Music
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 22: Mark Morrison, ‘Return of the Mack’
Today is the 22nd day of June, in the year of our Lord, 2019. Since the year of our Lord 1996 I’ve been preaching the same (debatably controversial) gospel: Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” is one of the greatest songs ever created. I stand firm and pat on this statement. Mark Morrison “Return Of…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 21: Nicole Bus, 'You'
Almost nine years ago now, I was listening to the radio, back when that was a thing, and I heard a song that sounded so much like a Lauryn Hill song, or one that should have been a Lauryn Hill song, that I absolutely yelled out the window, “LAURYN BACK LAURYN BACK GOT ALL THESE…
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Lil Nas X Drops New Single, ‘Panini,’ in Advance of New Album Release, 7
Lil Nas X apparently has no plans to ride off into the sunset anytime soon. Fresh off the chart-topping, if controversial success of “Old Town Road,” the viral sensation on Thursday released a new single, “Panini.”: “Panini” is from Lil Nas X’s new album, 7, set to drop Friday, and no, as one can see…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 20: Phyllis Hyman, 'Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)'
There’s almost no way I could do a series like this without at least one nod to my second-favorite singer of forever, Phyllis Hyman. Turns out, almost four years ago, before VSB became part of The Root and before we started writing full time, I wrote everything I was going to write today in a…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 19: Joi, 'Freedom' x Various Artists, 'Freedom'
Since today is Juneteenth (in celebration of June 19, 1865, the day the slaves in Texas learned they were freed), I decided to drop a two-fer in the name of freedom. The song is “Freedom” but there are two versions and they’re both getting their due today. Most people of a certain age might remember…
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What Is the Best and Blackest Movie Soundtrack?
It’s African American Music Appreciation Month (lovingly known as Black Music Month) and what better way to celebrate than to honor just how much music affects another celebrated medium? That’s right, we’re talking film. While Bill Cosby and O.J. Simpson were attempting to make this the most bizarre week in celebrity social media history, Jamie…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 18: The Temptations 'Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)'
As a child, I grew up hearing The Temptations, but I don’t recall really listening. Of course, I knew of Motown and thus I knew some of their biggest songs, some by heart, even if I wasn’t entirely up on game. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” and “My Girl,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,”…
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With Blanco Brown’s ‘The Git Up Challenge,’ 2019 Is Truly the Summer of the Yee-Haw Agenda
Where TikTok goes, so do the Billboard charts. This was true of “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X’s ubiquitous smash, which has been sitting pretty atop Billboard’s Hot 100 for the past 10 weeks. And it may soon be true of Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up,” another impossibly catchy country tune that has quickly been…
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The Marathon Medal: Nipsey Hussle to Be Honored With Humanitarian Award at 2019 BET Awards
Along with his business acumen and music, Nipsey Hussle (born Ermias Asghedom) was known for his humanitarian spirit. Locals lovingly called him “Neighborhood Nip.” It’s one of the main reasons why the marathon shall, indeed, continue. As writer Sonya Magett perfectly expressed in her April list of hip-hop artists carrying Nipsey’s legacy through their own…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 17: Intro, 'Funny How Time Flies'
Intro might literally be the most unsung group ever. They’re so unsung, they don’t even have an episode of TVOne’s Unsung and their contemporaries like Troop, Hi-Five and Silk, who are way less unsung than Intro, have episodes. They have one of the most recognizable ’90s R&B songs in “Come Inside” (waaaaaaaaaaay too long intro…