8 Great Black Artists to Support on Juneteenth & Everyday

Friday, June 18th, 2021, Bandcamp held their second annual Juneteenth fundraiser. This fundraiser functions much like a Bandcamp Friday, but instead of paying their share of music sales back to the artist, Bandcamp will be donating their portion of music sales from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The annual fundraiser began in 2020 in response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police and continues this year as police violence against Black communities continues in the United States and beyond.

The fundraiser’s namesake is the holiday of Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th each year in the United States. On that date in 1865, news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas and those enslaved in Texas were freed.

This came nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had become official on January 1, 1863. Juneteenth is often recognized as the official end of slavery in the United States and is celebrated for this reason. Recently, Juneteenth has been declared a federal holiday. (It should be recognized, however, that the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution explicitly allows slavery as a punishment for a crime – thus allowing slave labor to continue within the nation’s prison industrial complex today.)

Here are eight Black artists to support for Bandcamp’s 2021 Juneteenth Fundraiser:

ZEBRA KATZ

FFO: Mykki Blanco, Junglepussy, Princess Nokia

ZEBRA KATZ is a multi-hyphenate musician and rapper originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and currently residing in Berlin, Germany. His music takes inspiration from a wealth of artists running the gamut from Grace Jones to Nina Simone to Gorillaz and always delivers pleasant surprises to the listener. His debut album, Less is Moor, was released in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – eight years after his debut mixtape, Champagne.

Action/Adventure

FFO: Blink-182, Neck Deep, State Champs

Action/Adventure is an al-BIPOC Chicago-based pop-punk group whose tagline is “pop-punk in color.” Their latest release, the EP Pulling Focus, was released in April 2021 on Pure Noise Records. This dynamic five-piece group is excited to today share a label with many of the bands they grew up listening to, and they are forging a new path in the world of pop-punk for themselves.

Big Joanie

FFO: Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile, Bikini Kill

Big Joanie is a Black feminist punk band based out of London, England whose music mashes the riot grrl sound of the 1990s with the more inclusionist sensibilities of the 2010s. The band formed out of the London DIY scene in 2013 to create a space where the three Black women members could be authentically themselves within a local punk scene. The group’s latest release is a split with femme punk group CHARMPIT, including one live recording from each group.

Pleasure Venom

FFO: Rage Against the Machine, Nova Twins, X-Ray Spex

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Pleasure Venom is an experimental garage punk artist whose music is as raucous as it is thought-provoking. Covering topics from love to resentment to political oppression and racism, Pleasure Venom always approaches their music at a 10. Their newest release, We Get What You Deserve, is a 2-song EP that was released in April 2021.

Ah-Mer-Ah-Su

FFO: SOPHIE, serpentwithfeet, Blood Orange

Ah-Mer-Ah-Su is an indie electronic musician and multi-talented artist based out of Los Angeles, California. Her musical talents lie not just in the indie world, however, as she has also released an orchestral album of her work with the help of the Magik*Magik* Orchestra. Her latest single, “No One” was released on June 3, 2021 and teases her upcoming EP, Hopefully Limitless.

Boy Radio

FFO: Ocean Kelly, Perfume Genius, ARCA

Boy Radio is a Brooklyn-based pop and electronic artist who mixes multiple musical styles together to create a fun and inviting soundscape. His debut album, Pop That, was released in 2016 and takes influences from the musical whiplash found when switching from one radio station to the next. His latest single, “Boyfriend,” was released on March 21, 2021 and shows that Boy Radio is still going strong in the music industry. 

Danny Denial

FFO: Laura Jane Grace, Bad Brains, Nirvana

Danny Denial is an up-and-coming punk and negative pop artist from Seattle, Washington who has recently been lauded as one of the “8 Punkest Bands on the Planet Right Now” by Afropunk. Danny Denial’s music is one part punk, one part goth, one part grunge, and all parts amazing. His latest release, a negative pop cover of “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” was released on April 15, 2021 and provides a heavier sound that makes listeners consider Lil Nas X’s lyrics in a completely different light.

Lex Allen

FFO: Glass Animals, Years & Years, Andra Day

Lex Allen is an alternative R&B artist providing an old soul sound from the heart of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their music intentionally mixes genres ranging from soul to R&B to pop to electronic, and their musical motto is “Dare to be different.” Lex’s latest album, The Offering, was released in May 2020 and features nine songs from throughout their career about life, love, and liberation.

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