Candice Hoyes, Val Jeanty and Mimi Jones are Nite Bjuti. They are an Afro-Caribbean Brooklyn-based trio having chosen their name from Haitian folklore called “Night Beauty” about a girl who sings for justice in the afterlife. Their debut in 2018 at Jazz at Lincoln Center to celebrate International Women’s Day was followed by performances at the NYC Winter Jazzfest, Nublu Jazz Fest, WBGO and The Schomberg. Today they share their first single “Mood (Liberation Walk).” The avant-garde musing flips the “Miss Mary Mack” nursery rhyme into a slightly eerie modern fusion.  Hoyes questions false feelings of freedom as Jeanty’s drumsticks click like a bondage chain. The visuals are a montage of them taking the walk, jump-roping and performing as they are seen through a psychedelic filter. Some scholars have pegged the rhyme as originating from a game created by slave children. Hoyes explained the imagery of them jump-roping in a statement:

“What good is freedom if you don’t really feel free? Black girlhood maturation brings a range of evocative contradictory experiences. In ‘Mood (Liberation Walk)’ we express the sudden sensation of a girl jumping/jumped into puberty, roped into a new emotional reality, physicality and societal positionality. As explored in the music video, she jumps through the portals of her own design right until the foreboding street lights flicker. Jumping is tied to shared childhood experiences, embodies connectivity and the chasmic leaps of growth in the Black womanly experience.”

Watch Nite Bjuti’s Afrofuturist breakdown of contemporary questions of Black freedom in “Mood (Liberation Walk).” The trio are currently working on their full-length album after becoming recipients of the 2020  NYC Women’s Fund In Jazz. 

Freddie Gibbs released the autobiographical video for “Rabbit” from his $oul $old $eparately album yesterday. Scenes of Gibbs performing, being a father and playing golf are intertwined to give a look at his life. The rapper also launched the Rabbits By Carrots streetwear brand as a result of his partnership with Anwar Carrots. The Spring/Summer 2023 collection has already been posted at the online shop. In 2022, he starred in Down With The King, a movie about a rapper taking a respite from society and living on a farm. 

Gibbs will be performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with anderson.paak and The Roots on January 23rd. Special limited vinyl copies of $old $oul $eparately will be available on March 22nd. 

Mahogany Jones surprises with a video for “Cheque” from her next album Better. Filmed mostly in a pool hall and outdoors, the emcee breaks down her microphone skills and the importance of receiving a check because visibility alone won’t pay the bills. She endlessly stacks her verses while looking at the camera and giving the world a rare look at Highland Park, Michigan. Video director Diego brings out Jones’ lady boss persona with plenty of red and a touch of the avant-garde. The release date for Better has not been announced but watch Mahogany Jones show you what it means to execute and receive a “Cheque.” 

Anderson.paak and Knxwledge reboot their NxWorries partnership with “Where I Go” featuring H.E.R. The duo first met on Twitter in 2014 and by 2016 they released their Yes Lawd! debut album. The video is romantic and humorous with H.E.R. stealing all of the spotlight near the end. They also pay tribute to ’90s R&B videos with the look of the clip and by mocking the materialism. Anderson.paak performed “Where I Go” live in 2020 on tour. The presence of their return as NxWorries is now building excitement for their next album.