Music
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 7: Mother’s Finest, 'Love Changes'
I came to know this song by way of one of the greatest groups ever assembled: Immature. The trio of Marques “Batman” Houston, Jerome “Romeo” Jones and Kelton “LDB” Kessee recorded “Feel the Funk” in 1995 for the white-savior extraordinaire film Dangerous Minds soundtrack (it was also included on their 1995 album, We Got It).…
-
The Cookout Playlist: Music Is the Most Important Part of the Celebration (Fight Me)
When it heats up outside and the sun shines on you, making that melanin glow even more, you know it’s officially that time—cookout season. To celebrate Black Music Month, on every Friday of this month, I will be curating a playlist centered around a particular theme from black culture. The first theme: the cookout. Black…
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 6: Oddisee, 'That's Love'
Oddisee is one of the hardest working artists in music. And I say music, and not just hip-hop, because his catalog is so expansive that it’s unfair to limit him to the genre he’s most well known for. And that’s if you’re familiar at all. Oddisee seems to live in that interesting space of being…
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 5: Letta Mbulu, 'Mahlalela (Lazy Bones)'
Today, we’re going international with our Black Music Month love. As a hip-hop head who also tried his hand at music production, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time crate digging, searching through entire obscure record label catalogs, hoping to come across the perfect sample. Well, that’s how I came across Letta Mbulu’s banger of…
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 4: Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, 'Be Real Black For Me'
Since first discovering Donny Hathaway, he’s been my favorite singer ever. His version of “A Song For You” is one of the few musical compositions to ever bring tears to my eyes and I’ve made it a point to own every ownable composition of his in multiple formats. I’m also a Roberta Flack fan, though…
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Days 2 and 3: Tank and The Bangas, 'Spaceships' + The Roots 'Act Too (The Love Of My Life)'
You’re getting a twofer today; it’s a celebration, bitches! This weekend I made my way up to Philadelphia for the 12th annual Roots Picnic (whole article comin’) to celebrate my 40th birthday (more on this coming soon, too) and because of the amount of drinking and shenanigans I participated in, Day 2 got lost in…
-
30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 1: Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, ‘They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)’
June is Black Music Month and we here at VSB have decided to celebrate with aplomb and splendor. Just like we did back in February with our 28 Days of Literary Blackness series, we also love music and relish in the opportunity to celebrate that love as frequently as possible. Sometimes you just have to…
-
10 Thoughts About the Wu-Tang Clan and Their Showtime Documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics & Men
1. I got into the Wu-Tang Clan very late to the game. It’s not because I didn’t think they could spit—I did, but the sound was just too dirty for me. I was a very big fan of Dr. Dre and DJ Quik and they both produced very cleanly, so to speak. And also, one…
-
Cardi B Unleashes On Tabloids in New Single 'Press'—So, Are Folks Pressed About It?
“Pop up, guess who, bitch?!” Cardi, that’s who. The outspoken rapper is back with a new single called “Press.” And the name speaks for itself—the song is about the press, as in, the news, the blogs, and the tabloids. The single is a quickie and Cardi goes hard on several topics including her daughter Kulture,…
-
Party for the Purple One: Jay-Z and Tidal to Host Release Celebrations for Prince’s Originals Album
Prince not only colored the world with his own music, he also contributed to the music of other iconic artists. And, as we all know, that color was purple. As we continue to celebrate his legacy, Tidal has announced their special line of events to honor the late musician and his posthumous album, released by…