"Solo set the tone, I’m tryna plot the design / For my niggas on the line, quick to pick up a nine”
From Tide, track 9
Hotline, Sunny Ture’s sixth project, explores themes of cultural pride, (dis)trust, and leadership. Produced by Solomon Grunge, one of the real treats of this project is the dusting of Tupac Shakur audio clips; they give the album a strong contextual background, firmly rooted in a “black power” brand of black masculinity. Furthermore they firm up the connections between black culture and revolutionary politics made throughout.
With this project, Sunny pushes a model of social and political organization that is informed by a deep cultural knowledge with a particular historical consciousness. And he does so, impressively, without coming off as “preachy.” Instead the larger issues dealt with on this record blend seamlessly with Sunny's well-established and mature brand of artistic expression. Reflecting the 'steely-eyed revolutionary' persona of Ture, it’s a “New Afrikan” formation that reframes tired cultural tropes; putting them in their proper light, considered historically, and enacted strategically.
“Just a real nigga stuck in 3D / Runnin off the pages, bout to plot the mission and the stages”
From RIP, track 12
Make sure you sit down and give this one a dedicated listen as it unfolds like a short film, centering the actions and reflections of a black revolutionary on the run for killing Uncle Sam. Be on the lookout for the soulful twang of Twick G to bless your eardrums a couple times on the back half. -ZEN
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hotline/1562730136
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