Motown Records and Black Forum have shared “Shining” as the first single from the previously announced commemorative album Fire In Little Africa.
Fire in Little Africa is a groundbreaking album of original material, written and recorded by a collective of Oklahoma hip-hop artists to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre releases and will be released on May 28.
“Shining” arrives with a music video directed by Boomintree Films and was produced by Dr. View, who also serves as executive producer for Fire In Little Africa.
“‘Shining’ is a trip back in time to Tulsa in 1920, just before Black Wall Street was attacked, bombed, and burned to the ground in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre,” Dr. View said of the visual.
“The video conveys the peak of Black Excellence that defined the Greenwood district 100 years ago and ties it to the Fire in Little Africa movement that is showing the world how Tulsa still shines today.”
“Shining” is performed by Tulsa artists Steph Simon, Dialtone, Ayilla, and Jerica Wortham.
“We know that the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is one filled with pain, darkness, and trauma for Black people, but the story of Tulsa in 2021 is about the greatness that rose from the ashes,” Dr. View added.
“‘Shining’ humanizes the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre, taking them out of the history books and showing them on a night on the town living life joyfully. That is what Greenwood was, is, and will always be about.”
Fire In Little Africa aims to use purposeful storytelling to redefine the way the historical event is viewed.
The album will be released in partnership with Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center and marks the first new material to be released by Black Forum since its recent re-launch.
Fire In Little Africa is set for release on May 28. Buy or stream “Shining.”