Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, Grace Jones to Headline AfroPunk NYC
Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones and Lauryn Hill are set to headline the annual AfroPunk NYC Festival, set to take place August 22nd and 23rd at Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park.
Kelis, Danny Brown, Suicidal Tendencies and Thundercat will also perform at the flagship festival. The New York lineup announcement arrives just weeks after Zoe Kravitz’s band Lolawolf and Willow and Jaden Smith performed, among others, at AfroPunk Paris.
This year will also mark the first annual AfroPunk Fancy Dress Ball, a pre-festival event on August 21st featuring Grace Jones, Cakes Da Killa and Mike Q. The ball will raise money for the AfroPunk Global Initiative, an “alliance dedicated to moving the needle of progress closer to a holistic, democratic and enlightened representation of people of color within all facets of society with the goal to create unique programming that encourages diversity in media,” according to a statement by organizers.
AfroPunk NYC will also incorporate a paid and earned ticket program for this year’s festival to accommodate growing crowds. Along with paid entry to the festival, many can sign up for the AfroPunk Army where attendees can volunteer within the community in exchange for an earned ticket. All tickets, paid or earned, will be available on June 3rd.
Last year, nearly 60,000 people attended AfroPunk NYC to see Lianne La Havas, Trash Talk, Ice-T’s metal band Body Count and headliner D’Angelo.