black music
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10 Songs for Your Black-Ass Playlist for Days You’re Feeling Particularly Black
I love the movie Cool Runnings. Peace be the journey and all that jazz. I especially love the part where Doug E. Doug—playing the role of Sanka Coffie, the movie’s comic relief and spiritual center—says to other bobsledders on top of the hill, “I’m feeling very Olympic today!” I try to work that into lots…
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Is ‘Anything’ From Kingdom Come Really Jay-Z’s Worst Song?
Recently, Vulture dropped an article that’s been making the rounds among hip-hop heads, enthusiasts, regular joes and coffee shop denizens alike. Vulture writer John Kennedy did the Lord’s work and ranked Jay-Z’s songs from worst to best. Of course, most people scrolled right to the bottom—the longest scroll ever; it was like a Ta-Nehisi Coates-article…
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Raphael Saadiq Is the Most Underappreciated R&B Artist of All Time. Yeah, I Said It
On March 17, 2017, terrible human being-turned-terrible human being plus chicken-wing savant, Rick Ross, dropped his ninth studio album, Rather You Than Me. The first song on the album is called “Apple of My Eye.” As I listened to this song for the first time, a very familiar voice, one I’ve been listening to since…
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The 10 Best Booty Songs, Ranked
Before we get going, let me preface this entire piece with two words: Fight me. Ahem. Ass anthems. Booty songs. Shake jams. Butt bumpers. No matter what you call them, they all bring the same thing to the table: They put asses on the floor, both literally and figuratively. Songs dedicated to the derriere have…
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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: The Jazz Legends Who Fearlessly Fought for Freedom
Jazz has always been one of the soundtracks of black people’s journey toward freedom in America. Artists like Nina Simone and Gary Bartz became the fearless messengers of African-American protest. In honor of Black Music Month, we pay tribute to some of the most political artists and moments in jazz music.
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Black Music Month Playlist No. 3: All Eyez on Me
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 and playlist No. 2. This week began with Bill Cosby’s legal team delivering a six-minute defense…
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Black Music Month Playlist No. 2: Cosby Ain’t the God We Made Him
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 story behind last week’s playlist here. Talk about trials and tribulations. I don’t think the country has seen this much testifying…
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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…