Today we’d like to introduce you to African Space Program Collective.
African Space Program Collective, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
We are the legacy of late Atlanta artist Kiwan Benson. Around 2016-2017 Kiwan had a vision to create an entity within Atlanta’s art scene that wasn’t your traditional band or group. He had been part of a few bands prior, the most popular being his own band Billion Dollar Baby and through the trials and errors of maintaining a band and navigating Atlanta’s art scene, he grew a little disillusioned with everything, and when BDB didn’t work out he sought out to create something else, and we were/are it. We aren’t the first incarnation many of us are add-ons, fellow artists he recruited over the course of 2 years, and there are a few of us who have been around since the Billion Dollar Baby days. Together with Kiwan, we made it our mission as artists to combine our gifts and create something that’s bigger than ourselves, something that will not only serve us but also serve our community as well. When Kiwan passed away in 2018, it hit us really hard. It also bonded us and inspired us to keep this going. He definitely would want us to, so he we are.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Our music is an eclectic mix of Funk, Punk, Disco, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Jazz.
Our goal has always been to create good music, that spans multiple genres, and to be our authentic selves while we do it.
We have had many talks about what it is that we stand for and the one thing we agreed on was that our message was simply in our being. We are all persons of color. We are a queer/queer-friendly identified group whose members range on all ends of the spectrum from ally to Trans and non-binary. We want people to see that their voice can be heard regardless of who you are.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Keep going, keep creating, build something with your fellow peers who are also up and coming creators. All money ain’t good money, and it’s ok to have integrity with your art and to stand for something.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can follow us on Instagram @Africanspaceprogramcollective to keep up with our activities and live performances.
And you can find our music on Soundcloud and stream our single, Smoking Song.
https://soundcloud.com/user-520118028/the-smoking-song
Contact Info:
- Email: africanspaceprogramcollective@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Africanspaceprogramcollective
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/africanspaceprogramcollective/
Image Credit:
Photographer Tabari Muhammad
Instagram @naughtymysticproductions
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
