anytime somewhat hardcore rock was Played people left because its not hip hop"
**12. TRANZEURO, 2014
Reply
"That's probably because a lot of the people who go to afropunk now aren't even aware of the origins of the festival,they just hear that Chuck D or Questlove etc are performing so they go.I've been going to afropunk since 2006,and every year more and more hip hop artist are included.It started off as a rock/punk oriented festival but as much as I still appreciate AP,I believe it has definitely begun to lose the point and focus of why it was created in the first place.There are plenty of venues and festivals were hip hop artists are able to do their thing.As far as I know afro punk is the only music festival that focuses on black artists who create and perform rock music.I strongly believe it should stay that way."
**13. Drawingunz001, 2014
"does anybody have any info on the last girl wit that violet color hat & gold teeth ? i think i just fell in love."
**14. Henri qsc, 2014
Reply
"she is Erikah Badu <3"
**15. Tahara Cherry. September 2015
"After watching this whole clip I just want a gold grill like Mama Badu."
-snip-
This comment refers to the gold covering on singer Eyrkah Badu's teeth.
**Example #2: AFROPUNK FEST 2014
AFROPUNK, Published on Aug 28, 2014
A recap on AFROPUNK FEST 2014. Stay tuned to AFROPUNK TV for more exclusive interviews and performances from the festival.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. Aurora Lara, 2014
"Afropunk is basically a festival for black people who think they're white, but try to act like they don't think they're white by overcompensating on the "mother Africa" tattoos, memorabilia, and wearing tribal clothes mixed in with modern fashion."
**
2. U-n-I Survive, 2014
Reply
"So, if they started acting more like what you think qualifies as "black" behavior, then they would be acting more like themselves? That's the problem, society wants to put black people in a box, and if you're not wearing the cultural 'hat' deemed appropriate for you (thug, rapper/r&b singer, nba/nfl star, drug dealer) you somehow aren't really black. It's sad that fellow people of color actually co-sign this mentality. It's mental incarceration. Afropunk (despite it's recent hipster influx) was about black people who didn't fit the above mentioned mold being liberated through music and art."
**
3.Aurora Lara , 2014
Reply
"+U-n-I Survive I didn't say anything about 'acting black'."
**
4. U-n-I Survive, 2014
Reply
"+Aurora Carmody
You're right you didn't, but you did say that the festival is for black people who think they're white. That seems to suggests to me that (and correct me if I'm wrong) you think that, because the people going to this festival are interested in things not typically associated with black people, they're trying to be something they're not (hence why you said they think they're white). My thing is, how can you propose to know something about an entire group of people without having even interacted with them? As if a choice of music or a band t-shirt (or even a mother Africa tattoo) says anything about who the people who attend the festival really are?"
**
5. Aurora Lara, 2014
Reply
"There are enough of these people on Tumblr for me to have an idea of what they're like."
**
6. U-n-I Survive, 2014
Reply
"That's just stereotyping. That's no different than someone watching a bunch a videos on Youtube of black people committing crimes and saying "I've seen enough of these people on Youtube to have an idea of what they're like". They're just people with personalities and nuances, just like you. How about instead of judging a group of people you haven't met, go up and introduce yourself to some of them (assuming you live near the type of people that would go to Afropunk), you might actually vibe with one or two, who knows."
**
7. Aurora Lara, 2014
Reply
"I guess"
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Example #3: Afro Punk Fest 2015
wblsfm1075, Published on Aug 27, 2015
WBLS was on hand at Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park for the annual Afro Punk Festival. Watch as festival attendees enjoyed a full weekend of great music, vibrant art and all around good vibes.
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Example #4: AFROPUNK: The new counter culture
CNNMoney, Published on Aug 26, 2015
The AFROPUNK movement is pushing music and fashion forward. Here's how it's leveraging social and new media to democratize access and accelerate the exchange of images and ideas.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. Claude Leguerre, October, 2015
"This is the 90's "Conscious" Movement's granchild. The clothes, the styles, the dress, the influences, It can't really be "explained" to those who are outside of it in a way they understand:
You are either "of it" or not.
It makes sense, or its doesn't.
You are a part of it, or you're not. Its that simple.
You can have your Lil Waynes, Rick Rosses and Minajes. I'll take this please"
**
2. nyeeezy, November 2015
"0:29 i bet shes not fulani"
**
3. Richard Swanson, December 2015
Reply
"You have said too much already. this is like hollywood or halloween. They dress up for one or two days then go perm their hair and wear high heel the next. None of these women have ever made anything from cow milk. +nyeeezy"
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ADDENDUM: [TRAX.TV] Afropunk Paris 2015
Trax Magazine Published on Jun 24, 2015
En plus de découvrir en totale immersion le festival Afropunk, notre court-métrage dresse le portrait d’une génération multiculturelle, libre de tout carcans et qui revendique le droit à la différence.
[Google translate:
In addition to discovering the immersive Afropunk festival, our short film portrays a multicultural generation, free from shackles and claiming the right to difference.]
Réalisation : Chayet Chiénin, Manon Tarasconi
Images : Datis Balaï, Manon Tarasconi, Benjamin Carrion, Odhran Odhunn
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Showing posts with label AfroPunk music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AfroPunk music. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Selected YouTube Comments About AfroPunk Music
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post presents selected comments about Punk music in general and AfroPunk music in particular from the YouTube discussion thread of the 2003 [?] documentary entitled AfroPunk. That video was published on YouTube on March 13, 2013 by AfroPunk. A link to that video is included in this post.*
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/punk-music-hardcore-punk-black-punk.html for a pancocojams post that provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. That post also provides information about the African American hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
*EDITOR'S COMMENT
I'm just learning about Punk music AfroPunk music and am compiling these comments in my self-assigned role as a community folklorist.
My introduction to AfroPunk occurred less than a week ago by way of an internet discussion about the AfroPunk festival -a festival I had previously known nothing about. After some video viewing and internet reading I decided that this pancocojams blog which focuses on African American and other Black music and dance should include posts on AfroPunk music.
In my research for this series of posts it seems to me that most websites only focus on the fashions worn by attendees of Brooklyn, New York's AfroPunk festival (and in doing so mostly show photographs of that fashion with little to no descriptive information or comments.) I intend to publish pancocojams posts about AfroPunk fashion, but I believe that subject should be secondary to information and comments about the history of and the current condition of and attitudes toward AfroPunk music.
I retrieve and republish selected YouTube comments because I believe that those comments (and others) are folkloric and sociological (and also sometimes creatively written literary) artifacts that are worthy of preservation, documentation, study, and discussion apart from the videos or sound files that they discuss.
The documentary video which prompted this discussion thread contains profanity. I'm not embedding that video in this post because I've chosen not to include such language in this blog in videos and in text except for certain words whose complete spelling I've masked. I also mask the spelling of the pejorative referent for Black people which is now commonly referred to as "the n word". I've done so because of my own values and because material containing those words and reference are more likely to be excluded from consideration as supplemental educational resources in United States public schools.
In some cases on this blog I've included comments that contain profanity but used the marker "profanity deleted" in place of that profanity. In other casess, I've partially spell that (what I consider to be problematic) word and noted with an asterisk that the completely spelled word was originally found in that comment.
Here is the summary statement that was published for that video (with the n word given in masked form)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fanQHFAxXH0
"AFROPUNK - "The Rock and Roll Ni---r Experience" was the original title for the movie before it was changed to what we know as today: AFROPUNK - The Documentary, a 66 minute documentary explores race identify within the punk scene. More than your everyday "Behind the Music" or typical "Black History month "documentary this film tackles hard questions, covering issues such as exile, loneliness, interracial dating and black power. We follow the lives of four people who have dedicated themselves to the punk rock lifestyles. They find themselves in conflicting situations, living the dual life of a person of color in a mostly white community."
For more news on AFROPUNK go to:
Visit our website: https://www.afropunk.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/afropunk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/afropunk
AFROPUNK - The Documentary features performances by Bad Brains, Tamar Kali, Cipher, and Ten Grand. It also contains exclusive interviews by members of Fishbone, 247- spyz, Dead Kennedys, Candiria, Orange 9mm and TV on the Radio to name a few."
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SELECTED COMMENTS
These selected comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fanQHFAxXH0
Disclaimer:
A number of comments in that discussion thread discuss racism and other topics that are pertinent to the subject of AfroPunk music. However, I've chosen to focus only on selected comments that specifically discuss the history of and conditions of and attitudes toward AfroPunk music.
This compilation isn't intended to represent all of the comments in that discussion thread that discuss Punk music in general and AfroPunk music in particular.
These comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
The opinions expressed by these commenters are not necessarily my opinions.
2013
1. ChargerBullet
"I think there was only about 5 or 10 minutes worth of Punk in this. The majority of this is the new-age hipster clowns with the chugga-chugga music, windmill dancing, hysterical-woman screaming by guys or the whiny PC girls singing, or the guys in sports jerseys saying "[four letter form of the n word deleted]". A much more interesting documentary would be on blacks in the original Punk and Hardcore era. There are way more than the handful mentioned at the end. Of course they weren't incessantly whining about things. I remember coming across a website a while ago that listed Punk bands with at least one black member and the number was staggering. The truth of the matter is early Punk and Hardcore had involvement from people of other races besides white. More so when you include the international Hardcore scenes. It just wasn't a big deal because political correctness had not manifested yet.
"Afro Punk"? I'm guessing this is similar to the revisionists that want to rewrite history and force the genre of "Chicano Punk". I'm pretty sure the Hispanics that played in all those bands (The Bags, Stains, Part Time Christians, Zeros, etc.) never referred to themselves as that. Quit with the PC hippie [profanity deleted]. It is not just the Blink's and Green Day's that have killed Punk but people like the creator's of this documentary that are contributing. It is like they are purposely fracturing and splintering the underground by making more and more factions and genres to further split and divide in until there is nothing left.
Except for the Bad Brains clip, the background music and song clips aren't even Punk. Oh, but they so want to present Fishbone and Orange 9mm as Punk bands."
**
2. spacepunk nappy
"Proud to be AfroPunk before the labeling...growing up in the hood,I was the "different black girl"...Builds character & made me stronger by staying true to myself...Now I'm the different grandma.lol.Individuality & self love ROCKS..."
**
3. jordanadnb
"<---- was Afro-Punk before such name/label existed."
4. Dick JonesOCP
"and a lot of drums in punk rock tracks sound like black sanctified church music agent orange bored of you and youth brigade blown away are proof of this"
**
5. nograviti
"I don't see what afropunk is beyond middle class black people, pushing free of stereotypes and not feeling guilt about not wishing to identify with outdated notions of a so called black culture"
**
6. Ric Ng
"in reply to pyrostrike uk
The problem is - White people (friends included) don't relate to you, you have to relate to them "Like having a Black sun (son) in a White world". They think it's their thing you encroach on, like Hendrix at Woodstock wasn't entirely welcome. It is essential that Black people dive deep into their Black culture. It is doubly powerful if you relate to the ALTERNATIVE culture as well. I've been there too. Notice Hendrix and Bad Brains are better than their White peers. They basically are peerless."
**
7. Jacob Kussmaul
"Afropunk could have been the next big thing last decade. such a creative scene. reminds me of what happened with grunge in the 80s. Damn..I'd like to see that happen someday"
**
8. Orwell Mushaikwa [2014]
Reply
"I'd rather it stays as it is, if it was to go mainstream then it would be corrupted by the music industry, I mean just take a look at pop :U"
**
9. cathridge [2014]
Reply
"Grunge is a totally different thing than afropunk. Grunge is a style of hard rock. Afropunk moviement isn't just punk. It' can be any alternative kind of rock performed by black artists. The point is, they're not just playing music that they would normally be stereotyped into playing (rap, r&b, gospel, urban, etc). If you ever go to an afropunk show, it won't just be hardcore punk. It might metal or art-rock too. But the artists will be mostly black. "
**
10. butterstix24 [2014]
Reply
"+cathridge Yeah, it reminds me a lot of the first wave punk scene when the umbrella was much wider and punk was just a general term used for garage rock and underground music as a whole."
**
11. KITTEN for BUNNY
"i can honestly say that race seemed to not exist in the punk scenes i was a part of back in theeeeee day. like i'm talking late 80's early 90's.
but of course i couldn't see it through black eyes (being white), so i may have missed it, but it was definitely about the most embracing place i knew of then, or since.
i'm not oblivious that it may have been there, at least in some people's interactions. of course we acted harshly against overt racism but who knows what subtleties there were. "
**
2014
12. cathridge
"I was looking forward to see this five years ago. After seeing it, Im a bit disappointed. I would have liked to see some of the older black rockers and punk rockers. The concept of Afropunk (blacks not conforming to stereotypes or status quo within their own racial group) predates the terminology. Blacks have been into rock and other genres long before the 90s. There were blacks at Woodstock and hanging out at CBGB's in the 70s. I know for a fact there is a legion of old school black punks spread out n NYC, DC and Philly. They may not still play in bands or hang out at the clubs every night anymore but they still maintain their rocker spirit and lifestyle. It would have been nice to get their perspective on how they were received back in the 70 and early 80s.
Also it would have been nice if they had either interviewed or at least mentioned some of the other well-known or established black acts and punk musicians. There were some credits at the end but 15 seconds of video performance speaks so much louder than a talking head with no name subtitle. They should have taken 60 seconds to create a montage of various black punk and metal rock bands and musicians playing live. I saw Jimi Hazel from 24/7 Spyz there but there was no subtitle to say who he was or the importance of his band to the black rock fan movement until the end credits. End credits doesnt really cut it. The movie is over by that time and people are leaving. They touched on and showed some footage of Bad Brains which was good because they are important and essential to any discussion about punk rock. They barely breathed on Fishbone but at least I heard their name and saw a clip of lead singer Angelo Moore. A blink-or-you'll-miss-it flash of the band Pure Hell was added with no mention of who they are. They were the first all black punk rock band in the 70s. They played with and opened up for The Sex Pistols in the 70s during the height of their fame. NO discussion of black punk history should be made without mentioning them. The filmmakers really dropped the ball on that. There was also no mention of Living Colour. They aren't really punk rock however they fit into this discussion very well since they are a black group who made a name for themselves playing hard rock.
Overall, Im glad the film was made but I wish it spent less time on making Afropunk look like nothing more than a racial movement and more time showing examples of black punk rockers who made it successful. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to hear everyone's story and it was important to know that blacks still had to push hard to be accepted even into a culture that claims to be without borders but that should have been the first half of the movie while the second half concentrated on how everyone found confidence in accepting themselves for who they are rather than letting anyone typecast them.
**
13. WriterPoetHumanBeing
Reply
"I agree with you when you say that they should have mentioned more than just Chuck Berry. Little Richard, and Bad Brains. In fact, I think they should do a whole new documentary featuring old and new black rockers! However, I think the concept of Afropunk makes sense because of the fact that some people think that rock is just white people music. This thought was mentioned in the film, but what wasn't mentioned is the fact that white people culturally appropriated rock music from black people so much that some people just think white people invented rock music. In fact, white AND black people created rock music by fusing country and blues together. "
**
14. cathridge
"This is the second and third hand punk. That's why it doesn't sound authentic.. Most of these kids are too young to have been conscious enough to understand the 70 punk and hardcore movement when it was around. It's like those kids you see walking down the cultural street in your city, wearing leather jackets and sporting mohawks. 30 years after punk. Note that most of them said they heard punk from their older siblings and one dude name-checks Green Day. Really???? Green Day? Not the Germs, X, Fear or Dead Kennedys? That's embarrassing right there but then none of these groups calling themselves punk today are any real heirs to the throne either, black, white, yellow or brown. But they should sound like themselves too not like 70s punk. This is '10s punk now.
However, its not really cool to down them because they got their punk from a different source from the original. You get your info however it comes to you. Not everyone got into The Beatles and The Rollling Stones straight from the source. Some were Utopia and XTC and Black Crowes and The Strokes fans first."
**
15. InternalMind
"I hate it when people think that "punk" means nothing more than "BE YOURSELF AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!!" it's wayy deeper than stupid domestic social problems, it's about revolution of the whole planet.... not just a few corrupt govts and councils! wake up..."
**
16. windchimes323
"The irony about most cultural movements and musical genres in the U.S. is that many of them have origins in black culture (see: rock and roll; see: the "cool" aesthetic; see: hipster) and at first it is openly mocked and degraded, until white people decide they like it too... which is fine, or would be, until they decide they have complete ownership over it and then banish the originators from the movement they created, and then rewrite history and pretend it was theirs from the beginning. It happens too much. It's happening to hip hop right now. They've decided it belongs to them, and are kicking black people out."
**
17. G Raw
"Dunno about NY or other cities but in Philly (where Im from) I don't ever remember there being a problem w/accepting blacks into the scene...I mean the 1st true punk band from Philly was Pure Hell- an all black band."
**
18. labrae
"Listen to the band called, Death. They're the first punk rock band. They're protopunk. Awesome band."
**
19. NewDawnFadesX
Reply
"Do they predate The Stooges?"
**
20. Shayne O'Neill
Reply
"Whats "real punk" or "the first punks" or whatever is the least useful argument in the punk rock world. It got borting to argue about it 30 years ago, and it still is. Just [profanity deleted] do what you want and be who you wanna be."
-snip-
Editor: "Borting" is probably a typo for "boring"
**
21. Ross Holloway
"Great ...the whole point about punk is it is not about your colour or your sexuality or nothing really, except the whole normal sh&t*"
-snip-
*That word fully spelled out in this comment
**
22. AtheisticConclusion
"I grew up in a very diverse area, and was always shocked that there weren't more black, and Hispanic kids at the shows. In my neighborhood we were all into hiphop, but I was the only one who was in the punk rock scene. I used to BEG them to come to a punk, or ska, or HC show with me. Not one neighborhood friend ever did in all the years I was going."
**
23. James McMichael
"punk is all about breaking the stereotype, which is awesome to see many choosing that. anytime i see someone outside the stereotype, i respect that person more than any other, because it takes a bit of bravery, but also a spirit willing to let go and take some chances in life. The more you learn the better you are."
**
24. Andrew Smith
"The scene where i'm from (Jamaica) is small and people of of ethnicities are the minority but it's not an issue cause we love the music, and we get a sense of belonging that we CAN'T get anywhere else"
**
2015
25. Toby Gibson
"This movie must come from a 1990s base- in 1980 there were black and Latino punks, and some of them played or sang in bands. This documentary comes off as kind of a whiny plea to recognize people who may or may not have been part of a punk scene. Just play in a band- play punk rock- maybe now people are more bigoted-but in 1980 no one would have stopped a black person from starting a band- we needed a bass player sometimes- if he or she were black- so what? We needed a bass player- we didn't give a [profanity deleted] if they were black or white or asian or whatever- you just had to play bass."
**
26. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Toby Gibson Keep in mind that this film started being made in 2000. It took about 3 years to complete. James actually maxed out his credit cards to do this. Nearly everyone in this film has been part of punkrock for 20+ years. They were ecstatic to sit down & tell their life stories to James, cause the 'mainstream' didn't want to hear from 'whiny' negroes.Watch the bonus videos. They feature D. H. Peligro from Dead Kennedys & Lenny from Pure Hell. They don't sound whiny at all."
**
27. Toby Gibson
Reply
"+cazprescott9 Understood. And just to be clear, I didn't anywhere say "whiny negroes". ;)"
**
28. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Toby Gibson I know that you weren't the one who said that. I got caught up in explaining why people shouldn't just see this documentary as a complaint. I'm a spaz :/
-snip-
Editor's comment: When African Americans use ‘negroes” as a referent for contemporary African Americans, it's almost always a put down, and it's especially an insult if the word is spelled with a lower case “n”. In this comment I think "'whiny' negroes" refers to Black people who are weak or who act weak. Ironically, in African American Vernacular English someone who is weak or who acts weak is called a "punk".
Also, I don't know what "I'm a spaz" means. Would someone explain that term, please.
**
29. Zorgoon Trollstones
"this!!!!!!!!! man I can relate on so many levels and i'd love to share my piece but im too lazy to put it on the internet. i'd rather do a video or do it in writing. Because the irony is, modern music came from African Americans and Jamaicans. Period. And rock has always been black. From BB King to Jimi Hendrix to Slash to Tina Turner (those vocals!). Soul, RnB, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Rock n Roll, Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Bebop, Doowop, Motown. Get in touch with your roots and you'll realize these ghetto kids who make fun of you are making fun of their roots and depriving themselves of their own heritage and inheritance. They're also limiting their own creativity and constricting their self expression. But on top of it all denying their own complexity as human beings, and thus their own humanity. The Masai and Samburu warriors of Kenya dye their hair/dreadlocks bright red, as do the Hamar people of Ethiopia. The Nuba of Sudan wear elaborate and sometimes spooky face paint, making Black Metal face paint look like a rip-off.. Mohawks are a common African tribal style. Piercings are obvious. The dancing wildly and screaming vocals has always been park of African music, performance and even religion. So is wearing sharp or dangerous looking items as jewelry and adornment. Going through a punk/goth phase and also having been a confused coon helped me grow and get in deeper touch with myself and my culture as a Caribbean American. It was insane how much of our cultures collectively, have permanently transformed Mainstream culture. It's insane. Our hair is also big and wild by nature. Let your afro grow, it's the most rebellious thing you could ever do because it asserts your right to be human. Original. Honest. Your skin alone is the most shocking outfit you could ever wear. I stopped with the hair straightening etc because.. why? Why should I changed the most rebellious hair on earth to conform to a conformist way of anti-conforming lol?"
**
30. Tishauna7
"The problem with a lot of Blk alt scenes/culture is that they're filled with too much anti-Blk/ intra-racist elitists. That puts an even bigger wedge between Blk folk. I have known Blk people to leave the goth/metal/punk scene because of it."
-snip-
Editor's notes:
“alt” = clip of the word "alternative"; in this context "alternative music/culture scenes [music genres and cultural spaces such as nightclubs and festivals that aren't usually considered "Black" music or cultural scenes]
"intra-racist" definition from http://racerelations.net/?page_id=69
"INTRARACIAL DISCRIMINATION (also Intra-racial Discrimination): Oppression, suppression, hate, dislike, or distrust of another person or group of the same race based on physical characteristics such as skin color (light vs. dark), hair texture, nose size, etc., but also tribal and cultural reasons, as well as differences in caste or class."
**
31. violetviolence79
Reply
"+Tishauna7 i agreed, i have notice since James Spooner is not longer part of the Afro-punk festival, its been going downhill in my opinion, the media only report what they're wearing and very little about the performers, smh"
**
32. Sam Jo
"Back in the 80's when we Brits were creating Punk, the skins did not thoroughly embrace black brits, so they broke away and mainstream punk was developed further by our ska, rock steady, beat, two tone Jamaican influences. We used to hang out in Carnaby Street and Camden Market, those were good good times."
-snip-
"Skins" in that comment refers to "Skinheads".
**
33. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Sales Admin But don't forget that New York & Detroit bands like the Stooges, Ramones, NY Dolls, et al also helped form punk. And Malcolm McLaren actually took the name Sex Pistols from a Puerto Rican NYC street gang. But UK folks really are the ones who made punk a cool universal movement :) Too bad not many black folks here know about the Caribbean contributions."
**
34. ministryOFmuff
Reply
"+CheezInspector The initial sound came from the US - The Ramones and if you go back even earlier stuff like The Stooges and The New York Dolls. England influenced the fashion and attitude aspect and really amped up the aggression and politicised stuff though. Plus like Sam Jo said, it branched off into various other genres in England too."
-snip-
Editor's note:
The names of the commenters may differ from the names given in the replies because of the push that YouTube had [in 2013? or earlier?] for commenters to use their full names instead of the internet screen name they had made up. If a commenter chose to use his or her full name all of the comments posted by that commenter were switched to that name. However, the replies to that person's comments would still have the old screen name.
**
35. bill kolectah
"look up Black Death from Detroit. real black punks"
**
36. Nicole McNeill
"That's not right! I grew up in the ghetto around black people only and I was goth. This is stereotype that all alternative black people come from white American suburbia."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post presents selected comments about Punk music in general and AfroPunk music in particular from the YouTube discussion thread of the 2003 [?] documentary entitled AfroPunk. That video was published on YouTube on March 13, 2013 by AfroPunk. A link to that video is included in this post.*
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/punk-music-hardcore-punk-black-punk.html for a pancocojams post that provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. That post also provides information about the African American hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
*EDITOR'S COMMENT
I'm just learning about Punk music AfroPunk music and am compiling these comments in my self-assigned role as a community folklorist.
My introduction to AfroPunk occurred less than a week ago by way of an internet discussion about the AfroPunk festival -a festival I had previously known nothing about. After some video viewing and internet reading I decided that this pancocojams blog which focuses on African American and other Black music and dance should include posts on AfroPunk music.
In my research for this series of posts it seems to me that most websites only focus on the fashions worn by attendees of Brooklyn, New York's AfroPunk festival (and in doing so mostly show photographs of that fashion with little to no descriptive information or comments.) I intend to publish pancocojams posts about AfroPunk fashion, but I believe that subject should be secondary to information and comments about the history of and the current condition of and attitudes toward AfroPunk music.
I retrieve and republish selected YouTube comments because I believe that those comments (and others) are folkloric and sociological (and also sometimes creatively written literary) artifacts that are worthy of preservation, documentation, study, and discussion apart from the videos or sound files that they discuss.
The documentary video which prompted this discussion thread contains profanity. I'm not embedding that video in this post because I've chosen not to include such language in this blog in videos and in text except for certain words whose complete spelling I've masked. I also mask the spelling of the pejorative referent for Black people which is now commonly referred to as "the n word". I've done so because of my own values and because material containing those words and reference are more likely to be excluded from consideration as supplemental educational resources in United States public schools.
In some cases on this blog I've included comments that contain profanity but used the marker "profanity deleted" in place of that profanity. In other casess, I've partially spell that (what I consider to be problematic) word and noted with an asterisk that the completely spelled word was originally found in that comment.
Here is the summary statement that was published for that video (with the n word given in masked form)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fanQHFAxXH0
"AFROPUNK - "The Rock and Roll Ni---r Experience" was the original title for the movie before it was changed to what we know as today: AFROPUNK - The Documentary, a 66 minute documentary explores race identify within the punk scene. More than your everyday "Behind the Music" or typical "Black History month "documentary this film tackles hard questions, covering issues such as exile, loneliness, interracial dating and black power. We follow the lives of four people who have dedicated themselves to the punk rock lifestyles. They find themselves in conflicting situations, living the dual life of a person of color in a mostly white community."
For more news on AFROPUNK go to:
Visit our website: https://www.afropunk.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/afropunk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/afropunk
AFROPUNK - The Documentary features performances by Bad Brains, Tamar Kali, Cipher, and Ten Grand. It also contains exclusive interviews by members of Fishbone, 247- spyz, Dead Kennedys, Candiria, Orange 9mm and TV on the Radio to name a few."
****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These selected comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fanQHFAxXH0
Disclaimer:
A number of comments in that discussion thread discuss racism and other topics that are pertinent to the subject of AfroPunk music. However, I've chosen to focus only on selected comments that specifically discuss the history of and conditions of and attitudes toward AfroPunk music.
This compilation isn't intended to represent all of the comments in that discussion thread that discuss Punk music in general and AfroPunk music in particular.
These comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
The opinions expressed by these commenters are not necessarily my opinions.
2013
1. ChargerBullet
"I think there was only about 5 or 10 minutes worth of Punk in this. The majority of this is the new-age hipster clowns with the chugga-chugga music, windmill dancing, hysterical-woman screaming by guys or the whiny PC girls singing, or the guys in sports jerseys saying "[four letter form of the n word deleted]". A much more interesting documentary would be on blacks in the original Punk and Hardcore era. There are way more than the handful mentioned at the end. Of course they weren't incessantly whining about things. I remember coming across a website a while ago that listed Punk bands with at least one black member and the number was staggering. The truth of the matter is early Punk and Hardcore had involvement from people of other races besides white. More so when you include the international Hardcore scenes. It just wasn't a big deal because political correctness had not manifested yet.
"Afro Punk"? I'm guessing this is similar to the revisionists that want to rewrite history and force the genre of "Chicano Punk". I'm pretty sure the Hispanics that played in all those bands (The Bags, Stains, Part Time Christians, Zeros, etc.) never referred to themselves as that. Quit with the PC hippie [profanity deleted]. It is not just the Blink's and Green Day's that have killed Punk but people like the creator's of this documentary that are contributing. It is like they are purposely fracturing and splintering the underground by making more and more factions and genres to further split and divide in until there is nothing left.
Except for the Bad Brains clip, the background music and song clips aren't even Punk. Oh, but they so want to present Fishbone and Orange 9mm as Punk bands."
**
2. spacepunk nappy
"Proud to be AfroPunk before the labeling...growing up in the hood,I was the "different black girl"...Builds character & made me stronger by staying true to myself...Now I'm the different grandma.lol.Individuality & self love ROCKS..."
**
3. jordanadnb
"<---- was Afro-Punk before such name/label existed."
**
4. Dick JonesOCP
"and a lot of drums in punk rock tracks sound like black sanctified church music agent orange bored of you and youth brigade blown away are proof of this"
**
5. nograviti
"I don't see what afropunk is beyond middle class black people, pushing free of stereotypes and not feeling guilt about not wishing to identify with outdated notions of a so called black culture"
**
6. Ric Ng
"in reply to pyrostrike uk
The problem is - White people (friends included) don't relate to you, you have to relate to them "Like having a Black sun (son) in a White world". They think it's their thing you encroach on, like Hendrix at Woodstock wasn't entirely welcome. It is essential that Black people dive deep into their Black culture. It is doubly powerful if you relate to the ALTERNATIVE culture as well. I've been there too. Notice Hendrix and Bad Brains are better than their White peers. They basically are peerless."
**
7. Jacob Kussmaul
"Afropunk could have been the next big thing last decade. such a creative scene. reminds me of what happened with grunge in the 80s. Damn..I'd like to see that happen someday"
**
8. Orwell Mushaikwa [2014]
Reply
"I'd rather it stays as it is, if it was to go mainstream then it would be corrupted by the music industry, I mean just take a look at pop :U"
**
9. cathridge [2014]
Reply
"Grunge is a totally different thing than afropunk. Grunge is a style of hard rock. Afropunk moviement isn't just punk. It' can be any alternative kind of rock performed by black artists. The point is, they're not just playing music that they would normally be stereotyped into playing (rap, r&b, gospel, urban, etc). If you ever go to an afropunk show, it won't just be hardcore punk. It might metal or art-rock too. But the artists will be mostly black. "
**
10. butterstix24 [2014]
Reply
"+cathridge Yeah, it reminds me a lot of the first wave punk scene when the umbrella was much wider and punk was just a general term used for garage rock and underground music as a whole."
**
11. KITTEN for BUNNY
"i can honestly say that race seemed to not exist in the punk scenes i was a part of back in theeeeee day. like i'm talking late 80's early 90's.
but of course i couldn't see it through black eyes (being white), so i may have missed it, but it was definitely about the most embracing place i knew of then, or since.
i'm not oblivious that it may have been there, at least in some people's interactions. of course we acted harshly against overt racism but who knows what subtleties there were. "
**
2014
12. cathridge
"I was looking forward to see this five years ago. After seeing it, Im a bit disappointed. I would have liked to see some of the older black rockers and punk rockers. The concept of Afropunk (blacks not conforming to stereotypes or status quo within their own racial group) predates the terminology. Blacks have been into rock and other genres long before the 90s. There were blacks at Woodstock and hanging out at CBGB's in the 70s. I know for a fact there is a legion of old school black punks spread out n NYC, DC and Philly. They may not still play in bands or hang out at the clubs every night anymore but they still maintain their rocker spirit and lifestyle. It would have been nice to get their perspective on how they were received back in the 70 and early 80s.
Also it would have been nice if they had either interviewed or at least mentioned some of the other well-known or established black acts and punk musicians. There were some credits at the end but 15 seconds of video performance speaks so much louder than a talking head with no name subtitle. They should have taken 60 seconds to create a montage of various black punk and metal rock bands and musicians playing live. I saw Jimi Hazel from 24/7 Spyz there but there was no subtitle to say who he was or the importance of his band to the black rock fan movement until the end credits. End credits doesnt really cut it. The movie is over by that time and people are leaving. They touched on and showed some footage of Bad Brains which was good because they are important and essential to any discussion about punk rock. They barely breathed on Fishbone but at least I heard their name and saw a clip of lead singer Angelo Moore. A blink-or-you'll-miss-it flash of the band Pure Hell was added with no mention of who they are. They were the first all black punk rock band in the 70s. They played with and opened up for The Sex Pistols in the 70s during the height of their fame. NO discussion of black punk history should be made without mentioning them. The filmmakers really dropped the ball on that. There was also no mention of Living Colour. They aren't really punk rock however they fit into this discussion very well since they are a black group who made a name for themselves playing hard rock.
Overall, Im glad the film was made but I wish it spent less time on making Afropunk look like nothing more than a racial movement and more time showing examples of black punk rockers who made it successful. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to hear everyone's story and it was important to know that blacks still had to push hard to be accepted even into a culture that claims to be without borders but that should have been the first half of the movie while the second half concentrated on how everyone found confidence in accepting themselves for who they are rather than letting anyone typecast them.
**
13. WriterPoetHumanBeing
Reply
"I agree with you when you say that they should have mentioned more than just Chuck Berry. Little Richard, and Bad Brains. In fact, I think they should do a whole new documentary featuring old and new black rockers! However, I think the concept of Afropunk makes sense because of the fact that some people think that rock is just white people music. This thought was mentioned in the film, but what wasn't mentioned is the fact that white people culturally appropriated rock music from black people so much that some people just think white people invented rock music. In fact, white AND black people created rock music by fusing country and blues together. "
**
14. cathridge
"This is the second and third hand punk. That's why it doesn't sound authentic.. Most of these kids are too young to have been conscious enough to understand the 70 punk and hardcore movement when it was around. It's like those kids you see walking down the cultural street in your city, wearing leather jackets and sporting mohawks. 30 years after punk. Note that most of them said they heard punk from their older siblings and one dude name-checks Green Day. Really???? Green Day? Not the Germs, X, Fear or Dead Kennedys? That's embarrassing right there but then none of these groups calling themselves punk today are any real heirs to the throne either, black, white, yellow or brown. But they should sound like themselves too not like 70s punk. This is '10s punk now.
However, its not really cool to down them because they got their punk from a different source from the original. You get your info however it comes to you. Not everyone got into The Beatles and The Rollling Stones straight from the source. Some were Utopia and XTC and Black Crowes and The Strokes fans first."
**
15. InternalMind
"I hate it when people think that "punk" means nothing more than "BE YOURSELF AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!!" it's wayy deeper than stupid domestic social problems, it's about revolution of the whole planet.... not just a few corrupt govts and councils! wake up..."
**
16. windchimes323
"The irony about most cultural movements and musical genres in the U.S. is that many of them have origins in black culture (see: rock and roll; see: the "cool" aesthetic; see: hipster) and at first it is openly mocked and degraded, until white people decide they like it too... which is fine, or would be, until they decide they have complete ownership over it and then banish the originators from the movement they created, and then rewrite history and pretend it was theirs from the beginning. It happens too much. It's happening to hip hop right now. They've decided it belongs to them, and are kicking black people out."
**
17. G Raw
"Dunno about NY or other cities but in Philly (where Im from) I don't ever remember there being a problem w/accepting blacks into the scene...I mean the 1st true punk band from Philly was Pure Hell- an all black band."
**
18. labrae
"Listen to the band called, Death. They're the first punk rock band. They're protopunk. Awesome band."
**
19. NewDawnFadesX
Reply
"Do they predate The Stooges?"
**
20. Shayne O'Neill
Reply
"Whats "real punk" or "the first punks" or whatever is the least useful argument in the punk rock world. It got borting to argue about it 30 years ago, and it still is. Just [profanity deleted] do what you want and be who you wanna be."
-snip-
Editor: "Borting" is probably a typo for "boring"
**
21. Ross Holloway
"Great ...the whole point about punk is it is not about your colour or your sexuality or nothing really, except the whole normal sh&t*"
-snip-
*That word fully spelled out in this comment
**
22. AtheisticConclusion
"I grew up in a very diverse area, and was always shocked that there weren't more black, and Hispanic kids at the shows. In my neighborhood we were all into hiphop, but I was the only one who was in the punk rock scene. I used to BEG them to come to a punk, or ska, or HC show with me. Not one neighborhood friend ever did in all the years I was going."
**
23. James McMichael
"punk is all about breaking the stereotype, which is awesome to see many choosing that. anytime i see someone outside the stereotype, i respect that person more than any other, because it takes a bit of bravery, but also a spirit willing to let go and take some chances in life. The more you learn the better you are."
**
24. Andrew Smith
"The scene where i'm from (Jamaica) is small and people of of ethnicities are the minority but it's not an issue cause we love the music, and we get a sense of belonging that we CAN'T get anywhere else"
**
2015
25. Toby Gibson
"This movie must come from a 1990s base- in 1980 there were black and Latino punks, and some of them played or sang in bands. This documentary comes off as kind of a whiny plea to recognize people who may or may not have been part of a punk scene. Just play in a band- play punk rock- maybe now people are more bigoted-but in 1980 no one would have stopped a black person from starting a band- we needed a bass player sometimes- if he or she were black- so what? We needed a bass player- we didn't give a [profanity deleted] if they were black or white or asian or whatever- you just had to play bass."
**
26. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Toby Gibson Keep in mind that this film started being made in 2000. It took about 3 years to complete. James actually maxed out his credit cards to do this. Nearly everyone in this film has been part of punkrock for 20+ years. They were ecstatic to sit down & tell their life stories to James, cause the 'mainstream' didn't want to hear from 'whiny' negroes.Watch the bonus videos. They feature D. H. Peligro from Dead Kennedys & Lenny from Pure Hell. They don't sound whiny at all."
**
27. Toby Gibson
Reply
"+cazprescott9 Understood. And just to be clear, I didn't anywhere say "whiny negroes". ;)"
**
28. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Toby Gibson I know that you weren't the one who said that. I got caught up in explaining why people shouldn't just see this documentary as a complaint. I'm a spaz :/
-snip-
Editor's comment: When African Americans use ‘negroes” as a referent for contemporary African Americans, it's almost always a put down, and it's especially an insult if the word is spelled with a lower case “n”. In this comment I think "'whiny' negroes" refers to Black people who are weak or who act weak. Ironically, in African American Vernacular English someone who is weak or who acts weak is called a "punk".
Also, I don't know what "I'm a spaz" means. Would someone explain that term, please.
**
29. Zorgoon Trollstones
"this!!!!!!!!! man I can relate on so many levels and i'd love to share my piece but im too lazy to put it on the internet. i'd rather do a video or do it in writing. Because the irony is, modern music came from African Americans and Jamaicans. Period. And rock has always been black. From BB King to Jimi Hendrix to Slash to Tina Turner (those vocals!). Soul, RnB, Blues, Funk, Jazz, Rock n Roll, Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Bebop, Doowop, Motown. Get in touch with your roots and you'll realize these ghetto kids who make fun of you are making fun of their roots and depriving themselves of their own heritage and inheritance. They're also limiting their own creativity and constricting their self expression. But on top of it all denying their own complexity as human beings, and thus their own humanity. The Masai and Samburu warriors of Kenya dye their hair/dreadlocks bright red, as do the Hamar people of Ethiopia. The Nuba of Sudan wear elaborate and sometimes spooky face paint, making Black Metal face paint look like a rip-off.. Mohawks are a common African tribal style. Piercings are obvious. The dancing wildly and screaming vocals has always been park of African music, performance and even religion. So is wearing sharp or dangerous looking items as jewelry and adornment. Going through a punk/goth phase and also having been a confused coon helped me grow and get in deeper touch with myself and my culture as a Caribbean American. It was insane how much of our cultures collectively, have permanently transformed Mainstream culture. It's insane. Our hair is also big and wild by nature. Let your afro grow, it's the most rebellious thing you could ever do because it asserts your right to be human. Original. Honest. Your skin alone is the most shocking outfit you could ever wear. I stopped with the hair straightening etc because.. why? Why should I changed the most rebellious hair on earth to conform to a conformist way of anti-conforming lol?"
**
30. Tishauna7
"The problem with a lot of Blk alt scenes/culture is that they're filled with too much anti-Blk/ intra-racist elitists. That puts an even bigger wedge between Blk folk. I have known Blk people to leave the goth/metal/punk scene because of it."
-snip-
Editor's notes:
“alt” = clip of the word "alternative"; in this context "alternative music/culture scenes [music genres and cultural spaces such as nightclubs and festivals that aren't usually considered "Black" music or cultural scenes]
"intra-racist" definition from http://racerelations.net/?page_id=69
"INTRARACIAL DISCRIMINATION (also Intra-racial Discrimination): Oppression, suppression, hate, dislike, or distrust of another person or group of the same race based on physical characteristics such as skin color (light vs. dark), hair texture, nose size, etc., but also tribal and cultural reasons, as well as differences in caste or class."
**
31. violetviolence79
Reply
"+Tishauna7 i agreed, i have notice since James Spooner is not longer part of the Afro-punk festival, its been going downhill in my opinion, the media only report what they're wearing and very little about the performers, smh"
**
32. Sam Jo
"Back in the 80's when we Brits were creating Punk, the skins did not thoroughly embrace black brits, so they broke away and mainstream punk was developed further by our ska, rock steady, beat, two tone Jamaican influences. We used to hang out in Carnaby Street and Camden Market, those were good good times."
-snip-
"Skins" in that comment refers to "Skinheads".
**
33. cazprescott9
Reply
"+Sales Admin But don't forget that New York & Detroit bands like the Stooges, Ramones, NY Dolls, et al also helped form punk. And Malcolm McLaren actually took the name Sex Pistols from a Puerto Rican NYC street gang. But UK folks really are the ones who made punk a cool universal movement :) Too bad not many black folks here know about the Caribbean contributions."
**
34. ministryOFmuff
Reply
"+CheezInspector The initial sound came from the US - The Ramones and if you go back even earlier stuff like The Stooges and The New York Dolls. England influenced the fashion and attitude aspect and really amped up the aggression and politicised stuff though. Plus like Sam Jo said, it branched off into various other genres in England too."
-snip-
Editor's note:
The names of the commenters may differ from the names given in the replies because of the push that YouTube had [in 2013? or earlier?] for commenters to use their full names instead of the internet screen name they had made up. If a commenter chose to use his or her full name all of the comments posted by that commenter were switched to that name. However, the replies to that person's comments would still have the old screen name.
**
35. bill kolectah
"look up Black Death from Detroit. real black punks"
**
36. Nicole McNeill
"That's not right! I grew up in the ghetto around black people only and I was goth. This is stereotype that all alternative black people come from white American suburbia."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Bad Brains - "I Against I" (video, lyrics, & comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part series on the African American Hardcore Punk band Bad Brains. This post showcases a performance of Bad Brains' now classic 1986 song "I Against I" and includes selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/punk-music-hardcore-punk-black-punk.html for Part I of this series. Part I provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. That post also provides information about the African American hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the members of the Bad Brains band for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the YouTube video that is embedded in this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO & LYRICS
BAD BRAINS - 'I Against I'
MeowYap Uploaded on Jul 31, 2010
MUSIC VIDEO. 720p 'HD' From the album 'I Against I' (1986)
LYRICS:
In the quest for the test to fulfill an achievement
everybody's only in it for themselves
when the fact of the matter is they just don't care
to extend a helping hand to anyone else
so tell me why, did you have to lie
and try to make me all confused about the U.S.A.
when the fact of the matter is you just don't care
to comprehend or understand a single word I say
I don't want to have I go against I
oh let me tell you
the same old story, no factual glory
I against I against I against I
and I say I don't like it, and I know I don't want it
I against I against I against I
almighty watching, almighty watching
I against I against I against I
and I say I don't like it, and I know I don't want it
I against I against I against I
I said who's gonna tell the youth about the drugs
about the drugs, mugs, bugs, and the police thugs
about the rotten stinkin' rackets and the fantasies
around the nation, around the nations
oh baby what you gonna do
I tell you the truth is looking straight at you
I got a brass continental with a 300Z, two color tv's,now a video too
I got a rest home in Jamaica for my fantasy, for my family
around the nation
around the nations
what you gonna do.
-snip-
I reformatted the lyrics that were found in this video summary to enhance their reading clarity.
-snip-
"I against I" means that a person is acting against his or her best interests. That phrase is a variant form of the Rastafarian phrase "I and I". Here's information about that phrase from http://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/I-and-I/1006#.VpK6uOTwtv4:
"I and I
English Translation: Me, myself, and I
Definition: Rastafarian slang for ‘Me, myself, and I’.
Example Sentences
(patois) I and I plant the corn
(english) Me, myself, and I plant the corn".
****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
2010
1.
Daniel Solazzo
"This is deffinetly a diamond in the sand of the beach named punk rock"
**
2. Smythe Ordo
"excellent band, combines metal with hardcore punk. Not to mention they're black dudes like i partly am."
**
2011
3. Sean Burzic
"the best [f------] black punk in the world!!briliant!!"
-snip-
Profanity deleted as per the policy of this blog.
**
4. Noah Johnson
in reply to Sean Burzic
"@routeamelie *best punk in the world
**
5. SadSack1701
"i love bad brains harcore reggae punk band with jazz musicians besat mix think i wish more people at my school could get into this but o well evryone listens to different things and thats cool"
**
2012
6. astralhed
"this band was one of the heaviest and fastest bands in the 80's hardcore scene for sure ..very original band for the time"
**
7. ThirstyCraig
"If you have an ear for music, it is not that hard to discern the lyrics, or at least 90% of them...saw the brains about 10 times, each time you knew you were seeing something special-way beyond simple "punk"."
**
8. Psyberpunk Brousse
"one of my favorite band ot the 80th !!! .... Thanx to open so much "bridges" with your music guys !!! big Respect"
**
2013
9. PeekaPeep
"I think THIS was where the black rock movement finally got off the ground after spending nearly two decades kicking the tires. Bands like Fishbone, Living Colour, 24/7 Spyz, Follow For Now, Eric Gales Band, and even a reformed Mother's Finest (with lead guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and drummer Barry "B.B. Queen" Borden replaced by John Hayes and Dion Derek, respectively) all owe Bad Brains a huge debt for laying down the sound that would linger on until "grunge" finally buried it in '92..."
**
10. hcjc57
"An absolute TRUE classic. Plain & simple. Thx 4 posting! :)"
**
11. Deth43
"One of the best punk songs of all time."
**
12. SuperDan
"Bad Brains is the best check out their Live in Amsterdam 1987 album its the best hardcore punk album there is.."
**
13. galaxyuno1
" "I Against I" and the Brains' first album are untouchable. Throw in "Damage" by Black Flag, "Complete" by Minor Threat, and "Double Nickels on the Dime" by the Minutemen and you've got all you need!!!! Actually, there are a lot of others, but
those discs. . .MAN!!!!!"
**
14. Brian Reddish
"Man,this band is SO CRUCIAL to the Hardcore Punk scene. Yeah,I know ,my user name is METALred74 but I LOVE ALL things Punk and Crusty as well! BAD BRAINS are one of THE BEST!"
**
15. sigit666
"love this song, I saw them live once in salt lake in '94 ,kicked my ass. the pit went crazy in such a small club, kinda ironic I thought that I didn't see no black in audience, there were a few asians & latinos but no black ppl at all"
**
16. David Beckett
"the changes in tempo are so tight"
**
17. DieselDog77
"Most underrated band. Absolutely beautiful, ground breaking and brilliant. I love them so much and have for 24 years."
**
18. John Doe
"Bad Brains and Minutemen light years ahead of the punk rock orthodoxy to this day."
**
19. dred363
"In this voyage to infinity, can't forget to take your soul..."
**
20. josh maddog
"It is so bad ass to see all the comments about people discovering the Bad Brains. They were such a giant part of my youth's soundtrack & are still on heavy rotation @ the Maddog household. One of the most powerful bands ever. Very good to see new generations digging their work 30 years later. PMA!!"
**
2014
21. kirk rampersad
"I wonder what bob marley would think of these guys:)"
**
22. Sleazy Ryder
Reply
"I bet he would love them!"
**
23. uwcb1
Reply
"He was alive when they were playing"
**
24. shonha1
Reply
"I think Bob would've loved Bad Brains, he got the Punk movement, listen to Punky Reggae Party."
**
25. Wolfpack8706
"We need more "Black" Metal,Punk,Alternative bands like this"
**
2015
26. badbrains1969
"all bu&&sh&t* aside, religious beliefs, intolerance, homophobia, sh&t* that still follows them around, they admitted that they got carried away with rasta at first and didn't have open minds, thy were immature and acted sh&tty* towards some groups....all that sh&t* aside they are in my opinion the rawest, fastest, tightest, energetic, best musicians, pioneering punk hardcore band of all time....not saying that they are greatest punk band of all time, but up there....for a small window of time, 4 or 5 years they couldn't be touched!!!!! Great memories indeed!!!!!!"
-snip-
*These words are fully spelled out in the comment in compliance with the policy of this blog.
**
27. Chris Adams
Reply
"+badbrains1969 not the greatest of all time though. you have to give kudos to the pioneers. I would put sex pistols, black flag, stooges, Plasmatics and even suicidal tendencies above BB as far as the movement goes.... i against eye is best album is histroy though"
**
28. RueMorgueDweller
Reply
"+Chris Adams Remove sex pistols, and i'll agree."
**
29. Chris Adams
Reply
"im a bb fan big time but the pistols where there first"
**
30. Benatarium
"First Bad Brains song i've heard as I keep seeing their name everywhere recently.
Can't believe it's taken me this long to listen to them. They're bloody awesome!"
**
31. Zorgoon Trollstones
Reply
"Me tooooo!!!!! I'm shocked. That whole year I was neck deep in punk rock, hardcore and postpunk genres they would've been life changing. I'm late for stupid reasons. I simply assumed I wouldn't be interested.... I feel like a dummy now"
****
This concludes this series on the Bad Brains band.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part II of a two part series on the African American Hardcore Punk band Bad Brains. This post showcases a performance of Bad Brains' now classic 1986 song "I Against I" and includes selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/01/punk-music-hardcore-punk-black-punk.html for Part I of this series. Part I provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. That post also provides information about the African American hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the members of the Bad Brains band for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the YouTube video that is embedded in this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO & LYRICS
BAD BRAINS - 'I Against I'
MeowYap Uploaded on Jul 31, 2010
MUSIC VIDEO. 720p 'HD' From the album 'I Against I' (1986)
LYRICS:
In the quest for the test to fulfill an achievement
everybody's only in it for themselves
when the fact of the matter is they just don't care
to extend a helping hand to anyone else
so tell me why, did you have to lie
and try to make me all confused about the U.S.A.
when the fact of the matter is you just don't care
to comprehend or understand a single word I say
I don't want to have I go against I
oh let me tell you
the same old story, no factual glory
I against I against I against I
and I say I don't like it, and I know I don't want it
I against I against I against I
almighty watching, almighty watching
I against I against I against I
and I say I don't like it, and I know I don't want it
I against I against I against I
I said who's gonna tell the youth about the drugs
about the drugs, mugs, bugs, and the police thugs
about the rotten stinkin' rackets and the fantasies
around the nation, around the nations
oh baby what you gonna do
I tell you the truth is looking straight at you
I got a brass continental with a 300Z, two color tv's,now a video too
I got a rest home in Jamaica for my fantasy, for my family
around the nation
around the nations
what you gonna do.
-snip-
I reformatted the lyrics that were found in this video summary to enhance their reading clarity.
-snip-
"I against I" means that a person is acting against his or her best interests. That phrase is a variant form of the Rastafarian phrase "I and I". Here's information about that phrase from http://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/I-and-I/1006#.VpK6uOTwtv4:
"I and I
English Translation: Me, myself, and I
Definition: Rastafarian slang for ‘Me, myself, and I’.
Example Sentences
(patois) I and I plant the corn
(english) Me, myself, and I plant the corn".
****
SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.
2010
1.
Daniel Solazzo
"This is deffinetly a diamond in the sand of the beach named punk rock"
**
2. Smythe Ordo
"excellent band, combines metal with hardcore punk. Not to mention they're black dudes like i partly am."
**
2011
3. Sean Burzic
"the best [f------] black punk in the world!!briliant!!"
-snip-
Profanity deleted as per the policy of this blog.
**
4. Noah Johnson
in reply to Sean Burzic
"@routeamelie *best punk in the world
**
5. SadSack1701
"i love bad brains harcore reggae punk band with jazz musicians besat mix think i wish more people at my school could get into this but o well evryone listens to different things and thats cool"
**
2012
6. astralhed
"this band was one of the heaviest and fastest bands in the 80's hardcore scene for sure ..very original band for the time"
**
7. ThirstyCraig
"If you have an ear for music, it is not that hard to discern the lyrics, or at least 90% of them...saw the brains about 10 times, each time you knew you were seeing something special-way beyond simple "punk"."
**
8. Psyberpunk Brousse
"one of my favorite band ot the 80th !!! .... Thanx to open so much "bridges" with your music guys !!! big Respect"
**
2013
9. PeekaPeep
"I think THIS was where the black rock movement finally got off the ground after spending nearly two decades kicking the tires. Bands like Fishbone, Living Colour, 24/7 Spyz, Follow For Now, Eric Gales Band, and even a reformed Mother's Finest (with lead guitarist Gary "Moses Mo" Moore and drummer Barry "B.B. Queen" Borden replaced by John Hayes and Dion Derek, respectively) all owe Bad Brains a huge debt for laying down the sound that would linger on until "grunge" finally buried it in '92..."
**
10. hcjc57
"An absolute TRUE classic. Plain & simple. Thx 4 posting! :)"
**
11. Deth43
"One of the best punk songs of all time."
**
12. SuperDan
"Bad Brains is the best check out their Live in Amsterdam 1987 album its the best hardcore punk album there is.."
**
13. galaxyuno1
" "I Against I" and the Brains' first album are untouchable. Throw in "Damage" by Black Flag, "Complete" by Minor Threat, and "Double Nickels on the Dime" by the Minutemen and you've got all you need!!!! Actually, there are a lot of others, but
those discs. . .MAN!!!!!"
**
14. Brian Reddish
"Man,this band is SO CRUCIAL to the Hardcore Punk scene. Yeah,I know ,my user name is METALred74 but I LOVE ALL things Punk and Crusty as well! BAD BRAINS are one of THE BEST!"
**
15. sigit666
"love this song, I saw them live once in salt lake in '94 ,kicked my ass. the pit went crazy in such a small club, kinda ironic I thought that I didn't see no black in audience, there were a few asians & latinos but no black ppl at all"
**
16. David Beckett
"the changes in tempo are so tight"
**
17. DieselDog77
"Most underrated band. Absolutely beautiful, ground breaking and brilliant. I love them so much and have for 24 years."
**
18. John Doe
"Bad Brains and Minutemen light years ahead of the punk rock orthodoxy to this day."
**
19. dred363
"In this voyage to infinity, can't forget to take your soul..."
**
20. josh maddog
"It is so bad ass to see all the comments about people discovering the Bad Brains. They were such a giant part of my youth's soundtrack & are still on heavy rotation @ the Maddog household. One of the most powerful bands ever. Very good to see new generations digging their work 30 years later. PMA!!"
**
2014
21. kirk rampersad
"I wonder what bob marley would think of these guys:)"
**
22. Sleazy Ryder
Reply
"I bet he would love them!"
**
23. uwcb1
Reply
"He was alive when they were playing"
**
24. shonha1
Reply
"I think Bob would've loved Bad Brains, he got the Punk movement, listen to Punky Reggae Party."
**
25. Wolfpack8706
"We need more "Black" Metal,Punk,Alternative bands like this"
**
2015
26. badbrains1969
"all bu&&sh&t* aside, religious beliefs, intolerance, homophobia, sh&t* that still follows them around, they admitted that they got carried away with rasta at first and didn't have open minds, thy were immature and acted sh&tty* towards some groups....all that sh&t* aside they are in my opinion the rawest, fastest, tightest, energetic, best musicians, pioneering punk hardcore band of all time....not saying that they are greatest punk band of all time, but up there....for a small window of time, 4 or 5 years they couldn't be touched!!!!! Great memories indeed!!!!!!"
-snip-
*These words are fully spelled out in the comment in compliance with the policy of this blog.
**
27. Chris Adams
Reply
"+badbrains1969 not the greatest of all time though. you have to give kudos to the pioneers. I would put sex pistols, black flag, stooges, Plasmatics and even suicidal tendencies above BB as far as the movement goes.... i against eye is best album is histroy though"
**
28. RueMorgueDweller
Reply
"+Chris Adams Remove sex pistols, and i'll agree."
**
29. Chris Adams
Reply
"im a bb fan big time but the pistols where there first"
**
30. Benatarium
"First Bad Brains song i've heard as I keep seeing their name everywhere recently.
Can't believe it's taken me this long to listen to them. They're bloody awesome!"
**
31. Zorgoon Trollstones
Reply
"Me tooooo!!!!! I'm shocked. That whole year I was neck deep in punk rock, hardcore and postpunk genres they would've been life changing. I'm late for stupid reasons. I simply assumed I wouldn't be interested.... I feel like a dummy now"
****
This concludes this series on the Bad Brains band.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Punk Music, Hardcore Punk, & The Black Punk Music Band "Bad Brains"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part series on the Bad Brains band.
This post provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. This post also provides information about the hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
Part II of this series showcases a performance of Bad Brains' now classic 1986 song "I Against I".
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PUNK MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock
"Punk rock (or simply punk) is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Punk bands typically use short or fast-paced songs, with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produced recordings and distributed them through informal channels.
The term "punk" was first used in relation to rock music by some American critics in the early 1970s, to describe garage bands and their devotees. By late 1976, bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Damned in London, and Television, Patti Smith, and the Ramones in New York City were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world, and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. Though originally more diverse and accepting, it evolved to create an “angry white male” punk stereotype with a “color blind” attitude.[1] An associated punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment (ranging from deliberately offensive T-shirts, leather jackets, spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry to bondage and S&M clothes) and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.
By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore (e.g. Black Flag) and Oi! (e.g. Cock Sparrer), as well as crossover thrash (e.g. Suicidal Tendencies), had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. At the end of the 20th century, punk rock had been adopted by the mainstream, as pop punk and punk rock bands such as Green Day, Rancid, Sublime, the Offspring and Blink-182 brought the genre widespread popularity."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT HARDCORE PUNK (HARDCORE)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_punk
"Hardcore punk (often referred to simply as hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. Hardcore punk music is generally faster, heavier, and more abrasive than regular punk rock.[8] The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A. may have helped to popularize the term with the title of their 1981 album, Hardcore '81.[9][10] Hardcore historian Steven Blush said that the term "hardcore" is also a reference to the sense of being "fed up" with the existing punk and new wave music.[11] Blush also states that the term refers to "an extreme: the absolute most Punk."[12]
The roots of hardcore can be traced back to San Francisco and Southern California.[7] The former arose as a reaction against the dominant hippie scene and was inspired by the New York punk rock and the early protopunk scene. New York punk rock had a harder-edged sound than its San Francisco counterpart, featuring anti-art expressions of masculine anger, energy and subversive humor. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the major music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock"[13] and deals with social and political subjects...
It [Hardcore] has influenced a number of music genres which have experienced mainstream success, such as alternative rock, grunge, alternative metal, metalcore, thrash metal, post-hardcore and certain elements[citation needed] of hip hop."...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BAD BRAINS [BAND]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Brains
"Bad Brains are an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk,[1][2][3] though the band's members have objected to this term to describe their music.[4] They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk,[5] heavy metal,[1] hip hop and soul.[5] Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.[5]
Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble under the name Mind Power,[5] Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound which came to be labeled "hardcore", and was often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. The unique factor of the band's music was the fact that they played more complex rhythms than other hardcore punk bands, also adapting non-punk style guitar riffs and solos into their songs.
Bad Brains have released nine studio albums (one of which is entirely composed of instrumental versions of their past material). The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers or drummers. Since 1998, the lineup of singer H.R. (Human Rights), guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson (H.R.'s younger brother) has reunited, albeit performing sporadically
The band was first founded in 1976 as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power[5] in the mold of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as R&B musician Stevie Wonder. In 1977, their friend Sid McCray introduced the band, who were already interested in bands such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock and changed their name to "Bad Brains",[5] after the Ramones song "Bad Brain", but with the word "bad" in the sense of "good".[5] Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the early Bad Brains, after seeing Bob Marley in concert, also delved deep into reggae music and the Rastafari movement.[6] Sid McCray became their first singer but left in the early days of the group's hardcore punk era, and guitarist H.R. became the band's new singer.[7]
The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent.[6]"...
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This concludes Part I of this series.
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This is Part I of a two part series on the Bad Brains band.
This post provides general information about the Punk music genre and its sub-genre Hardcore Punk. This post also provides information about the hardcore Punk band Bad Brains.
Part II of this series showcases a performance of Bad Brains' now classic 1986 song "I Against I".
This post is part of an ongoing series on AfroPunk music & fashion. Click the "AfroPunk music" tab below for other posts in this series.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT PUNK MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock
"Punk rock (or simply punk) is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Punk bands typically use short or fast-paced songs, with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produced recordings and distributed them through informal channels.
The term "punk" was first used in relation to rock music by some American critics in the early 1970s, to describe garage bands and their devotees. By late 1976, bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Damned in London, and Television, Patti Smith, and the Ramones in New York City were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw punk rock spreading around the world, and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. Though originally more diverse and accepting, it evolved to create an “angry white male” punk stereotype with a “color blind” attitude.[1] An associated punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment (ranging from deliberately offensive T-shirts, leather jackets, spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry to bondage and S&M clothes) and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.
By the beginning of the 1980s, faster, more aggressive styles such as hardcore (e.g. Black Flag) and Oi! (e.g. Cock Sparrer), as well as crossover thrash (e.g. Suicidal Tendencies), had become the predominant mode of punk rock. Musicians identifying with or inspired by punk also pursued a broad range of other variations, giving rise to post-punk and the alternative rock movement. At the end of the 20th century, punk rock had been adopted by the mainstream, as pop punk and punk rock bands such as Green Day, Rancid, Sublime, the Offspring and Blink-182 brought the genre widespread popularity."
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INFORMATION ABOUT HARDCORE PUNK (HARDCORE)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_punk
"Hardcore punk (often referred to simply as hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. Hardcore punk music is generally faster, heavier, and more abrasive than regular punk rock.[8] The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A. may have helped to popularize the term with the title of their 1981 album, Hardcore '81.[9][10] Hardcore historian Steven Blush said that the term "hardcore" is also a reference to the sense of being "fed up" with the existing punk and new wave music.[11] Blush also states that the term refers to "an extreme: the absolute most Punk."[12]
The roots of hardcore can be traced back to San Francisco and Southern California.[7] The former arose as a reaction against the dominant hippie scene and was inspired by the New York punk rock and the early protopunk scene. New York punk rock had a harder-edged sound than its San Francisco counterpart, featuring anti-art expressions of masculine anger, energy and subversive humor. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the major music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock"[13] and deals with social and political subjects...
It [Hardcore] has influenced a number of music genres which have experienced mainstream success, such as alternative rock, grunge, alternative metal, metalcore, thrash metal, post-hardcore and certain elements[citation needed] of hip hop."...
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INFORMATION ABOUT BAD BRAINS [BAND]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Brains
"Bad Brains are an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk,[1][2][3] though the band's members have objected to this term to describe their music.[4] They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk,[5] heavy metal,[1] hip hop and soul.[5] Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.[5]
Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble under the name Mind Power,[5] Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound which came to be labeled "hardcore", and was often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. The unique factor of the band's music was the fact that they played more complex rhythms than other hardcore punk bands, also adapting non-punk style guitar riffs and solos into their songs.
Bad Brains have released nine studio albums (one of which is entirely composed of instrumental versions of their past material). The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers or drummers. Since 1998, the lineup of singer H.R. (Human Rights), guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson (H.R.'s younger brother) has reunited, albeit performing sporadically
The band was first founded in 1976 as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power[5] in the mold of bands such as Chick Corea's Return to Forever and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra as well as R&B musician Stevie Wonder. In 1977, their friend Sid McCray introduced the band, who were already interested in bands such as Black Sabbath, to punk rock, including the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. Mind Power became obsessed with punk rock and changed their name to "Bad Brains",[5] after the Ramones song "Bad Brain", but with the word "bad" in the sense of "good".[5] Despite their burgeoning punk sound, the early Bad Brains, after seeing Bob Marley in concert, also delved deep into reggae music and the Rastafari movement.[6] Sid McCray became their first singer but left in the early days of the group's hardcore punk era, and guitarist H.R. became the band's new singer.[7]
The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing punk rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent.[6]"...
****
This concludes Part I of this series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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