Negritude's production channels over 40 historical giants. It’s not just an album; it’s a book and a film (scheduled for a September and October 2025 release, respectively). Now that’s a movement carved in rhythm!!
The “album artwork” is a fusion of Negritude, Pan-Africanism and the immigrant experience.
The artwork is a collaborative work of myself and Small Biz visionary Nickii B.
I had completed an Award-winning “Africa Day ‘25" featured film, in May 2025 and so, building on the film’s theme of, ”Year of Reparations – Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations," I channeled my ancestral energy into Negritude: the names they tried to silence.
Core Visuals:- the torn parchment wall symbolizes the suppressed history-cracked but not destroyed. The “faded names” are etched, and engraved (though ghostly) across the background; names of the historical giants as included in the album, such as Sojourner, Sankara, Toussaint L’overtore, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, etc, and are translated to an Arabic-like language (so as not to interfere with the Distributor’s requirements of album, label and musician’s name). Myself is silhouetted bold and unshaken, with a focus on my lips, as if ready to immediately testify and prophesy on the contents of Negritude's production. My hair is symbolically traditional dreadlocks, fully haloed by fire, emitting smoke, glowing embers; symbolizing memory, spirit and resistance.
Color Scheme:- I chose deep earth tones: burnt sienna, ochre, charcoal black and gold. The accents of crimson for bloodline and sacrifice. The white glowing script for the names etched on both sides signifies the emergence from silence. The Pan-African colors feature red, black, and green colors. These colors are symbolic representations within the Pan-African movement.
- Red represents the blood that unites all people of African descent and the bloodshed during the struggle for liberation
- Black symbolizes the African people and their existence as a nation
- Green represents the abundant natural wealth of Africa, the Motherland, and also signifies hope and youth
These colors were popularized by Marcus Garvey in 1920 and have become a powerful symbol of Black liberation and Pan-African solidarity. Marcus Garvey is featured within the production of the album, and is a national treasure of my birth-land, Jamaica.
Typography:- the word Negritude is in bold serif, a hand-chiseled font that represents timeless, Pan-African in essence. “The names they tried to silence” is in a distressed, faded typewriter style-giving it a “suppressed text” look.
Symbolic Additions:- My earrings are made of kente cloth texture labeled Adinkra symbols embedded subtly in the design.
The album commands power, is very polished with a professional tone and communicates depth, range, and identity.
The overall production is ritualistic; it’s a rebellion, a reckoning!
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