FIRE IN LITTLE AFRICA IS "SHINING"

Photo Credit: Ryan Cass

Oklahoma hip-hop collective Fire in Little Africa has released the first single, “Shining,” from its eponymous forthcoming album, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The single arrives via Motown Records/Black Forum in partnership with Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center.

Produced by Fire in Little Africa executive producer Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson, “Shining” features local Tulsa artists Steph Simon, Dialtone, Ayilla and Jerica Wortham and arrives alongside a striking video produced and directed by Boomintree Films with assistant director avitiuh. Watch it below.

“'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. 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,” said Dr. View.

“Fire in Little Africa is a powerful and timely project that provides a platform and outlet for the incredibly talented and thriving music community of Tulsa, Okla.,” said Motown Records Chairman & CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam. “Carrying the legacy of the Black Wall Street community, Fire in Little Africa is a body of work filled with purpose and prolific storytelling. I am honored and feel privileged to have Motown Records/Black Forum partner with Dr. View, the Bob Dylan Center and the Woody Guthrie Center to release this impactful hip-hop album.”

The album marks the first new material released by Black Forum since the label’s relaunch earlier this year. Slated for release on 5/28, the 21-track collection was recorded in Greenwood over a five-day period in March 2020 in studios set up at the Greenwood Cultural Center and other locations, including the former home of 1921 massacre mastermind/KKK leader Tate Brady. The house is now owned by former NFL running back and Tulsa native Felix Jones.

Stream "Shining" here.