Braxton Cook Shares New Video; Launches ‘Protect Black Women At All Costs’ Fundraiser for Reproductive Freedom
May 19, 2023 BY Jason Currell
Today, Emmy Award-winning, Julliard-trained jazz-R&B artist Braxton Cook shares a poignant new music video for his song “MB (For Ma’Khia Bryant).” The lead track from his latest full-length Who Are You When No One Is Watching? was written in memoriam for the 16-year-old high schooler who was murdered by police on April 20th, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
“I composed MB to bring awareness to Ma’Khia Bryant’s story and to highlight the social and racial injustices in our society. Now two years after her death, it’s important to me to continue to bring awareness to her story in the hopes that it will help to bring an end to the police brutality and racism in this country and all over the world.”
Furthermore, Braxton Cook announces a pre-order for his new t-shirt bearing the slogan, “PROTECT BLACK WOMEN AT ALL COSTS.” The shirt is available for purchase now at https://braxton-cook-mb-fund.creator-spring.com/listing/braxton-cook-mb-fund. All proceeds from the t-shirt pre-order will be donated to the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund. The MRFF is comprised of a dedicated group of Mississippians who believe in access to full reproductive health care that includes abortion as a human right and an essential part of reproductive justice. Part of their mission is offering financial assistance and practical support to persons seeking abortion as well as free emergency contraception, community based comprehensive sex education, and fighting for reproductive justice in the state.
WATCH & SHARE “MB (FOR MA’KHIA BRYANT)” OFFICIAL VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/k0hLoJT3Dzc
Pre-order Braxton Cook’s PROTECT BLACK WOMEN AT ALL COSTS T-Shirt Here:
https://braxton-cook-mb-fund.creator-spring.com/listing/braxton-cook-mb-fund
BRAXTON COOK
WHO ARE YOU WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING?
OUT NOW
LISTEN HERE
Track List:
1. MB (for Ma’Khia Bryant)
2. Statistics
3. The Work (Journal Entry 1)
4. 90s (featuring Masego)
5. Indie
6. Faith (Journal Entry 2)
7. Gold
8. The Same (featuring Marquis Hill)
9. Meters
10. Trust (Journal Entry 3)
11. Let Go
12. August’s Interlude
13. Black Mona Lisa
14. The Answer (featuring Orlando Watson)
15. Parenthood (Journal Entry 4)
16. Serene
17. Epilogue
ABOUT BRAXTON COOK:
Braxton Cook’s acumen as a saxophonist is legend and frequently elicits descriptors such as “virtuoso” and “prodigy” (see: The New Yorker, Jazz Times, FADER). He’s played with Rihanna, toured with Solange Knowles, performed for Quincy Jones. He is a Juilliard graduate (from an already overachieving family: Mom was a classical pianist, dad a Georgetown professor) and even an Emmy winner (for a John Coltrane mini-doc, produced by Vox). In the time since his acclaimed 2020 release, Fire Sign, Braxton has been busy releasing new material, touring around the U.S., and expanding his sonic palette working on collaborations with producer Jahaan Sweet (production credit on Taylor Swift’s “Lavender Haze” and Giveon’s “Tryina Be”) and contemporaries like Kiefer and Masego. Who Are You When No One Is Watching? marks his second release with Nettwerk after sharing the striking new EP Black Mona Lisa in September. The boundary-pushing release includes standouts singles like “MB (for Ma’Khia Bryant)” and “90s” featuring Masego, which have received positive acclaim from Billboard, NPR Music, PAPER, OkayPlayer, Jazziz Magazine, and more. At face value, Braxton Cook is an undisputed jazz wunderkind. But with Who Are You When No One Is Watching? it’s clear that Cook — who mingles the genres that comprise the canon of Black American music — is also very much a chronicler and shaper of modern culture.
