There’s no better time for music with a message than Black History Month! Black artists have channeled their pain, frustration and hope into their music for decades. And whether they’re telling us to say it loud, fight the power or f**** the police, their songs make powerful statements, inspiring us to stand up for what we believe in and look forward to better days ahead.
Suggested Reading
As we celebrate Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some of the songs we’ve got on repeat.
James Brown – “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)”
James Brown’s 1968 hit “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)“ was recorded four months after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and quickly became an anthem of the Black Power Movement. People still love the positive message of Black pride and dope beat today, which is probably why it’s been sampled over 250 times.
Marvin Gaye – “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”
After dropping hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” in the late 1960s, Marvin Gaye took his sound in a completely new direction with his 1971 album “What’s Going On.” The song “Inner City Blues” painted a vivid picture of life in America’s inner cities at the time and is still relevant today.
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five – “The Message”
Before Public Enemy told us to “Fight the Power,” there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message.” While most hip-hop hits at the time talked about partying, this 1982 track kept it real about life in the streets.
Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”
A song written for Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” soundtrack, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” called for people to stand up to racial inequality and injustice. It was a huge success, climbing to number one on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles and 20 on the Hot R&B chart. Rolling Stone named it number two on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
“You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out,” Gil Scott-Heron warns us in “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The 1971 poem is a call to action for Black people, telling them that rather than waiting for corporations and the media to save us from injustice, we’ll have to save ourselves.
India Arie – “I Am Not My Hair”
India.Arie’s 2006 single “I Am Not My Hair” is a love letter to Black hair in all its forms. She tells her audience not to allow themselves to be defined by Eurocentric standards of beauty but to feel comfortable in the skin they’re in.
“I am not my hair,
I am not this skin,
I am a soul that lives within,” she sings.
Common ft. John Legend – “Glory”
Common and John Legend joined forces on 2015’s “Glory,” a song for the soundtrack of the movie “Selma.” The song, with lyrics that are hopeful of better days, won the pair a GRAMMY and an Academy Award for their performance.
McFadden and Whitehead – Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”
Without a doubt, McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” is a classic disco song that makes you want to dance. But the 1979 hit is also putting the rest of the world on notice that “We’re on the move.”
Solange Knowles – “Don’t Touch My Hair”
In “Don’t Touch My Hair” Solange Knowles is putting folks on notice that Black hair is a source of our strength. It is our crown, and it is not to be touched.
N.W.A.- “F* The Police”
Compton rappers N.W.A. call out racial disparities in policing in their 1988 hit, “F* the Police.” Although the song is over 25 years old, unfortunately, the message still resonates. After the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, streams of the song grew 14 times according to data from last.fm.
Donny Hathaway – “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
“Hang on to the world as it spins around. Just don’t let the spin get you down, Donny Hathaway sings in “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” The song, while beautiful, did not land a spot on the charts. But it is beloved by many and has been covered by artists, including Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and Take 6.
Run-D.M.C. – “Proud to Be Black”
Run-D.M.C.’s “Proud to Be Black” is a track from their 1986 “Raising Hell” album and a dope declaration of self-love.
Sam Cooke – “A Change is Gonna Come”
It’s hard not to be moved when you hear Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” He was inspired to write the 1964 song that looks forward to a world without discrimination and hate after being denied access to a white-only hotel in Louisiana and hearing Bob Dylan’s protest song “Blowing in the Wind.”
Mary Mary – “Walking”
In “Walking,” gospel duo Mary Mary reminds us that even when times are hard, when you are walking with God, you’re never alone.
Boogie Down Productions – “You Must Learn”
KRS One lets us know what we’re being taught in school leaves out a whole lot of important Black history in the 1989 hip-hop hit “You Must Learn.”
Queen Latifah – “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Legendary female rapper Queen Latifah spoke out against disrespect and called on everyone to give Black women the appreciation they deserve in her 1993 hit, “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Nas – “I Can”
Not many people can make Beethoven sound hot. But Nas flipped “Für Elise” into a positive affirmation record, letting kids know they can do anything they set their minds to on his 2002 hit song “I Can.”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
While James Brown and Nina Simone songs were part of the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement, Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” was one of the songs that defined the Black Lives Matter Movement.
The Impressions – “People Get Ready”
Written by the legendary Curtis Mayfield, the Impressions “People Get Ready” is as much gospel as it is soul. The song offers hope in the afterlife for people living with injustice and discrimination.
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