Rapper studied Indianapolis neighborhoods to make ‘Deep Currents’ EP

Seaux Chill, otherwise known as Nabil Ince, is readying videos to accompany the five songs of “Deep Currents.” (Lionel Mukendi photo)

“Deep Currents” could be described as the ultimate research project for a musician.

It’s a five-song EP made by rapper Seaux Chill, otherwise known as Nabil Ince, after he was awarded a grant from the Joyce Foundation in June 2022.

The songs tell a collective story about people who primarily live in the Indianapolis neighborhoods of Riverside and Martindale-Brightwood. Ince interviewed multiple generations of Black residents to learn about perseverance through difficult times and gratitude during good times.

“They’re honest about the rougher times that happened, but they also celebrate the joy that comes with being part of a community and your people,” he said after an advance listening session of “Deep Currents” at Broad Ripple studio Round Table Recording Company.

Martindale-Brightwood is a neighborhood bounded on the north by 30th Street, on the east by Sherman Drive, on the south by 21st Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and on the west by railroad tracks. The Riverside neighborhood is bounded by 30th Street on the north, Fall Creek to the south, the Indiana Central Canal to the east, and the White River to the west.

Ince didn’t grow up in Indianapolis and he doesn’t live here, but the Maryland native has made frequent visits to the city since an initial college internship at the Harrison Center for the Arts. Ince, a 2018 graduate of Covenant College in Georgia, and the Harrison Center applied for the $75,000 Joyce Award.

The Chicago-based Joyce Foundation distributed five awards in 2022 to honor collaborations between artists of color and arts and community organizations in the Great Lakes region.

Videos to accompany the five songs of “Deep Currents” are being prepared for an August release, Ince said. Beyond the videos being posted online, Ince said, plans are in the works for a viewing party at an Indianapolis movie theater.

Ince refers to the five songs as movements in a 25-minute work. The titles are “Question,” “Identity,” “Resilient,” “Rememory” and “Benediction.” He wrote the lyrics, produced the tracks and played all instruments on the recording that features a gospel sonic texture in more than one segment.

Lead vocals were recorded at Round Table, and Ince recorded the rest of the project at a Harrison Center studio known as the Sound Cave.

“Question” opens “Deep Currents” with a nod to elders and their “long road to liberation.”

“The heart behind a lot of the conversations I had with people was, ‘How are you doing this thing called life? Show me and tell me how you are getting free,’ ” Ince said.

“Identity” presents the idea, “You don’t know where you are until you know where you’re from.”

Ince was influenced by the history of Indiana Avenue, which runs from downtown northwest into the Riverside neighborhood. In the 1950s and 1960s, Black neighborhoods along on Indiana Avenue were dismantled through eminent domain efforts that translated in part into the building of IUPUI’s campus.

“It really makes sense why it’s so hard for us to connect—especially as Black people—with our identity,” Ince said. “So many things happened that actively worked against a smooth connection.”

The lyrics of “Resilient,” “Rememory” and “Benediction” are focused on overcoming challenges and preserving a legacy.

The Black community’s yesteryear heyday on Indiana Avenue is a topic Ince frequently encountered in conversations. There’s no consensus on what that history of a thriving business and cultural district means to the present day, he said.

“Some people say, ‘Let’s bring Indiana Avenue to the feeling of what it was before,’ ” Ince said. “On the other side of the spectrum, people say, ‘No, we have to move on and do cool new stuff.’ In the music, I try to honor and respect both. I appreciate the history but I also love what new generations are doing and where they’re taking things.”