“So many powers at play,” Camae Ayewa sings chillingly on her latest single as Moor Mother, “Obsidian.” The short sentence ripples, landing eerily as both an observation and warning. A drumbeat and heavily manipulated vocals collide and overlay each other in the background, which is both ominous and ruminative.
“Obsidian,” which is the latest single from Moor Mother’s newly unveiled album Black Encyclopedia of the Air, was inspired by “thinking about one’s proximity to violence. Thinking about violence in the home. Violence in communities,” Ayewa said. In its video, directed by Ari Marcopoulous, Moor Mother and rapper Pink Siifu revisit the house of Alice and John Coltrane.
Black Encyclopedia of the Air follows Moor Mother’s collaborative album Brass with rapper billy woods from last year. Pre-order the album, which is out September 17 on ANTI-, here. Watch the video below.
