With his avant garde jazz hip-hopera entitled “The Lynching of (Insert the Name of Any White Killer of an Unarmed Black Here)”, composer and saxophonist David Boykin presents a spiritual and exhortative response to America’s plague of racial violence. It tells the story of two young activists in the movement for black self-determination and challenges they face regarding their different strategical tactic ideas. Boykin’s ensemble the Sebau blends jazz, soul, and hip-hop to offer an emotional set of reflections both on the loss of love and life and on our own reactions to that loss. With complex compositions such as “Which Side Are You On?”, Boykin not only questions the state of contemporary Black social consciousness but also the ideals of American society more broadly.
Fusing jazz, soul, and hip-hop music to create a style Boykin calls Astro-Soul, the Sebau is the most recent project of the Chicago-based saxophonist and composer David Boykin. The group’s music incorporates soul singing, rapping, turntablism, and creative improvisation.
