Afropunk 2014: Onstage and Behind the Scenes in Brooklyn
This weekend, everyone from Ice-T's "Cop Killer" metal band Body Count to Bill de Blasio, the cop-appointing mayor of New York City, crammed into Brooklyn's Commodore Berry Punk for the annual two-day Afropunk Festival. Now in its ninth year – the first was a product of the 2003 Afro-Punk film – the 2014 fest mixed established favorites like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Body Count, Bad Brains and D'Angelo with young newcomers like DJ Sliink, SZA and Cakes da Killer. Here are our best photos.
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Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings perform at Afropunk. Their rendition of Archie Bell and the Drells' "Tighten Up" was a festival highlight.
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Bad Brains
Afropunk godfathers Bad Brains live onstage.
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Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire
Exquire and friends. "As big as 'Huzzah' was, people from where I'm from didn't like it," the rapper told Rolling Stone earlier this year. "They always hated me for that song. They felt like I sold out. They felt like, 'Oh, you did a song for hipsters and shit, but you ain't do a song that represented where you was from.' That was hard for me. It split who I was."
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D’Angelo
Neo-soul legend D'Angelo headlines Sunday night, VMAs be damned.
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Roofeeo
Roofeeo, with leopard-print towel.
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Fishbone
Ska lives! Fishbone bring in the sax.
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Trash Talk
Trash Talk's Lee Spielman brings his usual intensity to a Saturday afternoon set.
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Denitia and Sene
Denitia and Sene pose on Saturday afternoon.
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Loaf Muzik
Loaf Muzik goof around on a swing set.
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Bill de Blasio
New York mayor Bill de Blasio and wife Chirlane McCray watch L.A. hardcore crew Trash Talk, avoiding the mosh pit.
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DJ Underdog
DJ Underdog, away from his turntables.
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ShesRYAN
ShesRYAN, a self-described performer, music artist and model, laughs onstage, her sea punk hair nicely contrasting with her deep woods camo.
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Alice Smith
Singer-songwriter Alice Smith performs in polka dots.
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Shabazz Palaces
Shabazz Palaces, a Seattle-based hip-hop group led by Ishmael Butler of Digable Planets, perform.
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The Bots
The Bots fight off a young fan.
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Ho99o9
Ho99o9, a New Jersey punk crew who pronounce their name "horror," crash the photo pit.
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Cakes Da Killa and Fat Tony
Rappers Cakes da Killa and Fat Tony work the camera.
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Cakes Da Killa
Cakes on stage, pro-death and pro-leather pants.
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Brooklyn United Marching Band
Members of the Brooklyn United Marching Band, the performance portion of a community organizing group that teaches local youths musical technique and encourages academic success, blow their horns.
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Unlocking the Truth
Unlocking the Truth, the teenage metal trio that recently signed with Sony, show their stuff.
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Lola Wolf
Zoë Kravitz, the frontwoman of Lola Wolf and daughter of Lenny, wraps the mic around her neck and raises a drumstick.
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Sza
An affiliate of Kendrick Lamar's TDE crew, SZA flashes a smile during her Afropunk set. Impressively, even the Cheech and Chong T-shirt couldn't overshadow her performance.
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Fat Tony
Fat Tony, a Houston rapper who has made Brooklyn his second home, leans in to better hear the crowd.
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The Internet
Syd of Odd Future and the Internet facepalms during one of her set's more emotional moments.
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Melo-X
Deuces from local artist and DJ Melo-X.
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Kitty Cash
Local girl Kitty Cash, backlit by the setting sun, cracks a smile.
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DJ Sliink
DJ Sliink, a rising club DJ based in Newark, New Jersey, cools out on Sunday afternoon.
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Princess Nokia
Princess Nokia, the local rapper formerly known as Wavy Spice, plays a rare daytime set.