Ceddyjay

If you’re only going to Afropunk in the hopes that Lenny Kravitz has another wardrobe malfunction, let's stop you right there. In addition to this year’s incredible headliners, which run the gamut from the iconic (Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill) to the infamous (Suicidal Tendencies, Death Grips), there’s a whole host of smaller-font names just as worthy of your attention. At any given moment in the fest’s three-day run, Fort Greene’s Commodore Barry Park will be exploding with new talent from all over the globe — but since scheduling is a thing, we’ve made a list of the top ten lesser-known acts that are absolutely not to be missed amid this impeccably curated lineup.

RAAA
Ceddyjay, Klipa Beats, The BoysOnQ, Johnny Based, and David Lee may not be much older than sixteen on average, but together they’ve formed music collective RAAA to showcase their individual strengths and styles. The moniker stands for Rebellious Against All Ahead, and the first thing they’ve bucked is an easy definition affixing them to any one genre. Ceddyjay spouts old-school rhymes one minute; the next, they’re jumping into moshpits that they’ve instigated. Their performance may wind up being a little rough around the edges — or it could be one of Afropunk’s most transcendent — but if their Twitter account is any indication, these kids are so excited that their set is guaranteed to inject a little youthful energy into Saturday’s crowd. - The Village Voice

Every performance during the first day of Afropunk Fest 2015 was incredible, but the women seemed to steal the show. Kelis showed off a baby bump, Ms. Lauryn Hill took the stage with her acoustic guitar after the sun went down and Grace Jones gave an unforgettable performance to close the night. Slide show begins...

RAAA members featured in Slides #42, #46 & #47. - The Village Voice

10) RAAA

The thing I loved about this group of young musicians, not old enough to drink yet, was their energy. Chanting their name “R-A-A-A, R-A-A-A!” you couldn’t help but to become lost in their vibe. What was also interesting about this particular group of artists was that they won their slot to perform in the festival at a battle of the bands concert/contest held in NYC. They were the winners and I must say, very deserving. - hivesociety.com

RAAA was ambling onstage as I got back just in time for what proved to be the most energetic and inspiring set I saw the whole weekend. Consisting of NYC school friends, all under the age of 21, RAAA used every second of their 30 minute set to make a statement – that they just might be the best young hip-hop group since I dare say it – Wu-Tang Clan. This isn’t your average hip-hop group however, despite their young ages, they are accomplished musicians that played their instruments live…without any pre-recorded tracks. A few songs in is where the fun started when a few members stage-dove and joined the moshpit. The pure energy this young group is about is hard to find these days, and am really looking forward to seeing them grow into men. - Pancakesandwhiskey.com

The rules of Afropunk are simple…
No hateration, holleration in this dancery.

The annual event is a celebration of multicultural music and art.

This year’s acts included Grace Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Danny Brown, Death Grips, and Kelis, just to name a few.
It was another stellar year, one that undoubtedly had people who couldn’t attend suffering from a severe case of FOMO.

So, if you missed it this year or have never heard of the festival, then here’s a few Instagrams that perfectly sum up the vibes of Afropunk.

(RAAA is featured as Instagram #16 from @christopherdemers) - Buzzfeed.com

Portrait of RAAA front man Ceddyjay is included in this article:

As with anything punk—be it the boundary-pushing music, dress, or politics of its most hard-core loyalists—there is always a sense of urgency. The guitar must thrash harder, the music must be louder, and yes, the fashion must be bolder. The message of rebellion and personal freedom has to propagate quickly, honestly, and without pretense.

What the concertgoers of Afropunk’s eleventh annual music festival—which attracted an unprecedented number of iconoclasts to Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park—brought this past weekend was style with a same sense of immediacy and purpose. Bucking trends and rules, their dress played mercilessly with color and proportion—yet it was the subtle collision of detailing that drove the most fully realized looks home. SZA’s oversize tank was as impactful as a runway gown, especially as she leapt in the air while tousling her heap of copper curls. Traditional wax print was tied and repurposed into modern crop tops and jumpsuits, retro seventies glam mingled with Prada sneakers, and Americana and Afrofuturism motifs were all captured by Ben Rasmussen’s Polaroid camera.

As he explains, “It wasn’t just the fashion, it was their presence. Everyone we photographed was dressed beautifully, but what moved me was the energy and confidence that they exuded. . . . It is inspiring to see that sense of self.”

Here, that palpable confidence is on full display as we showcase the boundary-pushing style of this year’s Afropunk’s revelers. - Vogue.com

RAAA band members Danny Singh, Gabriel Singh, Romario "Klipa Beats" Samuelson and Ceddyjay Preval were invited to appear on Arise Entertainment 360 Cable (70M viewers) for an interview with co-hosts Shannon Lanier and Lola Ogunnaike just prior to their Afro Punk 2015 Battle of the Bands semi-finals, which they won and went on to win the finals to secure a performance slot at Afro Punk Fest 2015, on Aug. 22, 2015, in Brooklyn.

The band has been invited back to perform live this coming Fall in conjunction with the release of their upcoming project. - Arise Entertainment 360

"Eclectic music group RAAA are the New York teens Johnny, Ceddy and David set for world domination. We caught up with them to find out what inspires them, who they’d love to party with, and what exactly it is that makes living in the Big Apple so great." - Indie Magazine/Vice Digital

"Two years later, Cedric Preval—aka Ceddy Jay—was back, not as a casualty but as the emcee and frontman of hip hop collective RAAA. The name is an acronym—Rebellious Against All Ahead—and it suggests the tremendous drive that propelled Ceddy and his crew to the top spot in the Afropunk “Battle of the Bands.” As the winners of the competition, they earned a slot at the festival, where they shared the stage with performers like Lenny Kravitz and Grace Jones. The band have also done some tv appearances." - GFTD.org