(February 14, 2022) The richness and beauty of Black woman and men cannot be stated enough. That is even more important when the expression Black love and pride run the risk of being silenced in many parts of our country. That is why the song “Mahogany” and the accompanying video hit at exactly the right time. Sha’Leah Nikole, the Los Angeles based singer and songwriter who wrote “Mahogany,” said sees the song and video as vehicles to express her appreciation for the culture that formed her.
“Mahogany” is a song that finds Sha’Leah Nikole extolling the beauty of Blackness in all of its many hues. This comes through in the video which finds the singer standing with women and men of various skin tones, including her mother and grandmother. Both the song and the video are Nikole’s reminder of the resiliency that Black people have displayed throughout our 400 plus year journey in this country. However, it is also a call to resist colorism because it is impossible to see the men and women featured on the video and not see their humanity.
Check out the song and accompanying video for Sha’Leah Nikole’s “Mahogany” here, and stay tuned for her sophomore EP Work of heART to be released later this year.
By Howard Dukes
Sha’Leah Nikole – “Mahogany”