Butterfly Ali delivers some peaceful vibes on “Pray For ‘Em” [Video]

LA-based singer and actor Butterfly Ali has now returned to share the retro-inspired video for his groove-filled jam "Pray For 'Em." The single is a follow up to his Velly-produced single "5 Minutes," and sees Ali working with the renowned producer Sam Barsh (Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Anderson .Paak, Aloe Blacc), who laces him with soaking wet funky textures and grooves.

PREVIEW TO THE VIDEO HERE: <a href="https://vimeo.com/462068602/9d3b2b9b30?width=1080" data-rel="lightbox-video-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://vimeo.com/462068602/9d3b2b9b30</a> Following on from the huge success of his Velly-produced single ‘5 Minutes’, which was premiered by Wonderland before being hailed as ‘Track Of The Day’ on Clash Magazine, Butterfly Ali has now returned to share his next groove-filled jam ‘Pray For ‘Em’. Produced by the renowned Sam Barsh (Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Anderson .Paak, Aloe Blacc), ‘Pray For ‘Em’ sees the artist continue his fresh and breezy aesthetic on this bright and powerful new release. With its stunning new video directed by Austin Hughes and channelling more of those classic funk and soul-enriched vibes, his newest gem is intended as a symbol of peace and tranquility in his own non-racial paradise. Speaking about the new single, he said, "Pray For ‘Em came about from the racial climate we have always been in & have recently seen a heavy resurgence of. I couldn’t quite figure out the right way to speak my thoughts on the topic, so I put my thoughts into this song. The song is truly just my inner voice & internal monologue seeing all that is going on around me, experiencing it, and also having faith and hope for progression. Loved being able to couple such a heavy message with a fantastic producer and musician Sam Barsh. He really understands strong storytelling through instrumentation, while honoring my soul/funk stylings. Coupling our worlds really brought a relatability sonically to the song." While adding about its accompanying video, "With this music video I wanted to take all of the inner thoughts I’ve been having during this climate and resurgence of many already in place systemic racial issues, and paint the aspiring picture of a peaceful, beautiful, non racist, world. It was such a blessing being able to feature my family in this music video. These visuals of my family represent the unity, love, & support that we as people are capable of having for one another. The female dancer represents the beauty, peace, and serenity that sometimes comes before the storm of agony, fear, and fight. All of these expressions are the internal colors of each and every one of us, which proves that we are all alike no matter the color of our skin. I need to judge someone for looking, speaking, or believing differently than you will get us nowhere. The director and editor, Austin Hughes, really brought an extremely beautiful aesthetic and eye to the visual. Having different temperatures and color represent different moods and expressions. Really assisting in bringing a sense of calmness and power to the visuals." Having already made a name for himself as a renowned actor after appearing in recurring roles for hit TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars, The Rookie and Glee, vocalist and songwriter Titus Makin aka Butterfly Ali has also been making a huge impression on the music scene of late with his previously shared singles ‘Rose’ , ‘Righteous’ and most recently ‘5 Minutes’.   Graduating from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, Titus relocated to Los Angeles to pursue his acting and musical career on a professional level. Titus has worked with multiple music and acting industry professionals due to his time on Fox's hit show Glee and tour engagements related to Glee: Live. The frontman has also starred in CW's Star-Crossed and hit shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Grey's Anatomy, Hulu's The Path, among others, and is currently playing the character Jackson West on ABC's The Rookie. As an artist, Butterfly Ali (Titus) cites Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Pharrell Williams, Cee Lo Green, PJ Morton and Leon Bridges as some of his musical inspirations. His sound has been described as mainstream soul, coupled with funk and pop undertones and has written with and been produced by some of the industry's top producers including New Beat Fund, Jake Scott, Aaron Kellim and David Hodges (Evanescence, Christina Perri, Kelly Clarkson). Raised in a military household of all jazz, funk, soul and blues music, it is Butterfly Ali's goal to keep the oldies alive and relevant. There's no doubt that he is a rising, multi-skilled artist to watch closely in 2020.   Watch the video here – <a href="https://youtu.be/5kTsvN-UF4w" data-rel="lightbox-video-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">youtu.be/5kTsvN-UF4w</a> Listen to the track here – <a href="https://ffm.to/butterflyali-prayforem" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ffm.to/butterflyali-prayforem</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6cAJuI8D9Ow0oCmjFUSki2?si=QKf3XupFScSeBx1af5AQwA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">open.spotify.com/track/6cAJuI8D9Ow0oCmjFUSki2?si=QKf3XupFScSeBx1af5AQwA</a>       Connect with Butterfly Ali: Soundcloud | <a href="https://twitter.com/titusmakin?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/titusmakin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://mebutterflyali/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TikTok</a>

At first, listen, you may just be enthralled by the lush backdrops and Ali's commanding melodic performance but peering deeper the song is as profound as they come. Ali takes inspiration from the current racial climate in the states and finds an outlet to convey his thoughts with lines like "I gotta pray pray pray, the people think it's failing/ somebody trying to take my pocket too/ just look at what is given/ You wasn't ready for it, tell 'em." Throughout the song, he hopes for peace and tranquility amidst the chaos but leaps with blind faith in humanity.

The video directed by Austin Hughes channels the classic funk theme of the song and peppers it with a colorful, vintage aesthetic and expressive motifs that play throughout the visual. Ali plays a peace-loving guru who meditates in a praying mantis pose. The set pieces here range from 70s blaxploitation-esque scenes to dream-like sequences amongst others. Themes like unity, love, and support are personified by the scene of Ali's entire family dressed in white regalias while the expressive choreography represents beauty, peace, and serenity. The entire visual is quite engaging with its varied hues and moods used to represent different emotions.

For those that might recognize him, Butterfly Ali had recurring roles on TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Glee, and CW's Star-Crossed. He is currently playing the character Jackson West on ABC's The Rookie.

Get it on SoundCloud.

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