“A Tale of Two Kings” is a collaboration project by American visual artist, Chris King and Nigerian photographer/hip-hop artist, Oba Moyosade. Early in the collaborative process, the two spent time meeting virtually to discuss their life experiences and shared interests, eager to find a starting point for their work. During the initial conversation, King learned that the name Oba also means "King" in Yoruba, the language of Oba’s Nigerian tribe, so in a way both artists share the same name. The “King” theme serving as a catalyst for their project. Through the early months, the artists met virtually, sharing music and artistic influences, developing the audio tracks first. While Oba wrote lyrics, they recruited musical help from Nigerian Producers, Black Agbada and Majiria Ayoma. As the music evolved in Nigeria, King directed the conversation toward possible visual aspects of the project in his studio in Louisiana. King explains, "Early on, it was unclear exactly what we wanted to create. As we learned about each other’s many talents and dedication to the project, our first goal was to explore shared interests, various multi-media possibilities, and ideas for ways of working virtually while elevating each other's portfolios."

The pair continued to exchange music, digital media, and many artistic possibilities related to their project. Over a short time they discovered common themes in their work and that they shared goals as artists, including a passion for storytelling and the belief that art and music can bring about social change.

Grow & Burn

Oba explains, “One of the things that connects Chris and I and birthed our collaboration is our love for hip-hop and the shared meaning of our names ‘King’ and that's what inspired the audio aspect of our project. We decided that using the perspective of a ‘King” to tell personal, relevant stories in the music as well as the visual elements we’d create for the show. Through the progression of the lyrics and production, this inspired some introspection and resulted in the producers and I creating two tracks, ‘Burn’ and ‘Grow’. The music activates the gallery space with traditional and electronic sounds and texture, transporting viewers on an explosive lyrical journey through the visual components of our work.”

Grow
“Grow” depicts the point of view of a King on a journey where he is faced with the harsh reality of the world and is forced to evolve after having his values and beliefs repeatedly tested. The story begins as the King finds himself falling into the patterns of those who came before him which he had initially condemned. This forces him to question everything, reaffirm his priorities and begin the endless journey of growth and evolution. Oba adds, “The Producer, Black Agbada begins the track with a chant about Ibadan in Oyo State Nigeria, which connects to my maternal roots and sets a great backdrop for our story to begin.”

This track was produced by Black Agbada and engineered by House of Heka.

Burn
In this version of events, “Burn” takes the King character on an alternate route, resulting in a less optimistic conclusion. This time, the King gives into his cynicism, loses faith, and falls prey to temptations.  The lyrics start with an emotional statement about how tough the journey has been, and the weight of the lofty expectations placed on the King by himself and his loved ones. Upon reaching a breaking point, a metamorphous takes place, and the audio track switches up a bit, pointing in a new direction. Now, fueled by disappointment and frustration, the King gives into his temptations, embracing a life of crime and violence, emerging as an evil villain, determined to burn and destroy everything in his path to satisfy his uncontrollable hunger to conquer all.

This track was produced by Majiri Ayoma, Mixed by BigFoot, and Mastered by House of Heka.

As Oba crafted lyrics in Nigeria, King was in his Louisiana studio developing a visual language to support their discoveries. King explains, “A lot of my work has DIY or home improvement qualities, redefining materials that I’m using in other aspects of my life. A shotgun, plywood, and basic electronics for example are all meant to serve a certain purpose, but take on new meaning when they’re used as part of my art vocabulary.” Inspired by the musical aspect of the project, King started with a 12" circle, like that of a record album, as a binding shape in their first pieces. "Grow" and "Burn" are a pair of 19”x 34” musical shadow boxes, displaying a photo by Oba juxtaposed with a wooden shotgun target mounted on a mirror created by King. Each box contains electronic components viewable down the center of the box, creating a crude speaker system that plays the "Grow" and “Burn” audio when a motion detector is triggered by the viewer. King took design inspiration from the way gold records are often displayed on the wall. The exposed wiring is intentional for aesthetic reasons and also to symbolize the artists dependency on technology to keep them connected throughout their long-distant collaboration.

The “Burn” photo depicts the King wearing a crown of money on his head while writhing in agony. His pain is a result of his own actions, destroying lives and burning everything in his path to becoming King. His crown that once symbolized power and success, now reflects the suffering of an evil King in a world gone mad with corruption and greed.

Oba’s photograph in, “Grow” depicts the King as an infant descending down a flight of stairs from the heavens, leaving the comfort and safety of the divine to face the hardship and turmoil of the earth realm, which would inadvertently trigger growth, for the King who cannot remain a baby forever.