Mustafa shares new single and music video, 'Air Forces' | NME

Toronto artist Mustafa has shared his second official single, ‘Air Forces’, co-produced by Jamie xx and Frank Dukes. The song also launched alongside an accompanying music video directed by Kid. Studio.

Per a press release, the track is built around samples of a Sudanese tribal chant while “existing within the framework of contemporary Western music”, a genre which Mustafa describes as “inner city folk music”. The notion is reflected within the music video, which reflects an intersection between two cultures.

Watch the visual for ‘Air Forces’ below:

‘Air Forces’ follows Mustafa’s debut single, ‘Stay Alive’, which was released earlier in March this year.

In June, Mustafa joined forces with James Blake on ‘Come Back’, a song dedicated to the memory of Smoke Dawg. The rapper was shot dead in Toronto on June 30, 2018.

Speaking of the collaboration, Mustafa wrote: “Perpetually grateful for James who helped free me of my own emotional burdens when I was young, to now helping me free these stories of those who’ve passed too young.

“Today marks two years without Smoke Dawg. I pray the people you lost come back to you in the form that heals you best, if not a memory, a dream, if not a dream, in their sibling’s eyes, if not that, then in the way you carry yourself.”

Mustafa, who also performs under the alias of Mustafa the Poet, first gained worldwide traction for his short film, Remember Me, Toronto. The film touched upon the issue of gun violence in the Canadian city and featured a host of artists including Drake, Baka Not Nice, Gilla and more.