afropunk mixtape #047: do the work

October’s brazen acts of white nationalist violence will not deter us. There is so much work to do, and if anything we are more committed than ever to doing it — undoing centuries of colonialist damage and white supremacist patriarchy is a long process. It starts with your vote, but it does not end there.

We believe in an activist idea, “the diversity of tactics.” Your vote is one tactic, marching in the street is another, organizing is another. It will take all of us, using all the strategies at our disposal to move the needle forward. On this month’s Mixtape, we bring together new music from, among others, Young Fathers, Jamila Woods, Little Simz, BLXPLTN, Micke Jenkins, and Adia Victoria; and we take inspiration from those who came before us, and the young people who will follow us, remembering that timeless wisdom, “You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you free to walk away from it.”

01. INTRO: Malcolm X, 1964
02. De’Wayne Jackson, “Top Man”
03. Ganser, “Pastel”
04. BLXPLTN, “No English”
05. Little Simz, “Offence”
06. Mick Jenkins feat. Mikahl Anthony, “Stress Fractures”
07. Young Fathers, “Cocoa Sugar”
08. Dear Denizen, “Maquisard”
09. INTERLUDE: Fred Hamtpon, 1968
10. Samurai Shotgun, “Eye See Red”
11. Jamila Woods, “Giovanni”
12. Adia Victoria, “Dope Queen Blues”
13. INTERLUDE: Stacey Abrams, 1993
14. The Black Tones, “They Want Us Dead”
15. Jake Isaac, “Bad Vibes”
16. Farai, “Punk Champagne”