Afro D & Global Soundwaves is a socially-conscious hip hop/jazz/funk band based in Champaign, Illinois. The band makes soulful music designed to be heard by people of all ages, bridging the gaps between generations by providing music that appeals to old and young alike. The band’s positive messages are designed to inspire people and build community, both locally and globally.
Founder
Pete ‘Afro D’ Shungu is a trumpet player, MC (rapper), spoken word poet, and educator, who founded the band Afro D and Global Soundwaves in 2019. Pete is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is trilingual (English, Spanish, French) and has taught a variety of subjects, including music, ESL, history, service-learning, and hip hop emceeing, on both the K-12 and university levels in several different locations, including Champaign, IL; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; and Colima, Mexico. Born in New Jersey to a father from the heartland of Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and a mother from the heartland of the US (Kansas), he is a ‘Double Jumbo’, having earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Tufts University in Medford, MA.
Band Members
Pete ‘Afro D’ Shungu | Emcee, Trumpet
Mark White | Guitar
Mitchell Killough | Bass
James Mauck | Drums
Brighton Sier | Trombone & Keyboard
Grace Calderon | Tenor Sax / Flute
Afro D & Global Soundwaves 