Jill Scott, FKA Twigs, Kamasi Washington To Headline Afropunk’s Brooklyn Festival

Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com – Jill Scott
“Holiday Jam,” Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Mich.

Afropunk’s flagship Brooklyn festival announced its 2019 lineup on Wednesday.

Jill Scott, FKA twigs and Kamasi Washington will headline the event when it returns to Commodore Barry Park, located in the borough’s Fort Greene neighborhood, on August 24 and 25.

Other acts on the bill include Santigold, Lianne La Havas, Danny Brown, Toro Y Moi, Death Grips, J.I.D., Leikeli47, Rico Nasty, Nao, Goldlink, Tierra Whack and Gary Clark Jr., who headlined Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre for three consecutive nights earlier this month.

Neo-soul luminary Jill Scott’s appearance will be her first Brooklyn show since a July 2017 headlining gig at Kings Theatre that sold 2,927 tickets and grossed $271,577. Washington, meanwhile, continues his rapid rise; in October, the forward-thinking jazz saxophonist opened for Florence + the Machine at Barclays Center, and last month, in an Afropunk-affiliated event, he headlined Manhattan’s 1,500-capacity Apollo Theater.

FKA twigs may be Afropunk’s most notable booking. Last week, Red Bull Music Festival announced the boundary-pushing artist would play her first New York headlining gigs since 2015 – and first New York gigs of any kind since 2016 – on May 11 and 12 at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory. Twigs’ released her most recent project, the M3LL155X EP, in August 2015.

This year, Afropunk’s annual theme will be “We See You.” According to a press release, it’s “a message that brings together Afropunk ideology and the people who support it, under the banner of acknowledgement, in resistance to those who strive to oppress.”

The festival will also once again offer the Afropunk (AP) Army program, which allows fans to earn tickets to the event in return for joining Afropunk’s volunteer corps. The AP Army comprises 35,000 members globally who have logged nearly 100,000 hours of in-person service and advocacy.

Afropunk will additionally host the SpinThrift Market, which spotlights members of Afropunk’s makers community.

Since its debut in the mid-’00s, Afropunk has expanded to Paris, Johannesburg, London and Atlanta. “Afropunk is where the global majority comes to see and be seen, to speak loudly and proudly, to resist and party – but most of all, to make the future,” a press release read.

Afropunk’s 2018 Brooklyn event hosted Erykah Badu, Miguel, Tyler, the Creator, Janelle Monáe and more.

Single-day and weekend passes for Afropunk are on sale now, beginning at $60 and $110, respectively. Find the full lineup below.

Courtesy of Afropunk – Afropunk 2019
Jill Scott, FKA twigs and Kamasi Washington will headline Afropunk’s 2019 Brooklyn event.