african american music appreciation month
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National Museum of African American Music to Honor Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and Fisk Jubilee Singers
The National Museum of African American Music has chosen this year’s recipients of its Rhapsody & Rhythm Awards, and the selection is elite! On Wednesday, NMAAM announced it will honor Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and the Fisk Jubilee Singers, per Billboard. Aptly celebrating Black Music Month, the recipients will receive their honors at…
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The Homecoming Playlist: Turn-Up at the Tailgate
A few months after the summer cookouts are over and right before hibernation mode kicks in, there’s one last annual turn-up that’s a staple of black culture. It’s that time of the year known as homecoming season—an important time, filled with step shows, galas, panel discussions and more. But the most anticipated and highly attended…
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The Auntie Playlist: Girl, That's My Jam!
It’s a known fact that if there’s a party and music is playing, there will be a few aunties in the room doing the two-step, which can range from funky, freestyle Mary J. Blige to subtle, yet sassy Anita Baker. You may even hear an auntie say “Ohhhhh, this my jam” as she proceeds to…
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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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The Glow Up Playlist: The Soundtrack to Finding Your Inner and Outer Beauty
Many say that Gucci Mane has had the best glow up over the past couple of years and some would argue that the win for best glow up belongs to Cardi B—both of which are valid. However, the glow up is more than just getting your body together or cashing big checks; the glow up…
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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…
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Watch: Soul and Funk Icons Who Stood Tall for Black Empowerment
You could say that music usually reflects where we are as a society. The height of soul and funk music ran roughly parallel to the civil rights movement in America, from the 1950s to the ’70s, a period that was highly charged with political and social commentary. In today’s climate, it seems fitting to remember…
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Black Music Month Playlist No. 5: We Made America Great in the 1st Place
Editor’s note: Every Friday for the month of June, aka African-American Music Appreciation Month, aka Black Music Month, we created a Spotify playlist based on the news of the week. Check out the stories behind playlist No. 1, playlist No. 2, playlist No. 3 and playlist No. 4. How fortuitous that the end of Black…
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Watch: A Brief History of Jazz by Some of the Genre’s Freshest Faces
So, what, exactly, is jazz? We know it’s black music, we know that many of the artists of the genre are political. But how does one define an art form so heavily based on improvisation and live instrumentation? Better question: Is jazz dead? The Root asked three fresh faces in jazz to school us on…
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Black Music Month Playlist No. 4: Damn! Damn! Damn!
Editor’s note: Every Friday for the month of June, aka African-American Music Appreciation Month, aka Black Music Month, we’ll be creating a Spotify playlist based on the news of the week. Check out the stories behind playlist No. 1, playlist No. 2 and playlist No. 3. Real talk: This week was fucked up. There were…