Riders Against the Storm, one of Austin’s top acts in any genre and oft-cited Austin Music Awards threepeat for Band of the Year 2014-16, returns with a new single, a new video, and a new sound. The mission remains the same.
Traditionally, the husband and wife duo’s output bounced feel good, party-driven, exceedingly all-inclusive hip-hop, as demonstrated on tracks like go-go-influenced mover “Booty Sweat.” Now, the powerful “Mali” – produced by Reggie Coby, Mobley, and the couple – adds a soulfully distinctive edge in sonics and message. This is RAS as you’ve never heard them before.
According to the marrieds, they’ve long wanted to augment their sound with a contemporary edge. As such, Chaka and Qi Dada (aka Jonathan and Ghislaine Mahone) aren’t smiling for you today. Not that they regret their previous, more upbeat work, but the change evolved out of necessity.
“Over the last few years, our music has reflected more of a working vision, than our full vision for what we want to create musically,” explains Chaka. “We didn’t come here to work for someone else, [but] we had to eat, so we needed a sound that could get us on stages, and in front of as many people as possible.
“Now that we’ve established our presence, it’s about refining and getting closer to the sound we’ve actually heard in our brains and felt in our hearts for years.”
For those unfamiliar with the contraption the dancers are in, it’s one of many employed on Africans during slavery. The song and video are about breaking through physical and psychological barriers, and finding connection with true history and self-determined destiny.
“The hook is a direct connection to this sentiment as we’re paying homage to Mali, one of the greatest empires on the planet,” explains Chaka. “Many don’t know of Africa’s great contributions because Africa doesn’t tell the story. The colonizer does.
“Growing up, we’re told that [black] history starts with slavery, but our greatness is embedded in us. If we tap into that, we can find ourselves. When we say, ‘Been popping Mali,’ we’re saying that our contribution – to art, culture, science, everything – has been popping.”
This new music comes alongside Chaka’s highly successful art exhibition via Art at Antone’s, “People of Color: The Art of Chaka Mpeanaji,” and the launch of his clothing site, NefrFreshr. On May 3, the duo launches Daybreaker ATX, a massive day party in conjunction with Whole Foods and Sukha Yoga.
This article appears in April 21 • 2017.
