Music
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 6: Rick James & Smokey Robinson 'Ebony Eyes'
Have you ever watched something so ridiculous that it becomes both perfect and almost life-changing? That for me is the video for Rick James single featuring Smokey Robinson off of his 1983 album, Cold Blooded. Rick James featuring Smokey Robinson “Ebony Eyes” (1984) I don’t know why God made me the way he did, but…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 5: Missy Elliott 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)'
Let’s go ahead and get a few facts out of the way about Missy Elliot’s song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” For one, the song is timeless—I believe if this song was released today, some 23 years after its original release, it would still be a hit. It’s so different and so unique, so special,…
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The Root Jams Weekly (6/5/2020): 'Say Her Name'
Breonna Taylor would be 27 years old today. Unfortunately, she is now with the ancestors, cut down prematurely by a police system that devalues black bodies. She, along with too many other black women whose lives were cut too short often go under-acknowledged. This playlist honors them. “Say Her Name” (6/5/2020) J’Na Jefferson Janelle Monae…
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Viral Sensations Young T & Bugsey Don't Plan on Rushing Their Journey to the Top
If you’re a fan of trying to keep up with what’s hot on social media right now, odds are you know about TikTok. The video-creation app has been all the rage for the past few months, and during quarantine, dance and comedy videos have been keeping many people busy and entertained. One of the most…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 4: Jade, 'Don't Walk Away'
Jade’s video for “Don’t Walk Away” is one of those joints that you could toss into a 90s time capsule, open it 50 years from now and have a very clear, if not confused, understanding of what the early 90s in young black America looked like. Everything about this video is awesome and remarkably of…
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Fed Up but Hopeful: Streams of Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' and Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' Skyrocket Amid Protests
It appears the people of the United States have chosen Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” as their protest songs of choice. According to Forbes, Gambino’s song, which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2018, jumped from No. 97 to No. 2 on the U.S. Spotify chart this week, amassing…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 3: The Whispers, 'Keep On Lovin' Me'
This video perfectly reflects black cool…and I love it. It is hands down one of the best videos of Black Men Walking of all time. There’s even the rogue brotha in the back who clearly didn’t get the memo about wearing neutral colors and since he didn’t get that memo, he didn’t get the memo…
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Black Music Month: LaFace Records Gave Us More Than Music, They Gave Us a Standard of Excellence to Aspire to
In January, some of the biggest stars in music descended upon the Atlanta History Center to pay homage to the 30-year legacy of LaFace Records and its co-founders, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid. This black-tie affair, dubbed YouTube Music’s 2020 Leaders & Legends Ball, featured familiar names such as The-Dream, Ludacris, Dallas Austin…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 2: Janet Jackson, 'Rhythm Nation'
When I think of iconic music videos, several come to mind. Janet Jackson is responsible for several of them. While this series will probably get real loose with the definition of “iconic,” there is no need to qualify it with the video for the title track from Janet’s 1989 game-changing album, Rhythm Nation, officially titled…
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Music Labels and Industry Giants to Participate in Blackout Tuesday to Stand in Solidarity With Black Community
Music industry giants such as Warner Music, Sony, and Interscope Records, as well as artists and celebrities within the space, are joining together in solidarity with the black community in response to the death of George Floyd last week. “Blackout Tuesday” will take place on June 2 and throughout social media, many companies, record label…