[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] In “Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK,” LaTesha Harris (NPR) presents Afro-Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown, Puerto Rican singer Calma Carmona [shown above], Portuguese/Cape Verdean singer-songwriter and rapper Nenny, and Brazilian singer-songwriter Luedji Luna. We included excerpts about ChocQuibTown and Calma Carmona here; see full article and listen to the program at NRP.

Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK is the electrifying kick-off to AFROPUNK’s “Black Spring” festival. The virtual celebration, hosted by Jorge “Gitoo” Wright, features performances from ChocQuibTown, Calma Carmona, Luedji Luna and Nenny. AFROPUNK, born out of a 2003 short film by the same name, is an international movement and music festival centered on Black exploration and rebellion. Starting as a way to create space for the unacknowledged presence and influence of Black culture in a predominantly white punk scene, AFROPUNK has since evolved into a distinct, multi-genre experience.

“Black Spring” was created to spotlight outstanding talent in Afro-Latin and Afro-Caribbean music across the globe. The Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK program aims for the same. The showcase’s four artists have come to the Tiny Desk to honor their homes and celebrate the art their heritage has inspired. Learn more about them below.

ChocQuibTown

“¡Tú sabes!” Carlos “Tostao” Valencia exclaims after Colombian hip-hop trio ChocQuibTown performs its second song, the energetic “De Donde Vengo Yo.” “ChocQuibTown, straight from Colombia, from the Pacific coast,” he says. “We call it Africa inside Colombia, we got the flavor, we got the flow.” ChocQuibTown — named after the coastal area the trio hails from — is a family affair comprised of siblings Miguel “Slow” Martinez and Gloria “Goyo” Martinez, the latter of which is married to Valencia. In 2000, the trio formed to promote their neglected corner of Colombia’s culture; today, ChocQuibTown’s music blends the traditionality of Afro-Latin jazz with the modernity of hip-hop to create a singular, yet versatile sound. [. . .]

Calma Carmona

From her hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Calma Carmona delivers a bewitching Tiny Desk performance. Her voice rarely rises above a whisper as she sings over impassioned Afrobeats during her three-song set — but when it does, it’s a gritty, intimidating growl. Carmona got her start in 2013 when the Latin soul singer-songwriter released her first EP and opened for Beyoncé’s The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in Puerto Rico. [. . .]

For full article and program, see https://www.npr.org/2021/04/23/989905360/tiny-desk-meets-afropunk-chocquibtown-nenny-luedji-luna-calma-carmona

Also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9nUXIPPYM  (ChocQuibTown 0:58 – 14:52, NENNY 15:20 – 27:04, Luedji Luna 27:38 – 40:31, Calma Carmona 40:47 – 52:47)