video premiere: the union is on fire in socially charged video by antique naked soul, “burn”

Tonight, Donald Trump will give a state of the union that will likely, and in line with the president’s previous behaviors, obscure all fact. But Bay Area hip-hop/soul group Antique Naked Soul is dropping the truth.

Consisting of the musicologist Edutainer, singer Candice Antique and MC Tommy Soulati Shepherd, the self-described social activists just released the video for their latest single, “BURN,” a powerful reflection of the politically charged moments we live in. Featuring soul-stirring archival footage of past race riots and a recreation of tense sit-ins, Antique Naked Soul isn’t just reminiscing on the struggles of the past, but calling on that fire to burn on today.

“Burn, for me, was necessary to write,” Shepherd explains. “It seemed like more of a journal entry at first draft. At the time, I was getting angry at the inhumanity of many people in our country. That inhumanity has grown exponentially. No more apologies.”

“Burn is the musical manifestation of the rage that I felt when Trayvon Martin was killed,” Candice elaborates. “When Mike Brown was killed. Eric Garner. The list goes on, too long. The murder of innocent Black people is not taken seriously. The abject poverty that Black people are forced to live within is cruel. It is inhumane and we are supposed to just accept it as if it is natural or to believe that we deserve it. I am tired. We are tired of forgetting and forgiving but seeing nothing change.”

Check out the powerful visuals below!