What do Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Sun Ra and George Clinton have in common? Apart from mind-blowing music, the triumvirate are Musical Sharmans who draw on the ancestral legacy of their African aesthetics and cosmology.
They are all Afrofuturists! Afrofuturism is a worldview developed by generations of artists, musicians, scholars, and activists within the Black Atlantic space. This Black Atlantic space represents the intersection of Africa and the African diaspora worldwide.
Lee' Scratch' Perry is a reggae and dub innovator responsible for the current sonic architecture of modern music. George Clinton, a pioneer funk musician, is known for merging 'science fiction, outlandish fashion, psychedelia, and surreal humour'.
Finally, Sun Ra Jazz visionary the '20th century's most revolutionary musicians and thinkers, encapsulating within his space music very real lessons for planet Earth well into the 21st century.'
These creative giants have been able to reconstruct "Blackness" in the culture. According to author Nova Sparks, 'We see the possibilities of a society of Black men and women that is steeped in our history, but also embraces our advancement while protecting both as a means for survival.'
Afrofuturism is at the foundation of the artistic output of the three legends, which is not limited to music but include visual arts, fashion, creative writing and science fiction
The Afrofuturism movement continues in new artists such as Chronixx, Janelle Monáe, Solange Knowles and writers including Marlon James and Louis Chude Sokei.
