Celebrating Black Voices

FILMMAKER: Chelsea Odufu

Chelsea Odufu is a Guyanese Nigerian American Filmmaker and Visual Artist whose work aims to showcase magical depictions of BIPOC.  

Her first two films were both official selections in over 20 film festivals worldwide. In 2021, Chelsea was one of 12 chosen artists to join Black Rock Senegal – a residency program created by Kehinde Wiley where she created a multi channel video installation recently exhibited at the Dakar Biennale. Chelsea’s work confronts past histories while reimagining Black futures. Her work challenges our ideas about marginalized identities and empowers BIPOC to reconnect with their cultural roots through her Afro-futuristic approach.

Chelsea Odufu Instagram

Creating with other Black creatives allows us to show up comfortably when telling stories about our life experiences. Empowering others to claim their dreams, communicate their gratitude for the family who raised them, and celebrate their peers making big moves is just beautiful.

Chelsea

Coco & Breezy

Coco & Breezy are eyewear designers, DJs, business owners, music producers, and twin sisters. Their eponymous eyewear brand is celebrated by countless customers and celebrities, including musical legend Prince who they collaborated with to create their iconic Third Eye sunglasses. In the years since, Coco & Breezy have grown their business and expanded their music careers to bigger and broader audiences. An example of Black excellence, the twins credit their family for much of their success.

Coco & Breezy Website Coco & Breezy Instagram

Our dad grew up during segregation ... that's just one generation ago. Our parents let us have our self-expression because they weren't able to.

Coco

They broke generational curses allowing Coco and I to understand our individuality.

Breezy

Aziza Handcrafted

Aziza-Abdullah Nicole is a Brooklyn-based sculptor, painter, and builder. Her jewelry brand Aziza Handcrafted is filled with love and intention. With pieces ranging from rings and necklaces to palm cuffs and custom grillz, Aziza offers customers a variety of ways to express their style through her thoughtful art.

Aziza Handcrafted Website Aziza Handcrafted Instagram

L'enchanteur

Dynasty & Soull Ogun are the talented twin sisters and designers behind clothing and jewelry brand L'enchanteur. The Brooklyn-based brand is known for craftsmanship and creating work that is both beautiful and unexpected. L'enchanteur counts Megan the Stallion, Erykah Badu, and Beyonce among their fans.

L'enchanteur Website L'enchanteur

Giovanni

Giovanni Franco is the Assistant Store Manager at Dr. Martens NYC. With a desire to work in A&R, Gio is already honing his aptitude for defining what sets artists apart. Keep reading for an introduction to some of his favorite artists of the past and present. You'll find that like Gio, many of them share ties to the Dominican Republic.

Giovanni Instagram

Los Hermanos Franco

Los Hermanos Franco was a musical group of family members, whose sound celebrated the style of music and dance, the national dance of Dominican Republic. An inspiration to Gio and others, the group of brothers brought their sound from DR to NYC in the 1990s.

Benny Slumz

Now is the perfect time to discover rap and R&B artist Benny Slums (BNYSLMS). He’s released a collection of singles over the past couple of years, but his latest track Preciosa has an unforgettable beat and energy.

Benny Slums Instagram Benny Slums Spotify

Jo Wayne

Jo Wayne is the founder and creative force behind clothing brand et Sollertis (The Mastermind) in NYC. With the support of his mother, brother, and aunt; Wayne learned to sew and developed a business mindset that would allow him to build his brand without fear.

Jo Wayne's Website

KeiyaA

Singer / songwriter KeiyaA was previously mentioned in this series by Phony Ppl as an artist to watch. Hooked by her presence and sound, we wanted to know more about her, Black artists who have shaped her music, and who she thinks you should be listening to.

keiyaa Instagram

Brandy

Brandy Rayana Norwood, better known by her stage name, Brandy is a creative powerhouse. As a Grammy-winning singer / songwriter she has put out multiple solo albums and been heavily featured on pop, R&B, and gospel albums. As a film, TV, and Broadway actress she has won many awards including NAACP Image awards for her show Moesha. Despite decades of commercial success, Brandy is still considered a perpetual innovator who is not afraid to experiment.

Brandy's Website

Nina Simone

Dubbed the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone was a musical virtuoso. Known not only as a classically gifted pianist, Simone is also known for weaving themes of racial injustice into her songs and performances. Protest songs like Mississippi God Damn about the 1968 bombing of a Black Baptist church in Alabama, left audiences reeling from the passion and anger with which Simone performed them. An activist and an artist, Simone’s music is both beautiful and haunting.

Nina Simone's Website

Maassai

Brooklyn native Maassi is a singer, producer and community organizer. With a musical style that is often described as hood Avante-Garde, Maassai has an innovative and evolving sound that's been compared to Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. Check out her 2021 album With The Shifts, and see for yourself.

Maassi Instagram Maassi Spotify

No Home

London based, DIY, experimental artist No Home defies genre. Typically recording with just a guitar and their voice, No Home channels raw emotions with the intensity of an open nerve. With a string of EPs and albums filled with powerful vocals and rich storytelling, there is plenty to digest in every song.

No Home Instagram

Food Apartheid is something that effects our community in a deep way, but is not necessarily talked about or addressed. And so, I think The Central Brooklyn Food Co-op is really important and deserves more support.

KeiyaA

The Central Brooklyn Food Co-op is a Black-led 100% working member-owned and –operated retail grocery slated to open in 2022. Their goal is to advance a culture of healthy food, resilience, and cooperative self-determination among long-term residents who are at risk of residential and commercial displacement in Central Brooklyn.

As a thank you to KeiyaA, Dr. Martens will donate $5,000 to the charity of their choice. KeiyaA has asked to support: The Central Brooklyn Food Co-op. Please consider joining us in our donation.

Learn More

Langston

Named after Langston Hughes and the son of Black activists, Dr. Martens Ecommerce Coordinator, Langston McClarron honors the Black excellence that came before him and those who sustain it, in his installment of Celebrating Black Voices.

Langston Instagram

Langston Hughes

Known for his thoughtful descriptions of Black life in the 1920s, Hughes was synonymous with the Harlem Renaissance. Creating a huge body of work, Hughes’ poetry, novels, short stories, and plays were set apart from his contemporaries due to the almost brutal honesty with which he wrote. His influences can still be seen in literature decades later.

The Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party was started in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. Originally created as a response to police brutality in Black neighborhoods, the party evolved from a resource for community aide to a revolutionary political force. A blueprint for Black empowerment and community mobilization, the impact of The Black Panthers can still be seen today across a variety of minority organizations and movements.

Black Student Union

The first Black Student Union was founded in 1966 at San Francisco State University to unify the Black campus community and demand increased campus inclusivity for Black students. BSUs would become a trend across academia soon after. More Black faculty, celebration of Black culture, and a curriculum that acknowledged the contributions of African Americans; were just a few of the changes BSUs focused on. Off campus Black Student Unions were and are integral to combating racial discrimination within the greater community.

Donte Thomas & Bocha

Veterans of ‘Ones to Watch’ lists everywhere, hip hop artists Donte Thomas and Bocha create songs with head bobbing melodies and robust lyrics that fester long after your first listen. But these multifaceted artists are bringing more than their individual sounds to Portland’s creative scene. They are also a part of artist collective and store front Produce Portland, and record label Produce Organic Portland. They continuously bring more to their communities, so keep watching.

Produce Portland's Website dontetheapple Instagram Bocha Spotify Bocha Instagram Bocha Spotify

"Oregon Mesa provides students underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields with the skills and opportunities to develop their talents, explore technology-based careers, enter college, and compete successfully in the workforce. In partnership with Langston, Dr. Martens is donating $5,000 to Oregon Mesa as they provide future diversity in STEM leadership.

As a thank you to Langston, Dr. Martens will donate $5,000 to the charity of their choice. Langston has asked to support: Oregon MESA. Please consider joining us in our donation."

Learn More