director Joshua Kissi, something as moving as Black Is King isall a part of his mission as a visual storyteller. “For me, just to give more context to the stories that move me, is the aspect of having Black stories with depth and nuance.
I think right now we’re in a space where our story’s becoming ever so popular, ever so accessible in a lot of ways.” Kissi had the unique opportunity to expand that story, specifically as it pertains to the Black architecture of American Music, via his latest film effort For Love & Country.
Taking a deep dive into Country music, its history, and the Black musicians that make it today, in collaboration with Amazon Music, the film is a complicated love letter of sorts to a genre in which many don’t realize how heavy a hand Black people play. “Country music was something that I think had tension to it, as well as the relationship of the genre with the [Black] community, it’s something I felt needed a dialogue opened around it,” Kissi explained.
When approached about the project by Raymond Roker, head of Amazon Music, Kissi took what he called a “perfect opportunity” to tap into the subject matter on a major platform.
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