Indianapolis artist Carrington Clinton said he is normally used to making art that is more subtle than his recent release, “Nappy Head.”
The drummer and hip-hop producer has been releasing music under the moniker Clint Breeze since 2014. His 2015 release, “Maisha,” became a cult classic in local hip-hop, but the socio-political themes of his most recent release make it one of the most significant Indianapolis albums of 2016, according to NUVO, Indianapolis’ alternative magazine.
Breeze will be performing “Nappy Head” live with his band, the Groove, for the first time at the Musical Family Tree grand opening Friday in Fountain Square.
Fellow Indianapolis native Jacob Gardner created the album’s cover, an inky black-and-white image of a seated man clutching his knees and sitting on top of the American flag with a broken noose hanging above his head. The images are meant to symbolize the state of oppression black people experience on a day-to-day basis, Breeze said.
“This is something that’s been burning in my heart for some time now,” Breeze said. “I had been bothered by the constant news about what was going on and how the justice system had been treating people of color, and I felt like, through my art, I could express my opinion on these issues that have come full circle in the last couple of years.”
He explores these themes of systematic tyranny and racial oppression with overt, direct language but layers it between meticulously detailed production and surprisingly joyous musical finesse. He spent most of 2016 working on the album and said it’s his best-sounding piece yet.
“Nappy Head” opens with a menagerie of vocal clips and samples before switching to the full big-band jazz number, “Razor Blades,” which features Breeze’s backing band of Indianapolis jazz musicians, the Groove.
A self-proclaimed jazz head and lifelong drummer, Breeze incorporates elements of classic soul and funk alongside expertly produced, intricate hip-hop beats.
The candor carries on throughout the entire album, and Breeze doesn’t shy away from the outspoken or the brash.
In one of the album’s closers, “Blood Splatter,” a spoken poem plays over the rhythm of chains clattering in the background: “Let’s paint red, white and blue stripes on the back of these savage Africans. Let’s paint the world in blood splatter.”
These blunt soundbites are scattered among samples from “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” and “Chappelle’s Show” and extended saxophone solos.
As a producer Breeze said he doesn’t lend his own voice to the album but throughout the 20 tracks of “Nappy Head,” Breeze features a variety of notable names in Indianapolis hip-hop. Oreo Jones, Sirius Blvck, Flaco and Drayco McCoy all lend their voices to the album.
“I gathered some people who I’ve been interested in musically and who I wanted to bring out a strong message with,” Breeze said. “These are people that I felt had a good style and aesthetic to their art. So what you heard was a collective consciousness of that effort.”
In the age of protest albums and the current political landscape, finding the voice to address issues like these to a mass audience can appear daunting, but expressing himself in that manner is something that came very naturally, Breeze said.
“It’s from your heart and your soul, and it’s for the people,” he said. “But at the same time you want to put out something that provokes people to think about something.”
While it may not be easy for listeners to digest a lot from “Nappy Head,” the timeliness of its release and its powerful nature say what needs to be heard. And if listeners feel shaken up a bit because of it, Breeze said he thinks that is okay.
“If you feel uncomfortable at times, I wouldn’t want anything more or less,” he said. “I don’t want to force-feed any feelings, but I do hope they take away either an enhanced point of view or a changed point of view.”
