“Mamba! Remember the Black Mamba” is Guyanese singer, Courtney Noel’s latest release. The song and video, a tribute to the late basketball star, Kobe Bryant, details the life of a legend who made his mark on the world.
‘The Black Mamba’ was a name Bryant had given himself.
Initially the song was set to be released for Bryant’s birthday on August 23, but owing to some issues, Courtney released it on his birthday, two weeks ago on September 13.
The single has since attracted over 2,000 reactions on social media and is slated for release on YouTube this week. The song was recorded at Jambox Studios in New York, owned by producer, Lee Evans.
“I feel like I could relate to Kobe on some level,” Courtney said. “Kobe was 6’6; I’m 5’6. I’m not a big basketball fan; Jordan is the legend from my era. [But] Kobe had an assassin mentality. It’s a do or die mentality. When you dig deep down inside, you bring that warrior spirit out; there is nothing that’s going to stop you. I understand that approach to life. When you’re in this game, whether sports or law, or whatever you do in life, you should be the best at it. Like me, Kobe was a Bruce Lee fan too.”
Courtney said that whenever he saw photos and videos of Kobe and his daughter Gigi together, he understands that bond as he loves his daughter dearly also. His daughter, he shared, plays basketball like her older brother, and would give him a run for his money. “I live my life for my kids,” he added.
For Courtney, what he has come to observe is that with time, more layaers of Bryant are revealed. He was seen as a “fresh, charismatic kid.” He believes he could have become the next Michael Jordan as he had everything going for him. If anything more than Jordan, Bryant was considered to have a warmer personality.
“The fact that Kobe died, then Chadwick Boseman, has really made me look at a different perspective of life. Then, the pandemic has forced many of us to slow down and stop living life recklessly,” said the singer/songwriter.
Meanwhile, he is already working on a new song. This one hits home harder as it is a tribute to Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh who were murdered recently. This song is titled “Tears Behind The Mask”. It will be co-produced by Courtney and Guyanese Owen Romeo, the owner of Tribal Legacy in Brooklyn, New York. This song is set to be released in two weeks’ time.
“I’d like to give the parents copies,” Courtney said. “The most thing I want for them is to have closure and know what happened to their sons. I pray that they have justice for these boys.”
