Philly-based artist MH The Verb decided to use the so-called Afronaut as a symbol for Afrofuturism on his Afronaut album, which was released in November. The album showcases MH exploring a multitude of heavy, ever-relevant facets of systemic racism over a soundscape influenced by hip-hop, jazz, soul and electronic music. Afronaut is laced with astute analysis, but “Sky Ain’t Blue” is a particularly clever statement of the absurdity of our current predicament.
MH matched the song, which is the third single from Afronaut, with a colorful animation video that narrates the heroes journey to a place many of us would love to be some days – outside of earth, floating gracefully in outer space. The visual was crafted by NYC-based animator Stephen Sues, and isn’t only a standalone video, but will be used as a backdrop for MH’s live shoes in the future.
MH says he recorded 4-5 different versions of “Sky Ain’t Blue” before a BBQ freestyle session sparked by Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun helped cement the version we hear today. Luckily he got it right and paired the song with a fun, vibrant video that fits his lyrical approach and tone — but he said over e-mail an official video is also coming.
In the meantime, you can stream Afronaut below.
