By Daniela Capistrano
It is not often enough that you see a young black woman in pristine slacks, dress shirt, bowtie, cumber bun and saddle shoes stage dive into a crowd and start a mosh pit.
This past weekend, producer Tami Katzoff and I found ourselves in the thick of Janelle Monáe's set at the fourth annual Afro-Punk Festival, where she joined other amazing musicians, graffiti muralists, BMX riders and skateboarders at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Afro-Punk, an annual event showcasing groundbreaking bands, films and artists, was created by Matthew Morgan and James Spooner, who also made the 2003 documentary "Afro-Punk," which chronicles the subculture. Despite all of the raw energy that is present at the fest, AP still manages to be a safe, family-friendly event where participants are encouraged to register to vote at one of the many community booths.
The highlight of Saturday's AP events was when Janelle closed the show by diving into the audience, crowd-surfing into the middle of everyone and then forming a mosh pit with her fans. She then ran through the crowd, climbed back onstage where she went berserk, Iggy Pop/ David Bowie-style, and slammed her mic stand on the ground, threw water at the crowd and then ran off again, leaving the crowd screaming for more. What a show-woman!
Watch space girl sensation Janelle Monáe crowd surfing in true punk rock fashion after the jump!
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