Written By: Major Toms
This year has definitely been tumultuous, with the emergence of COVID, the death of George Floyd, and the Nigerian youth taking on the corrupt SARS force, it feels like our world has changed and is changing… for the ‘Black Person’.
Earlier this year Renell Shaw produced an album titled The Windrush Suite which explores the experiences of Caribbeans in Britain after their arrival on the HMT Empire Windrush in the 1950s. Renell Shaw is a songwriter, composer, arranger and music producer. As well as being known as a close writer and multi-instrumentalist for Rudimental, Renell has extensively written, collaborated, recorded and toured alongside artists such as Orphy Robinson MBE Jess Glynne, Anne-Marie, Maverick Sabre, Aloe Blacc, Skepta, Nitin Sawhney CBE, Speech Debelle and MORGAN.
With this month being Black History month it feels even more important than ever to explore our roots in Britain. Bacchanal, taken from the The Windrush Suite explores a reconnection with an energy that is undeniable in Black music.
Here is the visual to Bacchanal which is an ode to the 1980s cult classic ‘Babylon’, a film directed and written by Franco Rosso. Babylon is a must see, and stands as one of the forefathers of Black British film, and most importantly, the issues highlighted within the film are still pertinent today. Set across Brixton, Deptford and New Cross, Babylon shows the racial tension and police brutality that was endured by our grandparents and parents generation. The film ‘Babylon’ reflects an element of what life looked and felt like for the children of the Windrush generation, in a similar way to Bacchanal, it shows the beauty of Caribbean culture alongside the experience of racial tension and prejudice.