Rico Nasty, the DMV artist who blends hyperpop and hip-hop with punk rock aesthetics, would seem like the perfect headliner for a festival called “Afropunk,” right? Afropunk announced the lineup for its 2021 virtual festival “Black Spring” today, and guess who’s headlining: Rico Nasty. I love it when a plan comes together.
The genre-agnostic festival, now in its sixteenth year, was forced to move online for its most recent iterations by the global coronavirus pandemic, but clearly, the show must go on. The Black Spring show, scheduled for April 23, will take place in Miami at 4 pm ET but will stream worldwide at planetafropunk.com.
In addition to Rico Nasty, who returns to the festival after previously performing in 2019, performers will include Black Pantera, ChocQuibTown, Dawerxdamper, Jup Do Bairro, Seafoam Walls, Seu Jorge, and Projexx. Afropop is also collaborating with NPR Music for “Tiny Desk Meets Afropunk,” a collection of stripped-down performances in the style of the popular NPR web show from Calma Carmona, ChocQuibTown, Luedji Luna, and Nenny.
Afropunk, which bills itself as the festival for alternative Black and Latin artists who are generally overlooked by the mainstream, has previously hosted such versatile, outspoken artists as Erykah Badu, Grace Jones, Solange Knowles, Tyler The Creator, and more.
You can find out more information at planetafropunk.com.
Rico Nasty is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.