Partnered with Darling Visions, BLXCKPUNKS, a duo composed of IAMTOPP and JangTheGoon, are the developers and headlining band of the Punks Wear Blxck event.
The evening will be centered around the launch of an alternative clothing brand by BLXCKPUNKS, named Punks Wear Blxck. The Green Room Tattoo Lounge will be offering flash tattoos, and features additional performances by Josiah Davis, The Velvet Helmets, Heel Klick and A Quiet Life.
“A lot of people might think of punk as being something not well thought through, but we think everything through extremely carefully,” TOPP said. “It’s about what we do about it. The world we’re stepping into and the level of intention is key.
“We’re reopening the conversation on ‘what is punk?’” Jang said. “We have people on both sides who dislike it, the rap side and the punk side. But that’s quite literally not punk. We know who we are.”
“I would argue that a lot of hip-hop is punk, it’s just not considered that because of the packaging it’s in.” TOPP said. “That keeps it separate. We’re embodying that and bridging the gap.”
The pair shared that they did not originally set out to become a duo.
“We’ve been BLXCKPUNKS for about a year now, but we’ve known each other for about seven years, just being homies and making music.” TOPP said. “We were going to do a collab called BLXCKPUNKS, but Jang brought up that we should actually be BLXCKPUNKS as a duo.”
They shared how unity in the region is a large part of their project.
“The entire region of Eastern Washington is considered the 509, it’s not merely Spokane,” TOPP said. “Spokane is the big city of the Eastern side, and Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Yakima, that’s all the 509 and our goal is to bring the scenes together.”
“We’re here to unite the 509,” Jang said. “That’s the entire goal of the project. Living out here in Spokane, there weren’t too many resources for us to do this, and we knew we needed to surpass just doing what we thought was cool.”
The event has partnered with Tri-Cities Ray’s Golden Lion’s project, Feed The Scene, to help feed those facing food insecurity.
“If you’re struggling for a meal, or know someone who is, you can come to Ray’s and ask for a plate,” Natalie Rizzo said. “If you want to support, you can prepay for meals for others at Ray’s as well, which also earns you 10% off your own tab. You can also purchase a ticket to Punks Wear Blxck, and a percentage of your ticket purchase is donated to Feed the Scene.”
Broadening their horizons is always at the forefront of their minds, according to IAMTOPP.
“I felt like we needed to take it a step further and get into the fashion side,” he said. “I love making clothes and I brought up that we should make a clothing brand, not just merch. And that became Punks Wear Blxck. It’s supposed to be a recurring festival after this inaugural year.”
The band feels unrestricted by true genre confines and leans into that.
“We’re not held to any single genre,” Jang said. “They love us because we jump off the stage. They love us because our performances are insane. We’re structured and we know what we’re talking about. We’re not boring or establishment.”
“We started off as rappers, and we’re still rappers, but the BLXCKPUNKS stuff is so cool because we’re also in this other space where we’re seen as a band and not a rap duo.” TOPP said. “Especially live, we’re really in this different realm. We’re looking at the frequency of everything. The energy of the live shows is very important to us.”
The show is called Punks Wear Blxck, but that’s anything but a dress code according to guitarist CJ Finesse and his counterpart guitarist Micah Luebben.
“TOPP and I’s stage presence, paired with Jang and Micah, just kinda became a perfect combo of great energy,” Finesse said. “We’re like comic book characters, it’s not just one kind of thing, we’re all wearing black but we don’t have the same haircut or style.”
Symbolism and intentional thoughts are components of songwriting for each of them.
“Some of the best lyricists are the ones who can convey their message to the masses without overly dumbing it down, or overly confusing folks,” Jang said. “When it comes to my own songwriting, I feel that I’m creating the world I live in, by the moment, with the things I’m writing down. People can either love it or hate it, but at the end of the day, I want them to understand it.”
