black music month
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Black Music Month Playlist No. 1: You Haven’t Done Nothin’
To paraphrase Bruno Mars, American music is black music. When you consider that black people had a hand in creating or influencing just about every music genre—rock, pop, blues, R&B and even country—Bruno ain’t wrong. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter declared June to be Black Music Month in order to recognize the contributions that black…
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Watch: Estelle Tells Her Truth and Serves Food for Thought
Grammy Award-winning artist Estelle is a truth-speaking force. The British singer-songwriter first came on the scene in the early 2000s, and with her charming accent and vivacious spirit, she has made her mark on the music industry—stateside and abroad. Estelle has made herself vulnerable through her willingness to sing about life’s complications. Expect for the enchantress’s music…
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Watch: Music Innovators King Dish Out Food for Thought
The group King stands tall among this generation’s wave of black musical innovators. “[Black music] is something that we provide to the whole world; it’s something that so much of our culture was founded on,” says Paris Strother, King’s pianist and producer. The trio first emerged in 2011 with their independently released EP, The Story.…
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Watch: Studio Sessions at The Root Featuring Abiah
Abiah is a seasoned artist and a self-proclaimed vocal beast. With his five-and-a-half-octave range (the artist’s voice could practically shatter glass) and pitch-perfect tone, we think he’s worthy of the title. Abiah and his band took to the Studio Sessions stage to serenade all who would listen with two songs from his album Bottles: “Little…
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Watch: Music Prodigy Jon Batiste Serves Food for Thought
Jon Batiste is something of a musical prodigy. He first performed with his family’s band when he was 8 years old, and nearly a decade later he would go on to self-release his first album, Times in New Orleans. “There was a spiritual connection to the instrument,” Batiste told The Root. Batiste attended the prestigious conservatory Juilliard…
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Black Music Month Means Studio Sessions at The Root
June is almost here—that means sunny skies, warm weather and black music, of course! For Black Music Month, The Root and McDonald’s will honor and celebrate the music (and musicians) of the African Diaspora with Studio Sessions at The Root. This video series will feature contemporary artists from a gamut of genres: global, hip-hop, soul—we’ve…