Chuck Indigo at The Cobra for Spewfest V, 2/8/2020
Nashville rappers aren’t limited to addressing the long shadow of systemic racism and the lasting harm it does to Black communities. But over the past few years, and especially in this time of historic protest against the institutionalized racism — in the South and elsewhere — local MCs have skillfully articulated what it’s like to live as a Black person, in America in general and in Nashville specifically.
About a year ago, Chuck Indigo released his phenomenal album Indigo Café. The record comes from the point of view of a young man stuck between his ambition and the limited roles that society has made available to him. Last week, the Nashville native dropped his follow-up full-length No Moor Bad Days, which broadens that perspective to look at the challenges facing Black communities.
Indigo touches on the inequalities that have made it excessively difficult for Black communities to meet basic needs, much less thrive. But he also takes an in-depth look at the pervasive anxiety, fatigue and anger that result from generations of Black people having to fight twice as hard to get half as much, in terms of justice, respect or wealth, as their fellow Americans who are white.
The record is a thorough exploration of major societal problems through a very personal lens, but it also lifts up the power and resilience of Black culture. You can hear that directly in “C.A.N.T. Chronicles (Interlude),” a spoken piece in which Indigo, rapping like an impassioned minister, lays out a kaleidoscopic array of fundamental cultural and societal contributions from Black people throughout history. Where there’s longstanding pain, there’s longstanding strength.
Snippets of powerful speech from other Black thinkers help tell the story. The album begins with part of an interview with Black soldier Akmed Lorence filmed during protests against the Vietnam War, and that ties in later with a clip of a speech by activist Tamika Mallory following the death of George Floyd. More subtly but just as importantly, the ingenious production fuses classic boom-bap flavor, a little bit of trap and lots of jazz and soul in a way that feels timeless — a vibrant, vital celebration of the diversity of Black art.
Find No Moor Bad Days on your favorite streaming service via this handy link, and follow Indigo via Instagram and Twitter for updates.
