American Descendant of Slavery, The Album

This is my debut musical album. It is called "American Descendant of Slavery, The Album." It focuses on the intersectionality of my social and cultural identity as an LGBTQ+, Black-American millennial, who is a descendant of African-American slaves brought to the southern United States. The project's content and subject matter is heavy on the heart, cerebral, explicit and personal. It tackles racism, usage of the "n word" among Black Americans, homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism, cultural appropriation, same-gender love, and reparations. Part of the album's intended experience is active listening, requiring the listener to pay close attention to the lyrics; the discomfort the lyrics may bring to the listener; and a realization that the listener's personal comfort is irrelevant to the lived experiences detailed in the music. The project incorporates original music with historic audio recordings dating back to 1941 of former African-American slaves (and their descendants) curated with the research and assistance of the American Folklife Center of the U.S. Library of Congress. The audio quality of those recordings remain preserved throughout the album. I drew inspiration for this album from the racial unrest and protests that occurred in the U.S. in 2020 and my personal life experiences with racial and sexual identity. The album uses multiple music genres, including Folk, R&B, Jazz, Retro Soul, Rap, and Spoken Word. My goal was to release a compelling body of work--not a commercially successful album.