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GAIKA Announces Live Concept Celebrating Black Culture
Christian Eede , June 3rd, 2020 16:14

Nine Nights is an initiative from his The Spectacular Empire label that will raise funds for UK and US black-focused charities

GAIKA's The Spectacular Empire label and art collective has announced details of a new live-stream concept called Nine Nights.

Billed as a series of nine live streams, the project will raise funds for black-focused charities such as the Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation and the black-led Minnesota community organisation Black Visions Collective. GAIKA has launched Nine Nights alongside TSE label artist GLOR1A.

"There has not been a day in my life where I have not been forced to consider race," GAIKA says in a statement. "I'm tired and I'm angry. I can no longer performatively produce wealth for a structure that systematically subjugates and exploits my mind and body. Nine Nights is an attempt at exploring new modes of artistic empowerment that supports life and community directly with labour."

Nine Nights will launch tomorrow (June 4). UK and international artists will be involved, with the streams set to cover genres such as jazz, R&B, dancehall, grime, rap, and drill.

"Nine Nights will work on growing an ecosystem that pays its artists and supports black-focused charities both in the UK and overseas," a press release explains. "Viewers will be invited to make donations where all revenue will be split 50/ 50 between artists and production team, with the remaining half donated to black-focused charities in need."

For full details on Nine Nights, including the full line-up, head here. Read an open letter that TSE published yesterday (June 2) on systemic racism within the music industry here.