20 Afrofuturist Songs, Books and Artists to Help with Your “Black Panther” Withdrawal

As someone who has used several lines from the movie in regular conversation since last Friday, I know I can’t be alone in missing Black Panther as soon as I left the theater. I know we watched All The Stars and listened to The Black Panther: The Album as soon as it dropped but it’s not enough. Aside from buying the comics (which are on sale at Comixology until the end of the month,), what else is there to do to fill that Black Panther hole in your heart (besides taking a stop at Wakandan Beauty Shop)?

Dive headfirst into more Afrofuturism, of course! I’m not an expert by any means but we can go through this learning adventure together.

Real quick, Afrotururism is a term coined by Mark Dery in his essay “Black to the Future” back in 1993. In Flame Wars, Dery interviewed Samuel R. Delany, Greg Tate, and Tricia Rose to further examine and define the culture. Afrofuturism is using science fiction and fantasy to imagine and create a future for black people.

You can read more about it in Tananarive Due’s introduction in the Black Panther Challenge.

Let me take you to the future, robots and androids.

Here are 20 songs, books, and artists to help with your your Black Panther withdrawal.

Read Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing and listen to the audiobook on Spotify

Missy Elliot’s been in the future we just late

Read Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture edited by Ytasha L. Womack, listen to Womack’s talks, Afrofuturism and Imagination and Humanity and Afrofuturism As Creative Empoewerment, and read her article, ”Afrofuturism Rising”, in Uncanny Magazine

Watch Afrofuturism from DUST

Pick up Life On Mars by Poet Laureate of the United States, Tracy K. Smith

In this house, we love and adore Janelle Monae, and as thanks for dropping some amazing music not even a week after Black Panther, let’s celebrate her work in Afrofuturism by going and watch her emotion film, “Many Moons”, and then go through Metropolis: The Chase Suite, The Archandroid and Electric Lady in preparation for Dirty Computer coming in April

Get Mothership:Tales From Afrofuturism and Beyond by Bill Campbell and watch him in conversation with Ytasha Womack

Read “Mother of Invention”, a new short story by Nnedi Okorafor. If you love that make sure to pick up the trilogy, Binti and Who Fears Death

Scroll through and follow Wildseeds: The New Orleans Octavia Butler Emergent Strategy Collective on Facebook

Follow Ebony Elizabeth and look out for her Black Panther inspired YA Novel

Watch Nalo Hopkinson explain why Afrofuturism is necessary and then pick up Midnight Robber

Follow Lina Viktor on Instagram

Pick up the newest issue of FIYAH Literary Magazine

Listen to Splendor & Misery, a science fiction album following the only black survivor of a slave uprising on a interstellar cargo ship

Check out MHYSA’s debut album, fantasii

Read Alley Pezanoski-Browne’s “Black to the Future” article in Bitch Media, then listen to their Afro-Alien BitchTape

Follow Manzel Bowman on Instagram

Read “Afrofuturism” through Duke University Press

Follow Grace Jones on Twitter

Read Black To The Future: Afrofuturism (3.0) by Mark Dery

Listen to George Clinton talk at Vanderbuilt University on Afrofuturism in Black Theology

Bonus:
I’m including Scream because Janet Jackson looks FINE in this video.

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A. Tony Jerome

A.Tony is a black nonbinary artist out here to do good and to do gay. They are a 2015 Pink Door Fellow, 2016 Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Fellow, 2020-21 Afro Urban Arts Lit From the Black! Fellow, and have worked with Roots.Wounds.Words., Words Beats & Life, and Winter Tangerine among other places. You can find more of their work on their website and listen to them scream about poetry & other interests on Twitter.

A. has written 47 articles for us.

17 Comments

  1. So I know that it’s not the point of this post but the revelation that there are audiobooks on Spotify, including Eve Ewing’s great book which I’ve already read and love, makes my whole day. Thanks, Alexis!

    • You’re welcome! and honestly as long as you get anything good from my posts I call it a win!

  2. I know we watched All The Stars

    I’ve listened to the song so many times that it’s definitely going to show up on my Top 2018 Spotify playlist, BUT I didn’t know there was a music video!!! Time to go watch it over and over. Love this list, thanks <3 <3

    • Yes! I saved it for like three days so I was three days closer to Black Panther and it’s a bit of a masterpiece I love it!!

    • Yes, definitely!! I was trying to figure out how to get Space is the Place in here but wasn’t sure quite sure how. Thank you for adding!

  4. I just finished The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin last night and feel like this is a good place to give it a shout-out.

    It’s fantasy rather than sci-fi, but it deals with a non-Western European post-apocalyptic future peopled mostly by people of darker skin tones, and it is SO GOOD, y’all. So good.

    • !!!! I came across it but wasn’t comfortable adding something I couldn’t personally vouch for so AHHH YES thank you it’s going on my to read list now!

  5. I did always like that Janet and Micheal video and always wondered why they didn’t do more track like that together. I also like the That’s the way Love Goes video. Thank you for this list.

    • You’re welcome! Thank you for reading! i forgot all about this video man this is great

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