Music
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 26: Force MDs, 'Tender Love'
Force MDs “Tender Love” is a jam, you hear me? It’s as good today as it was in 1985, a nod I give to just how good GOAT writers and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are at song creation. The video, though, is awesome in a different way. Be clear, I love this video…
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Aloe Blacc Releases New Song, Announces Next Album All Love Everything
Grammy-nominated musician Aloe Blacc returns to the music scene with his latest song, “My Way,” which will be featured on his forthcoming album All Love Everything. The LP is slated to drop on October 2. Blacc’s first full-length project in seven years will find him detailing his experiences and journey as a father, as well…
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The Music Industry’s Utter Disrespect of Black Women Feels Like Constant White Noise
There is a phenomenon that occurs when you’re going about your day and can’t get a particular song out of your head. We refer to that song as an “earworm.” Well, a constant buzzing in the back of my head has recently gotten louder and louder: I refer to this song as an ear parasite—specifically,…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 24: Jodeci, 'Stay'
Jodeci and SWV are my favorite 90s groups. Their music, to me, is so superbly good that you shouldn’t have anything negative to say about it. Jodeci is still, today, a gold standard group, which is amazing considering that they only have three albums, all released between 1991 and 1995 that are worth talking about.…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 23: Kriss Kross, 'Jump'
At first glance, there’s not really much to the video for Kriss Kross’ “Jump,” though it’s a song and video that changed their lives, along with their producer, Jermaine Dupri. Famously, the royalty check Dupri received from Ruffhouse/Columbia Records (the label Kriss Kross was signed to) for “Jump”—the single itself sold over 4 million copies—enabled…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 22: Jill Scott , 'Gettin' In The Way'
From the moment Jill Scott hit the scene nationally in 2000, she was a force. While she got dropped into the earthy-crunchy, neo-soul bucket of the late 90s and early aughts—I think being both from Philly, the epicenter of the movement if it had one, and the “sound” of her music helped this categorization—Jill to…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 21: Will Smith, 'Just the Two of Us'
Today—June 21, 2020—is Father’s Day. My goal on today was to feature an iconic music video about black fathers and fatherhood. And you know what feels like damn near an impossible task? Finding a music video for a song celebrating black fathers and black fatherhood. In fact, there were so few videos in this particular…
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Beyoncé Drops New Song 'Black Parade,' Lifts Up Black-Owned Businesses on Juneteenth
Juneteenth, the holiday recognizing the end of slavery in the U.S., was marked by widespread celebrations across the country yesterday—bringing a bright spot of joy in a year that’s left the Black community experiencing more than its fair share of sorrow. Beyoncé helped make the day a special one by releasing a new song “Black…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 20: Stepanie Mills, '(You're Puttin') A Rush On Me'
I cannot tell you how much I love Stephanie Mills’ video for “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush On Me” so I won’t even try. I love it a lot lot, though. What I will attempt to explain is why I love this video so much. For starters, I’d be willing to bet good money that a…