F you were at AFROpunk 2015 you know while music expression was the essential core but layered on top was self expression and style was a universal language : here is what Greg Tate wrote :“You are there to wave your freak flag high,” said Vernon Reid, the chief songwriter of the band Living Colour. “You may be a shame and embarrassment to your parents, but in afropunk you are all good.”

For me it was looking good and feeling good about yourself and expressing it from the stage to the audience iin one long beautiful smile of recognition . Yes it was music that was the reason to be present but just look at Grace Jones singing

Scenes From the Afropunk Festival’s Fancy Ball

Attendees wore jewel-encrusted lapels, masks and floral suits to see Grace Jones perform.

NYTIMES.COM|BY JENNA MAROTTA

At 67 Grace Jones brought modern tribal fashion ro her performance at AFROPUNK 2015 to express her solidarity with the culture and politics of AFROPUNK.

At 67 Grace Jones brought modern tribal fashion ro her performance at AFROPUNK 2015 to express her solidarity with the culture and politics of AFROPUNK... and watching her perform I remembered her visits to Danceteria and I remember waiting once three hours at the Black Party for her to make her entrance and i remember being with her and her mother and father (the Rev Mr Jones) in South Africa at the fall of apartheid and I remembered when Keith Haring painted her and Bil...

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Grace Jones AFROPUNK

YOUTUBE.COM

AFROpunk .. oh my first there was GRACE JONES ...and then this musical match that rivals al most no one .. Gail Ann Dorsey and Lenny Kravitz .. it does not get much better than that .. the creative interplay trumped the sound system .. whew! Thank yo Toshi for this fantastic picture of a black artist smiling at the creativity of another black artist .. music has no gender when it sizzles like this ( no gender politics please ..this was a concert of equals  

Toshi Reagon

I heard sound was not so hot last night at afropunk- but I know my brother Lenny does not play w/ his sound. I bet there are 500 more speakers out there today + shout out to my homie Gail Ann Dorsey one of the best ever.