Organizers of the 8th annual Afropunk Festival are pleased to announce that the ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition is now open. The ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest uses both a social media (online) and a live performance component. The top two bands will perform at the Afropunk Festival on August 25 and August 26, 2012. In addition to the performance, the 1st place winner receives a prize package that includes a music video directed by filmmaker Terence Nance. The competition’s online component begins Monday, June 25, culminating with live performances from July 23 through July 26 (semi-finals), with the final battle scheduled for August 3. All performances take place at the Candy Factory in Brooklyn, New York. Bands wishing to compete are first required to register at Afropunk.com and create a band profile. From July 1 to July 14, bands must go to the ‘Battle of the Bands’ Facebook page to enter the contest. The top 16 bands with the most online votes via Facebook will face-off at the semi-finals held between July 23 and July 26, 2012. After a series of live performances, the top four bands will be chosen by audience applause and a panel of judges to compete in the finals on August 3, where the top two bands will be selected. All battle performances take place at the Candy Factory in Brooklyn, NY as well.Described by the New York Times as putting “rock and rebellion squarely in the category of African-American music,” the Afropunk Festival has become an influential Brooklyn-based focal point for the burgeoning Afropunk movement. Over the past seven years, the Afropunk Festival has established its position as a platform for musical artists on-the-verge of hitting it big, such as Grammy-nominated Santigold, The Noisettes and Janelle Monae. Afropunk mainstays like Saul Williams, The Dirtbombs, Mos Def, and Bad Brains have also graced Afropunk’s stages. This year, the Afropunk Festival is returning to Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park for the 8th Annual Afropunk Festival on August 25-26. The 2012 festival brings together its most stellar line-up yet, featuring a diverse mix of performers including Erykah Badu featuring the Cannibanoids, Gym Class Heroes, Janelle Monae, Das Racist, Skindred, Toro Y Moi, Reggie Watts, Spank Rock, Ninjasonik, Toshi Reagon, Straight Line Stitch, The Memorials, Bad Rabbits, Gordon Voidwell, Cerebral Ballzy, Phony Ppl, Body Language, and more to be added! In addition, the largest Street Skate and BMX showcase returns with the Nike Battle For the Streets Skate and BMX Competition. The event will feature the nation's best amateur skaters and BMX riders in a competition to be judged by top professionals in both sports.
