New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Internationally acclaimed artist and activist Khalil Ismail announced the release of his new song "20/20", a time capsule to commemorate the historic events of the last year.
In "20/20", Khalil illustrates the course objectives of personal storytelling by telling the story of one of his partners at Keys Empowers, Abdul Salaam, who was a victim of police brutality and who suffered injuries from officers who assaulted him in the same way that
George Floyd was killed. Though Salaam survived, tragedy ensued again only two weeks later when Tyrone West was killed by the same officers who assaulted Salaam. In the song, Khalil highlights the international outrage at the murder of Floyd as a possible turning point in the recognition that systems much change for black people in the United States beyond the optics. The song also touches on relationships and loss around the stress caused by the pandemic. Khalil pulls from the pain he endured after contracting the COVID19 virus and having to isolate and Quarantine for 21 days.
The song lyrics and music video for "20/20" is an example of the type of finished project that Khalil will be guiding students to create in the course, Art & Soul: Healing Through
Music & Storytelling. As an instructor, Khalil provides practical direction as students produce media about their own lives and the reality of their personal experiences with issues that affect them most.
"20/20" is the first single to be released from Khalil's upcoming March 12th album release.
"I think that we can better learn from our history and lift up as a people when we articulate the reality of our own stories and especially when we use our artistic talents and gifts to do so," said Khalil. "With 20/20, I made a musical time capsule for people to remember this year by so that we can reflect and have meaningful conversation about it going forward."
He continued, "And in honor of
Black History Month, I'm excited be partnering with Keys Empowers to bring the Art & Soul course programming to the rest of the world. It's the beginning of our vision to usher in a new era of mindfulness, self-awareness and healing using self-created and biographical songs, or other media in whatever genre you enjoy most. We're showing people exactly how they can also create their own music time capsules, videos, and other finished pieces that speak to their personal experience."
Sign up for the course waiting list here to be the first to be notified of new programming availability from the Art & Soul program.
To book Khalil Ismail for interviews, speaking engagements, or high quality presentations and performances virtually or physically, visit kiliving.com
Khalil is a multifaceted creator with accomplishments as an author, filmmaker, and vocalist. He has performed in 10 countries and his music has been featured on major media such as the NBA, Discovery Channel, CBS sports, Fox Promos and more. Having produced 6 conscious rap-style albums, a short movie, and books on Amazon, Khalil's artistic activism has made him a leading voice and lecturer at major universities such as Princeton, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, University of Baltimore and more. He uses motivational speaking, music, and art to bridge social and race-related gaps.
