The Blackest Joy is the title of the third album by rapper, singer, songwriter and poet Akua Naru. Work on this album began while Akua was traveling the African continent. It should be understood as a passionate call for joy as a political movement. "...Joy means strength for people at war..." Collaborating with a variety of artists and musicians has allowed Akua Naru to bring together different cultures, languages and experiences in this work, creating her best album to date. "It was important to invite other people to help tell my story. I wanted to hear other languages and some of my closest friends spoke Sesotho and Swahili and that was very meaningful to me. As someone who describes herself as Pan-African, it's important to me to incorporate that into my work." Both Mulatu Astatke, the founder of Ethio-Jazz, and Uganda's eco-artist and vocal powerhouse Sandra Suubi are featured on this album. As is the four-time Grammy Awardnominated artist Eric Benét, who can be heard on the song "Made It". The exquisite visuals that accompany this project - from the album artwork by NigerianCanadian artist Oluseye to the fascinating music videos for "My Mother's Daughter" and "Made It" - prove that Akua Naru is one of the best representatives of modern black culture.
