Black Music Month is so special because there’s nothing that contains the power of our culture like Black Music. Not only does it manage to hold our limitless power, it also reflects that power back out into the world. “Black music is the foundation of every genre that exists,” shared one of our guest panelists, Dollar. “It has always been the source and voice for all of the emotions that we feel as a community. From political activism to the cookouts, the range is endless.”
Here’s a look at its range via a few things we realized from our June Intentional Activation #blkcreatives Twitter Chat – Joy & Pain: The Healing Power of Black Music.
It tells our stories for us. ALL of them.
“Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free” from his ‘Extension of a Man’ album for me!, Dollar, one of the special guests for the night, tweeted. “This song shares a story of many for various reasons. Whether it be mental health or just the ups and downs that life brings.”
And the storytelling is so powerful that it stretches across different genres and eras.
The scifi heavy work of @JanelleMonae. Her storytelling and world-building is A1,” shared Nova, reminding us of again, our range.
“First: Huge OutKast fan so ‘Da Art of Storytellin’ series touches my spirit. Coming of age to the end of the world to the stank of success. They did that. OutKast is untouched as storytellers. PERIODT,” tweeted our guest for the night, Dr. Regina N. Bradley, Professor/Podcaster.
“Second is the elements, Earth Wind and Fire. They told stories of joy and escape where Black folks didn’t hide themselves. The FREEDOM in EWF’s music is the ultimate story of the greatness of Black people’s imagination.”
It’s a spiritual experience, bringing us joy and healing..
“The soul of the [Black] people singing it. There’s such an inherent struggle, joy, passion, & healing embedded in the Black voice that cannot be duplicated. You can’t help but feel,” Mel Smith tweeted. “It’s a reflective of who we are as a people. Our souls. It’s just amplified thru melody and words.”
It was made clear during our Black Music Month chat that nothing amplifies our soul like Black music especially when you start to think of musicians, artists, producers, and songwriters like Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind And Fire and Frankie Beverly & Maze.
“Yo last week at the height of the protest. I put on Stevie Wonder Love’s in Need, Marvin Gaye what’s going on and Sam Cooke and just mourned for all those whose lives were lost,” Eddie tweeted. “It was like healing.”
When we’re going through a hard time, Black music brings us some peace. If you’re currently in need of a boost, we highly recommend playing these top five songs from Naima.
1. “Glow of Love” x Change & Luther Vandross 2. “Love, Love, Love” x Donny Hathaway 3. “Golden Time of Day” x Frankie Beverly & Maze 4. “Spread My Wings” x Troop 5. “Just Us” x Two Tons of Fun
Wanna support Naima’s Black History filled Music History threads on Twitter? Send her some love: Cash.me/$musicsermon
It drives our movements.
It doesn’t matter the time or the place, our music becomes the soundtrack to our missions, personally and professionally.
“As a kid, I remember the height of acts like Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Paris, and then later groups like Brand Nubian, ATCQ, etc,” Guest panelist, John Morrison, a DJ/Music writer and reflected during the chat. “I literally saw in real-time how music could shape the consciousness of people. I tell people that Hip Hop radicalized me as a child.”
In all of its forms, Black music is a cultural contribution that KEEPS on giving. If you think about how Anita Baker can transfer a Saturday morning clean-up session, it’s a household cleaning agent. Black music even holds the power to decipher the truth in our lives – for example if you don’t hop even the slightest bit when Dru Hill’s Tell Me comes on, can you be trusted? It’s our language, our religion, our foundation for a culture that stretches across the world.
Happy Black Music Month #blkcreatives, don’t forget to celebrate. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first one to know about July’s #blkcreatives Twitter chat.
BONUS READS
A list of books about some of the iconic music artists we showed love to throughout the night and beyond. You may find your next good read if you click here.
The ZORA Music Canon celebrates the 100 most iconic albums by Black American women.