I noticed that the title of the painting used as the album’s cover referenced the writer Chris Abani — are you a fan of his work?
That title comes from the artist Julie Mehretu. We actually used two of her paintings for the album art: the cover is a painting called Black City and the liner notes and LP sleeve use another painting called Highlife (or Graceland after C. Abani). Mehretu introduced me to Abani’s work, and I’ve come to agree with her that his GraceLand is a treasure. For me, Abani is part of a long list of inspiring contemporary African writers, including Dinaw Mengestu, Uzodinma Iweala, and Kodwo Eshun, whose work presents the complex issues of the continent, diaspora, and globalization in ways important and meaningful. (via Band Booking: Talking Collaborations, Tour Reading, and Chris Abani with Debo Band | Vol. 1 Brooklyn)