While no music is made without resilience, Obi Bora's journey to release Black Prayers is decade- and continent-spanning. The eight tracks meld rap, Afrobeat and electronic music to lay bare his life as a migrant.
The tracks were completed in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Cédric de La Chapelle. Obi Bora encountered him in 2019, and he helped shape Obi's songs into a fully formed album with an astounding depth of soul. "The lesson of his journey and his music is that, in the end, you can always find the strength to move forward," de La Chapelle said in a statement.
At only 23, Obi Bora lived in exile, plagued by doubt and despair while journeying across the coasts of Morocco to Spanish refugee camps, from Swiss prisons to the streets of Italy, and then to the squats of Croix-Rousse in Lyon over the course of 10 years.
In the face of immense struggle, Obi's dream of being a musician sustained him. While the album spans the artist's personal experiences, he extends his reach through the songs to lift those who have lived in poverty and faced the existence of a migrant.
Stream the album on your platform of choice, and check out the haunting video for "Light 'n' Darkness" below.
The tracks were completed in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Cédric de La Chapelle. Obi Bora encountered him in 2019, and he helped shape Obi's songs into a fully formed album with an astounding depth of soul. "The lesson of his journey and his music is that, in the end, you can always find the strength to move forward," de La Chapelle said in a statement.
At only 23, Obi Bora lived in exile, plagued by doubt and despair while journeying across the coasts of Morocco to Spanish refugee camps, from Swiss prisons to the streets of Italy, and then to the squats of Croix-Rousse in Lyon over the course of 10 years.
In the face of immense struggle, Obi's dream of being a musician sustained him. While the album spans the artist's personal experiences, he extends his reach through the songs to lift those who have lived in poverty and faced the existence of a migrant.
Stream the album on your platform of choice, and check out the haunting video for "Light 'n' Darkness" below.