Michael Kiwanuka has shared the video for Hero, the latest single from his forthcoming albumKIWANUKA, out November 1st.
The song and visual, directed by CC Wade, both pay homage to leaders and important figures of the Civil Rights movement in America, particularly the Black Panthers and Black Power movement. References to Fred Hampton, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, JFK, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Tupac and more crop up in the clip.
The plot is also loosely based around Cointelpro, the covert FBI program throughout the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies that suppressed organizations and public figures suspected of being involved in or supporting anti-establishment political activity.
Hero is a song about how the gems of this world always seem to die young, and how those who are oppressed often seem to have the most to offer us, Kiwanuka said in a statement.
Kiwanuka previously released the single You Aint the Problem, and performed a string of shows in New York City and California this past September. He has announced that he will embark on a 2020 North American tour in support of the album, kicking off January 22nd in San Diego with stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto and more, ending February 15th in Atlanta. Tickets are on sale now.