Marvel

• Ever since August 1973, hip-hop artists have turned to Afrofuturism – a mix of science fiction, politics and liberating fantasy – to inform their lyrics and their look.
• They do so by taking listeners on journeys in and beyond the here and now, from an often imagined past to an imaginative future.

Black diaspora ancestors

• Academics have since further explored the meaning of Afrofuturism.
• In her 2013 book “Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture,” independent scholar Ytasha Womack describes the cultural phenomenon as “an intersection of imagination, technology, the future, and liberation.” Although the term appeared in the 1990s, Afrofuturism has been applied retroactively to describe Black writers, artists and musicians.
• In the United States, Afrofuturism was shepherded by generations of Black visionaries from the time of institutional slavery to the Civil Rights era.
• From the 1970s to 2000s, she combined African mythology with social activism to conjure images of alternate Black worlds.

Aliens and alienation

• Hip-hop artists influenced by Afrofuturism have long been aware that American society made many Black, Indigenous and other people of color feel different – less than human, or even like aliens – and expressed this through their art.
• And like socially conscious hip-hop, Afrofuturism has always had a political element.
• Take, for example, Public Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet,” Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock” or Ras G’s “Brotha From Anotha Planet.” Similar to experimentalist jazz bandleader Sun Ra, who claims aliens selected him to preach cosmic enlightenment on Earth, the Atlanta-based duo Outkast – whose very name suggests alienation – refer to themselves as “ATliens”.

Higher levels of consciousness

• Afrofuturism aims to elevate human consciousness.
• Like Sun Ra’s jazz fusion ensemble “Akestra,” which deliberately designed music to help people see themselves and the world differently, Afrofuturism seeks to decolonize human minds.
• Kendrick Lamar, winner of the best rap album at the 2023 Grammys, recorded five of 14 songs on the Afrofuturist “Black Panther” movie soundtrack.

Take nothing for granted

• In “Africa As an Alien Future,” academic Ruth Mayer observes how Afrofuturism’s collapsing of past, present and future results in “strange sights – alien, aquatic, artificial – which force us not only to reconsider the past, but most of all the present we like to take for granted.” Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre’s dystopic video for “California Love,” for example, which was set in California in 2095 and includes a cameo appearance by George Clinton himself, evokes vivid images of turf war battles in a post-apocalyptic, climate change-ridden, desert wasteland with sparse water.
• Afrofuturists challenge societal assumptions about Black Americans’ role in their country’s history, both then and in the future.

• WASHINGTON, July 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The ALIVE Podcast Network, the groundbreaking podcast platform dedicated to amplifying Black voices and empowering content creators, is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with RIVERSIDE.FM, a leading audio and video recording platform known for its cutting-edge technology, to launch "Riverside Black Creative HUB - Powered by ALIVE Podcast Network."
• By joining forces, the ALIVE Podcast Network and RIVERSIDE.FM will advance the way content creators connect through the RIVERSIDE Black Creative HUB Powered by ALIVE.
• "Providing Black podcasters a safe space to share, test, and generate new ideas is what the Riverside Black Creators HUB powered by ALIVE Podcast Network is all about," said Angel N. Livas, Founder & CEO of the ALIVE Podcast Network.
• Both the ALIVE Podcast Network® and Riverside are excited about the potential of this collaboration to drive innovation and shape the future of Black content creators.

• "We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate our 100th anniversary with our fans at San Diego Comic-Con," said Kim Boyd, Head of Toy at Hasbro.
• Attendees can visit the Hasbro Pulse Desk at the Hasbro Booth (#3213) to receive a one-time use code, which can be scanned to pre-order.
• Programming - In addition to hosting several insightful brand panels at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), Hasbro has a powerhouse programming schedule planned at its booth to help attendees have a memorable convention experience.
• Hasbro is hosting The VAULT: A Hasbro Pulse Store at the Sparks Gallery (530 Sixth Avenue) so fans can purchase Hasbro Pulse’s best-selling products and select convention exclusives.

• SPACEMOB, a global independent media company, is serving as the Business Development , Creative Development, and Business Affairs Agency for Stan Lee Holdings' properties for The Omniverse Collection created by Stan Lee.
• The Omniverse Collection comprises more than 100 characters and storylines Stan Lee created between 1999-2000.
• The characters and stories are fantastic and I am honored to be representing them", stated Eric Keith, Chief Content Officer, SPACEMOB.
• As both Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Stan established Stan Lee Media, a studio that produced the internet's first high-concept animated "webisodes" (a term coined by Stan Lee himself).