Music
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The Root Jams Weekly (6/19/2020): 'Juneteenth'
June 19, known as Juneteenth in the black community represents the day that the word about the end of slavery finally reached Galveston, Texas, which at the time was the furthest part of the United States. Today, we celebrate the holiday by sharing our favorite jams in the spirit of Juneteenth, freedom and blackness. “Juneteenth”…
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John Legend’s Bigger Love Wraps Black Joy, Nostaglia and More in a Pleasing Bow
John Legend’s latest musical offering Bigger Love couldn’t have come at a better time. The EGOT-winner’s 16-song album, which officially drops today, invokes the timelessness of his debut, 2004’s Get Lifted, with an updated flair fitting the vein of 2020’s versatile musical landscape. The 41-year-old says Bigger Love is a “celebration of love, joy, hope…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 19: Public Enemy, 'Fight The Power'
For a song that came out over 30 years ago, Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”—created for the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s 1989 classic film, Do The Right Thing—remains remarkably resonant even in 2020. We’re still at war with structural racism and all of the issues that existed at the time of the song’s creation are…
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Michelle Obama to Co-Host The Roots Picnic's Virtual Concert
The Roots Picnic, which was supposed to be held in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on June 3, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 13th annual celebration is going to be livestreamed via YouTube on June 27, and it will be co-hosted by none other than Michelle Obama. She and her nonpartisan organization When…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 18: Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett 'Don't Look Any Further'
This video is terrible. But it’s terrible so good. But it’s like really bad. Especially considering that this song and video came out in 1984. A year earlier—1983 for those less mathematically inclined individuals—saw the release of possibly the most iconic music video ever in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Think about that: a year prior, a…
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10 Thoughts on J. Cole's 'Snow On Tha Bluff'
On June 16, J. Cole released a song that lit up social media titled, “Snow On Tha Bluff,” named after the 2011 is-it-a-movie-or-is-it-a-documentary (?) of the same name that featured Atlanta’s finest, Curtis Snow, jacking a camera from some film school kids and recording the happenings of his Bankhead neighborhood called The Bluff. Here are…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 17: Queen Latifah, 'Ladies First'
Queen Latifah’s video for her single, “Ladies First,” has stayed with me since the first time I saw it, probably sometime in late 1989 or early 1990. The imagery in the song was so striking to me that even as a 10- or 11-year-old, I remember being mesmerized. The video clips, the way Queen Latifah…
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LL Cool J's "Rock The Bells" Expands Into a Web Destination Celebrating Hip-Hop's Trailblazers
LL Cool J’s longtime brand Rock The Bells is expanding itself as a website dedicated to celebrating the icons and trailblazers in hip-hop culture. The site will provide visitors and fans with “content, commerce and experiences” through a series of articles, podcasts, products and more. According to a press release for the site obtained by…
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Teyana Taylor Features Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill on The Album, Which Arrives on Juneteenth
Teyana Taylor’s third studio LP will arrive at the end of this week. With its straightforward title, The Album drops Juneteenth (June 19) and is expected to feature a slew of big names as musical guests. The native Harlemite announced on Instagram that the project will feature 23 different songs split into five “studios,” each…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 16: 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre, 'California Love'
June 16 is Tupac Amaru Shakur’s birthday. Today—June 16, 2020—he’d be 49 years old. Since it’s Tupac’s birthday and one of his singles— “California Love”—happens to feature one of the most iconic hip hop videos of all time, it only makes sense to include him here. The video for “California Love,” which was directed by…