afropunk mixtape 002: black lives always mattered

Chants of “Black Lives Matter” envelop the streets, as thousands converge to declare what should be self-evident. But Black lives always mattered. At the same moment that a generation wakes up and discovers the power of its voice, another sleeping giant has woken after 14 years of silence to record what could be the defining album of 2014. From D’Angelo’s Black Messiah to underground acts like Laughing Man’s Be Black Baby, December 2014 has been a month of both continued unrest and growing strength. AFROPUNK’s 2nd mixtape: ‘Black Lives Always Mattered’ features some of the best songs released this month from D’Angelo, We Are Shining, The OBGMs, a classic track from Fishbone, and an exclusive remix of an unreleased J Cole track.

 
About the artwork:
Dr. Charles Drew | Blood Bank Inventor
(June 3, 1904 – April 1, 1950)
“It’s impossible to determine how many hundreds of thousands of people would have lost their lives without the contributions of African-American inventor Dr. Charles Drew. This physician, researcher, and surgeon revolutionized the understanding of blood plasma – leading to the invention of blood banks.”
 

TRACKLIST