To mark the first anniversary of D’Angelo’s passing, The Brown Sugar RAP Party brings together ten contemporary poets for a special evening of live poetry and music inspired by one of the defining albums of 1990s neo-soul.
Hosted by acclaimed Nigerian-born poet and performer Inua Ellams, the event invites writers from Manchester and neighbouring cities to create and perform new work in response to D’Angelo’s groundbreaking album Brown Sugar.
Released in 1995, Brown Sugar helped establish a new direction in Black music and is widely regarded as one of the key records in the development of neo-soul.
The evening brings together an exceptional line-up of Black poets and spoken-word artists, including Jason Allen-Paisant, Princess Arinola Adegbite, Griot Gabriel, Khadijah Ibrahiim, Toreh O’Garro, Ella Otomewo, Keisha Thompson, Yusra Warsama, Reece Williams and Inua Ellams.
Together, they will explore the themes, memories and questions raised by D’Angelo’s music through entirely new poetry.
The line-up reflects the strength of contemporary Black writing in the North of England and beyond. Many of the featured writers explore race, identity, migration, resistance, faith, family and Black British life in their work.
Among them is Jason Allen-Paisant, whose collection Self-Portrait as Othello won both the Forward Prize for Best Collection and the T. S. Eliot Prize, while Khadijah Ibrahiim is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and founder of Leeds Young Authors.
Host Inua Ellams is one of Britain’s leading contemporary poets and playwrights, known for combining African oral storytelling traditions with modern poetry and performance.
The Brown Sugar RAP Party offers a distinctive Black History Month experience, bringing literature and music together while celebrating the continuing influence of Black creativity across generations.
The event takes place at Contact in Manchester on Thursday 15th October 2026 at 8:00pm.
Tickets are £16, £14 and £10.
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