Posted on 06/30/2008
This summer Afro-Punk, BAMcinematek, Toyota & Mountain Dew will present the 4th annual Afro-Punk Festival, taking place July 4th - July 13th, 2008 in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture. Last year 30,000 people attended the festvial, and this year is expected to be even bigger, featuring 40 bands, 15 films being screened, a visual art exhibit and a skate park featuring 30 pro BMX riders/skaters.

Posted on 06/20/2008
One HOT summer day in 2008  (Saturday June 7th, to be exact), an eclectic group of artists, fans, and friends gathered at Philadelphia's Festival Pier for what would be the first ever (and possibly annual?) Roots Family Picnic.  Okayplayer teamed up with photographer Trevor Pauhlus to capture portraits of some of the characters present on this historic day.  And, well, here they are!

Posted on 06/20/2008
It’s a testament to the power of one five foot nothing filmmaker that any joint Spike Lee is in somehow becomes a Spike Lee Joint. The crowd that packed the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD last night to honor Spike Lee couldn’t have been more different from the crowds that packed opening night screenings of his early films two decades ago. This crowd, largely white, cultured, and self-consciously artistic, bore a closer resemblance to the audience at a Radiohead concert (or, ironically enough, an ’08 Public Enemy show) than to the hip-hop fueled urban masses who stood and cheered in the aisles when Mookie hurled that trash can through the front window of Sal’s Famous during that long hot summer when 1989 was the number. Yet, by night’s end, not only was that same crowd getting down to the brass-gospel sounds of the House of Prayer church band, but a gaggle of revelers had even congregated outside the fenced in patio of the sleekly modern headquarters of Discovery Communications, suddenly making newly corporatized Silver Spring feel like Bourbon Street before the levees broke.

Posted on 06/20/2008
Although the Erykah Badu/The Roots tour is now officially over, we have the pleasure of being able to relive bits and pieces thanks to Ringo "Tumblin' Dice" Smith, Badu's tour DJ and one of her main producers.  Take a look at some of his tour photos featured below.  Unfortunately we had to take down the D'Angelo photos we had featured last week at the D camp's request.  But in other D news, Billboard reports that D'Angelo is making headway on his first studio album since Voodoo, which "which will likely be released early next year via J Records. The label purchased D'Angelo's contract in 2005 from Virgin, which issued his first two studio albums."  The article goes on to mention that "a source" has revealed to them that D has already recorded with Raphael Saadiq, and has plans to link up with John Mayer for a collabo as well.  Finally, they mention that we may even get a single before the year is up.  Hallelujah, this is good news!