A multi-generational, gender, and genre non-conforming amalgam of Black Culture, Mourning [A] BLKstar is dedicated to sharing the stories and songs of America’s ongoing apocalypse. Their music deploys hip hop production techniques and live instrumentation to create sound worlds that resonate with the pathways and frequencies that have sustained the African Diaspora. Founded in Cleveland, OH, M[A]B has brought their powerful sound to stages around the US and Europe, including Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Le Guess Who? in the Netherlands, and choreographic collaborations with Company Christoph Winkler in Berlin.

Fatboi Sharif doesn’t come to a performance with the conventional approach the normal rapper does, he treats the audience with a spiritual experience where Sharif and the crowd, through chaos and tenderness, join as one. Raised with the bar being Nine Inch Nails, Bad Brains, Parliament Funkadelic, Ozzy Osbourne, and Sun Ra (just to name a few) it’s impossible for Fatboi to ever give less than his blood, sweat, and tears on stage. Chonkyfire mixed with Rock n’Roll is the name of his game. The production that blares through the venue speakers are carefully curated by Sharif sleeping to the sounds on repeat. Looping the instrumental until it turns into a séance for him. He’ll dream and see certain visions, colors, and shapes that create an image on top of the production canvas. That’s when he knows we’re ready to hear them.

From the hood to the woods and everywhere in between, Smith Taylor’s music reflects his personal exposure to an array of ever changing environments. His potent guitar playing recalls the deep roots of blues and jazz in both tone and technique while intertwining a soulful feel with post punk inspired melodies. The addition of Taylor’s soothing, percussive vocals and hypnotizing lead lines and rhythms, create a truly entrancing sound from this Cleveland born artist.