Oakland’s Kingmakers Music Presents the ‘Black Love’ Album

If you listen closely to certain albums, you can identify their central concept in one standout song or verse — or even one well-written set of bars.

On the title track from the compilation album Black Love, released by Oakland label Kingmakers Music, Oakland MC and producer Zo1 does just that. The album has a listening party in Oakland on Thursday, Oct. 17, with a broader public release on Friday, Oct. 18.

Over smooth melodies, cold claps and a bass line that deserves to be played in an Oldsmobile Delta 88 with slap in the back, Zo1 raps the names of community members — educators, activists and advisors — who’ve poured into the health and well-being of him and his peers. He ends his verse speaking about the collection of artists he’s grown up with, many of whom are featured on the Black Love album.

Comparing he and his peers’ maturation to that of a Jedi knight, Zo1 raps, “We was young padawans and now we senseis / Trying to give the youngins a layup so they can fillet.”

In a matter of a few words, Zo1 conveys how far he and the young artists in his circle have come, and how they’re now prepared to assist the next generation in cooking up something special.

A product of the Oakland youth performance group Young, Gifted and Black (YGB), 24-year-old Zo1 has rocked stages for over a decade. As the driving force behind this project, Zo1 brought together other YGB alums and artistic colleagues they grew up with to create the 16-track project.

Artists involved in the album include Amen Auset, Basi, Ajai Kasim and SinQ, as well as Kev Choice and Afterthought. Produced by Zoran Beats, the project also features 42k Lil, A M A R I, and N’Cole. Oakland’s Jwalt, whose track dedicated to self-empowerment, “Love Myself,” has been making its rounds since it debuted earlier this summer, is also on the album. And Bay Area-based vocalist Jada Imani, who’s worked tirelessly to spread the story of the late Zoe Reidy Watts, who was killed in an alleged domestic violence incident in March of this year, is featured as well.

A feature that speaks to the spirit of the album as a whole comes from veteran MC Spear of the Nation, also known as Baba Sizwe.

“When that beat came on,” says Zo1, “I was like, ‘This is real hip-hop,’ and I know Baba Sizwe comes with the bars every single time.” So Zo1, who served as the A&R for this project, saw it fit that Baba Sizwe would be featured on the track, ultimately titled “Ubuntu.”

“That’s a value that he instilled into a lot of us,” says Zo1, referring to Ubuntu, a principle that originates from southern Africa, meaning, “I am because we are. We are because I am. May the circle be unbroken.”

“He’s been saying that for ages and ages,” says Zo1.

Throughout the project there’s deep mobb music-like bass lines, flowing melodies and high lyrical content, all quilted together with excerpts of conversations with community pillars discussing the concept of love.

On the intro to the song “Step By Step,” Hodari Davis says, “I think that Black love is hard.” A renowned educator and founding member of Life Is Living, Davis continues: “We suffer from internalized racism, so it’s hard for us to love ourselves. We struggle with interpersonal racism, and genderism, and sexism, so it’s hard to love each other.”

On a later track titled “Love Noir,” devout music educator and acclaimed musician Cava Menzies says, “Love is my favorite subject. To be in the presence of love is to be in the presence of God.” As she continues the poetic monologue, she reminds the listener that “love has no agenda, it seeks only itself. It overcomes all obstacles and transforms time and space.”

Zo1 says he himself realized a few things about love while making this project.

“I learned that that love comes with grace,” he says during a recent phone call. “Love comes with patience and with practice,” adding that without “tough love” some things just aren’t possible.

In working with so many artists, Zo1 also learned that conflicting concepts and incongruous input can make the process take a little longer — and can even lead to re-recording songs.

Some studio sessions were held in a garden in East Oakland; others in an Airbnb in Los Angeles. Still others were done in Zo1’s bedroom. It took a while, says Zo1, but it was done on the strength of love.

“Love really fueled us to get this done in the right way,” says Zo1. “Love is definitely a process. To love something, it takes a minute. But it’s all worth it because of that love, you know?”

A project dedicated to Black love, fueled by Black love; may the circle be unbroken.

‘Black Love’ presented by Kingmakers Music will be released on Friday, Oct. 18, with a prerelease listening party on Thursday, Oct. 17 at Koo Labs in Oakland. Details here.