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• When Matthew Morgan and James Spooner joined forces in 2002, their focus was giving a voice to thousands of multi-cultural kids fiercely identifying with a lifestyle path-less-traveled. Morgan, a visionary with 15 years in the music industry, instinctively understood that the indie rock/punk/hardcore scene had powerful appeal beyond the predictable Caucasian audience; the passion evident in writer-director Spooners hours of riveting hand-shot footage was the indisputable proof. The result: 2003s Afro-Punk, the seminal cult classic film spotlighting Black Punks in America.

3. Afro-Punk became a touchstone of a cultural movement strongly reminiscent of the early days of Hip-Hop. Alternative urban kids across the nation (and across the globe) who felt like outsiders discovered they were actually the core of a boldly innovative, fast-growing community. The online members have been the driving force behind the exploding Afro-Punk (AP) culture, creating an authentic virtual home in www.afropunk.com, and nurturing the musics best and brightest via expansion of the Liberation Sessions, a live performance series hosted by Spooner.

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5. Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of the genre. Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble under the name Mind Power, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex, and was often played faster and more emphatically than the music of many of their peers. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings featured elements of other genres.

6. TV on the Radio is an American band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans through numerous diverse genres, from alternative rock and electro to free jazz and soul. TV on the Radio is composed of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals/loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars/keyboards/loops), Kyp Malone (vocals/guitars/loops) along with Jaleel Bunton (drums/vocals/loops) and Gerard Smith (bass/keyboards).

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• Kimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. Dawson became well known as the female counterpart to Adam Green in the band The Moldy Peaches. Since the Moldy Peaches went on hiatus in 2004 Dawson has released a string of lo-fi homemade albums and toured widely in North America and Europe. Her music is sometimes described as anti-folk.

8. Janelle Mone is a Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, and performer. She moved to New York to study theatre at the American Musical Academy. Her original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but she soon changed her mind and returned to her love for music, an art form which, according to her, has the potential to change the world.

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• CREDITS:

• Images and some text taken from http://afropunk.com

• The New York Times

• And Wikipedia