All-Black Punk Pop Band Makes History
By Olivia Armstead
The Paradox, an all-Black punk pop band from Atlanta, GA has made history as the first all-Black band to have a #1 hit on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. The band achieved this with their single called “Get the Message”, which is being praised for its unique and nostalgic sound.
Courtesy of theparadoxband.com
The band appeared to be excited about the history making news, commenting “LETS GOOOOO” under a joint Instagram post with Billboard that broke the news. According to Luminate, per theGrio, the record was also ranked at #9 on the audience-based and solely rock formatted Rock & Alternative Airplay chart in the week of January 11-16. As of this month, the lyric video for the song has over 500,000 views on YouTube and over 3 million plays on Spotify.
The group, featuring Eric Dangerfield on guitar and lead vocals, Christopher “Xelan” Bernard on lead guitar and background vocals, Donald “Rayman” Bryant on bass and Percy “PC3” Crews on drums, launched in 2024 and has quickly gained popularity on TikTok and other social media platforms.
With their latest release of their first EP titled “NSFW”, the group has earned the respect of some major names in the punk rock industry, with blink-182 drummer Travis Barker collaborating with the group on one of the singles featured on the EP titled “Bender”.
This breakthrough has proven to be an inspiration to other Black people looking to get into the music industry, even on campus.
“Seeing a Black punk band break through and hit number 1 in a space that hasn’t always been the most inclusive says a lot about how music is evolving. Especially punk being a white dominated genre,” said Isaiah Webb, a member of the Hampton University Marching Force. “It shows that authenticity and creativity can push past genres boxes and expectations…as a young musician, that’s definitely inspiring to me.”
The marketing director for Hampton University’s music organization, Anthony De Lisser, is calling for a continuation of Black musicians making history.
“We as artists need to push the boundaries further as our forefathers and foremothers have. Shooting for the stars is how we became to indulge in the world of art in our youth and then on, and for the rest of our lives to come,” said De Lisser, of the ACE program. “Now we have another Black band “The Paradox” who continue to open up doors, showing the creativity among the Black community is boundless.”
The band is set to perform at WINTER JAWN 2026 on Feb. 26. in Philadelphia, PA.
