Black to the Future
by Sons of Kemet
  • Record Label: Impulse!
  • Release Date: May 14, 2021
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. SergioAllIndie
    May 22, 2021
    9
    Whereas Your Queen Is a Reptile is more contagious (comparisons can't be helped, but they're amicable rather than formulated for the sake of labeling), Black to the Future isn't any less dynamic or thrilling. Think of Home is joyful as hell, Hustle & For the Culture are the absolute showstoppers with their vocal features, that final section of Let the Circle Be Unbroken is just wicked, andWhereas Your Queen Is a Reptile is more contagious (comparisons can't be helped, but they're amicable rather than formulated for the sake of labeling), Black to the Future isn't any less dynamic or thrilling. Think of Home is joyful as hell, Hustle & For the Culture are the absolute showstoppers with their vocal features, that final section of Let the Circle Be Unbroken is just wicked, and Joshua Idehen's intro-&-outro spoken word contributions (for a consecutive time) are arresting and reflexive. Sons of Kemet/Shabaka Hutchings are up to something truly special, and I think Black to the Future is similar to their final warning; their craftsmanship and musical identity is one of the most captivating in any genre today. They might not be the first artist that's coming to people's minds when thinking about who's addressing this moment of black culture and culture in general, but in my opinion this humble, yet powerful, record is one of the most impressive works of the latest that have done so.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Under The Radar
    Nov 30, 2021
    75
    While it may not take over the world, it is a perfect record for this moment in time as an expression of collective weariness in the midst of an almost two-year and counting pandemic worldwide, the spectre of Brexit in the UK, and amidst the struggles of the civil rights movement in the U.S. to stop police brutality and mass incarceration.
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  2. The Wire
    Jun 29, 2021
    50
    A curious lack of urgency pervades. [Jun 2021, p.66]
  3. The Quietus
    Jun 4, 2021
    80
    The ground covered on Black to the Future is immense. The visceral passages really slash deep, the moments of unbridled energy are exhilarating, and the meditative moments reach crescendos of total beauty.
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