With the permission of the family, loved ones will hold a #LeapForMoya Unity Concert this Fri. Feb. 16 at the Purple Buffalo to celebrate the life of Black Lives Matter Charleston’s Muhiyidin “Moya” d’Baha, who was shot and killed in New Orleans last week.
Halo hopes the unity concert — a concept he’s executed in the past in collaboration with d’Baha — will be a recurring event.
“I’d like to let the unity concert be something that can happen every few months with a stream of people who have not just art but intentions for their art and creativity,” he says.
Performers include hip-hop poet Buddy Bambahda, jazz poet Shelby Levine, hip-hop artist Quis KingSoul, ambient R&B artist Oro, psych-rock band Psylo Joe, and Americana troupe Mike Martin & the Beautiful Mess, who also collaborated/organized with d’Baha. A tribe from the mountains of Boone, where d’Baha was known to retreat for meditation, will also attend.
Halo says he was introduced to d’Baha, a percussionist, in 2015 at a King Dusko event. It was shortly after the massacre of the Emanuel Nine. Halo remembers, “I stepped outside with a beer in my hand, and here comes this dude dressed in fabrics, with a bongo, and no shoes. He said he was looking for somewhere to share his sound, and I said, ‘Here’s where the vibration is; you’re welcome here.'”
The two became quick friends and co-organizers, with Halo teaching d’Baha, a New York native, about the Lowcountry’s Gullah culture. With a family background rich in religion, Halo says he’s “welcoming to people who want to embrace a bigger cause.” That’s what he and d’Baha were accomplishing together, and they often used music to amplify their voices.
“To lose Moya I knew I’d lost part of my sound,” he says. “Moya is like that instrument I can’t play anymore.”
Unity Concert: #LeapForMoya starts at 8 p.m. Cover is $5, and door proceeds will be used to memorialize d’Baha. The family of d’Baha will be in attendance, so Halo encourages guests to bring positive memories and/or gifts.
Halo says “People grieve in different ways, and this is a place where those people can come and express themselves.”
To RSVP, go here.
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