Moor Mother joins Sons of Kemet on Black power anthem “Pick Up Your Burning Cross”

After releasing their third album Black To The Future earlier this month, jazz group Sons of Kemet is back with a music video for the song “Pick Up Your Burning Cross.” 

For “Pick Up Your Burning Cross,” the core group of Theon Cross, Edward Wakili-Hick, and Tom Skinner sought out two collaborators, singer-composer Angel Bat Dawid and Philly’s own Moor Mother. The American musicians join the British group to articulate their shared struggle for Black power, a theme seen across the album.

Directed by Ashleigh Jadee, the video visualizes the message of “reconnecting with ancestral energies by confronting our fears and insecurities,” as bandleader Shabaka Hutchings explains.

The album, Hutchings says, “is a sonic poem for the invocation of power, remembrance and healing. It depicts a movement to redefine and reaffirm what it means to strive for black power.”

Watch the video below and find Black to the Future on Spotify and Apple Music. Sons of Kemet are scheduled to play a show at Underground Arts on March 28, 2022. Announcements for concerts at this point are subject to change due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage fans to regularly check the venue’s website for more on their health and safety policies. For the most up-to-date Philly regional concert listings, consult the XPN Concert Calendar.