When it comes to the past 15 years of leftfield music, the Alabama-born, Virginia-raised multidisciplinary artist and musician Chino Amobi has one of the more singular narratives in the game. There’s the Nigerian-American artist's output in the early 2010s under the Diamond Black Hearted Boy moniker. There’s his formation of the influential collective NON Worldwide, which represented for radical art and music made by members of the African diaspora and staged performances and actions at nightclubs, museums, and theaters. Amobi has been consistently setting conversations around underground music and how it connects and detaches from the world of contemporary art.
Now based in Houston, Amobi’s new record, Erotica II: Christian Nilism, is informed by the time he has spent in the city, both musically and conceptually. It’s a sprawling body of work that touches on both timeless Texas rap and religious music modalities. There are plenty of contemporary production ideas and no shortage of curveballs. Amobi seems to be comfortable with forward momentum; Erotica II: Christian Nilism is the sound of an artist continuing to push. We recently asked him about his long, legendary life in music. Read the piece and listen to the new record, which is out now on the great Drowned By Locals, below.
