JUNETEENTH: ASSATA DROPS
BL Shirelle, Deputy Director and lead artist to release debut LP ASSATA TROI on Die Jim Crow Records 6/19/20, the historic date of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. In 1865, this was the day of the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas and the beginning of emancipation throughout the South.
Drawn from her personal experience growing up in 1990s uptown Philadelphia during the crack epidemic, BL Shirelle’s music is filled with raw energy, poetic lyricism and addictive beats.
The album hits hard with the enchanting and sexy R&B intro "U Only Tell Me," then jumps right into BL's signature sound with “SIGS." A confessional anthem, the artist describes the track as “a very introspective reflection of my past, a blend of vulnerability and justification, beauty and rage.”
On the inspiration behind rock n’ roll banger track “Conspiracy”, Shirelle explains, “In my state of Pennsylvania, the charge of conspiracy holds the same amount as the actual charge of the crime. I've witnessed so many young people place themselves in the wrong situation and end up paying with the rest of their lives.”
ASSATA TROI is an album about owning our past pain and turning it into power. It is about family and love, addiction and triumph. A sonic exploration of Hip Hop, Rock, Blues, and R&B, with incredible lyricism coupled with complex, instrumentation. This is a timelessly iconic album for today’s America.
In the words of Shirelle, “It's about the painful, yet beautiful journey from ignorance to enlightenment and the trauma you encounter trying to reach that destination. It exposes intimacies of relationships through sound. Relationships with lovers, friends, society, God and ultimately one’s self.”
ASSATA TROI translated is, “she who struggles is a warrior.”
Through her music and identity as an LGBTQ woman of color, BL Shirelle shares her youth and all the complicated life curves that led her to today, her experiences in prison, her musical journey and her unstoppable social activism. Shirelle currently travels the country speaking to college classes about her experiences, and is working with artists still in prison to produce and share their music on high-quality platforms with Die Jim Crow Records.
BL Shirelle has been featured in RollingStone, PBS/WHYY, The Indypendent, Flowertown, Ms. Magazine, Bushwick Daily and aestheticsforbirds.com. She has been a guest speaker at Augustana University, Stockton University, Goucher University, and Susquehanna University. Tour dates for this album have been pushed due to COVID-19 until further notice.
