moor mother + saul williams prep us for “black flight”

In late August, Camae Ayewa, aka Moor Mother, announced her forthcoming album, Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes, whetting our appetites for her brand of politically and spiritually-charged music with the single “After Images.” Now, as we approach the album’s November 8th release date, she’s shared “Black Flight,” an intense commentary on the condition of Black people in America featuring fellow Afrofurist poet/musician Saul Williams.

On the King Britt-produced track Ayewa conveys urgency through the use of free association, reciting a litany of things that must be considered by Black people: “I found my face in a rat race/I found my face not lighter than a paper bag/ I caught a case, “ she says almost breathlessly describing life in the belly of the beast.  The song’s refrain. “Black flight, gotta get away!/ Black flight gotta get away!” is one that’s been on the minds of Black people as far back as 1619 and as recently as NOW.

The intensity of her verse leads to Williams’s calm, almost meditative recitation, “Black flight/ black wings black light/ black dreams/ dark matter chaos theory” Where Ayewa is corporeal, Williams is cosmic but no less invested in freedom. A reminder that mind, body, and spirit must be aligned to get free.

Pre-order Moor Mother’s Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes on Don Giovanni Records here.