serpentwithfeet is simply letting the pendulum swing nowadays. The Baltimore, Maryland-born singer-songwriter is taking the natural steps as a versatile talent from chapter to chapter in his career. This versatility comes alive thanks to influences that include Geoffrey Holder, Toni Morrison, Brandy, and Nina Simone; and his love of literature and theater that has resulted in songwriting credits for television shows and movies in addition to musical collaborations with the likes of Daniel Caesar, Bjork, and Ty Dolla $ign. serpent’s third album GRIP is the latest presentation of his wideranging artistic skills. GRIP finds its home on the dance floor of Black gay clubs and the intimate moments that happen there and afterward, no matter the location. For serpent, Black gay nightlife spaces “raised him a second time.” These clubs provided a different sense of welcoming that nurtured him in a new way exhibited on GRIP.
GRIP and the Black gay club share an interesting juxtaposition: the club is public; the dancefloor is obviously a place where people look at and watch one another. At the same time, the Black gay club is a safe community space, it is “for us”, and in that way is very private, very intimate. Throughout the project’s ten songs, which feature Ty Dolla $ign, Yanga YaYa, Mick Jenkins, and Orion Sun, serpentwithfeet wraps himself in midnight and indigo hues. From the project’s start to its end, moments of sweat, indulgence, and tension can be felt through upbeat high-energy records as well as songs that find their home in the steamy bedroom moments. The moments will later come alive on stage as GRIP will also soundtrack of serpent’s upcoming original dance theater production, Heart Of Brick. The work will “explore the loss of queer Black nightlife spaces and the stories that surround them.”
On his third album, serpent explores the intimate forms of physical touch and how they occur. Whether it be a grip around the waist or the face, serpentwithfeet managed to explore all angles thanks to the second lens he looked through:
“Going out while working on the album and seeing how people stood at the bar when ordering a drink, Are they on their phone trying to disappear from the scene? Are they flirting with the bartender? Are they writhing slowly to the music? What does it look like when a guy runs into his ex and that ex is with someone new? I’m curious about all of this.”
