Chicago Native Receives Grammy Nomination

Matt B has received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Album for Alkebulan II. Photo by Oscar Veliz.
Matt B has received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Album for Alkebulan II. Photo by Oscar Veliz.

Chicago Native Receives Grammy Nomination

By Tia Carol Jones

Matt B released Alkebulan II in August of this year. The album, which features the Royal Philharmonic has received a Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Album category. This is the second Grammy nomination for the singer, songwriter and producer, who was nominated in 2023 for Best Global Music Performance for “Gimme Love,” a song that he collaborated with Ugandan star Eddy Kenzo on.

Matt B said Alkebulan II is a continuation of his album Alkebulan I, which was released in 2023, where he was figuring out his ancestral roots and ancestral lineage through music. He described Alkebulan II as the evolution, bringing things to the next level, navigating the information he found and trying to make sense of it all.

“The album is very much rooted in hope, it’s conversations I had with myself and trying to answer that age old question of why. Why is this happening, why are things going the way they are, why am I feeling the way I feel and then trying to pursue that in the best way I know how,” he said.

Matt B has been to Africa several times, visiting Uganda, South Africa and Namibia. Travelling to those countries, breathing the air and experiencing the culture, catching the vibe helped with his creativity that is showcased on the album. He said words can’t describe how it feels when a person touches down in Africa for the first time. He said it is almost like a spiritual awakening.

For the album, Matt B enlisted his wife Angela V. Benson, Grammy award winning composer Kitt Wakeley, Grammy award winning artist M.B. Gordy, Grammy award winning composer Brent Fischer, Grammy award winning composer Jeff Fair and Starr Parodi, as well as "B.I.T" and "Bash Killa" on the African side. Matt B said he brought in the African producers to ensure cultural accuracy and to bring in the correct African vibes to the project. Songwriters also helped co-write a lot of the music include: Matte “Tarley” Shahidu, Niwanyanya “Zigi" Johnbosco, Kagembe “Rulz” Rajab, and Buguma “Ghost” Mark. On the album, Matt B sings in Bantu, Zulu, Igbo and several other African languages.

The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He said to be in the energy and presence at Abbey Road was a fulfilling opportunity, it was something he always wanted to do as a child. To have it happen, he couldn’t describe it in words.

“I’ve never used an 80-piece orchestra before. I had used a small ensemble for my other project, but I only did it for one song. I knew for this particular album, I wanted to put it across the entire body of work,” he said.

Matt B said it feels surreal to be nominated for a Grammy for the second time.   He said being nominated is not something that is guaranteed, even when you put in the work and try to bring your art to the next level. He said he’s not only putting out music for his fans, but he’s also doing it for growth and there is a hope that the Academy and the voting body will recognize the effort he put in.

Matt B said he hopes people who listen to his music and the new album connect to the music and that it is thought-provoking and something that they want to put on repeat, while dissecting all of the different elements and layers that are in the music, from the vocals to the African influences, to the Western influences with the orchestral elements.

“If I’m thinking about Black people, if I’m thinking about people from the Diaspora, I’m hoping it will inspire them and motivate them to want to find out more about who they are and where they come from,” he said. He added the album is an homage to his people and where he came from and who he is.

Matt B also wants people who listen to the album to understand that it is an album about hope, perseverance and searching for something more. He wants everyone to know the album is for himself, the African Diaspora, African Americans, Africans and for Chicago.

For more information about Matt B, visit mattbworld.com, or follow him on Instagram @mattbworld. Alkebulan II is available on Apple Music, Tidal and Spotify.


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