"Black Requiem (Cristo Redentor)" - feat Farnell Newton by Ahmed Sirour

Track #4 from my protest album/EP entitled, The Mourning After, in tribute to the fallen men, women, and children of color who were murdered by a racist regime of evil police officers who never deserved to wear the badge, let alone handle a gun. It is not happenstance, not "fearing for their life", and certainly not justice when the vast majority of the murderers in blue are let off with little to no punishment at all.

I had to release my rage into the healing power of music, and it was this remake of Duke Pearson & Donald Byrd's "Cristo Redentor" that I felt was an appropriate song of mourning to express my deep sadness and anger at the systemic racism that was designed to bring about what few are calling (but is accurately) a genocide.

Anyway, I enlisted the talents of Jill Scott/Bootsy Collin tour trumpeter, Farnell Newton (@fnbeatsgalore), to cover Donald's iconic solo, but in his style and voicing, to express this sadness and melancholy through music. Yes, it comes out smooth and lounge jazzy, but it begins with a gunshot just to let you know that this is anything but relaxed and chill...more so a soulful way of saying goodbye while also preparing for the fight ahead for freedom, justice, and equality amongst ALL people...but if Black Lives Don't Matter in that equation...then ALL LIVES TRULY DON'T!