As another Back Music Month comes to an end, I reflect back on the ongoing impact of Black Music not just in the United States but worldwide. As an avid concertgoer and overall music fan, I cannot emphasize enough the role that music, and even more so, Black Music has on society. Just look at the recent news of the joint Brandy & Monica concert, the ongoing “Cowboy Carter” tour with Beyoncé, and the many music festivals happening this summer across the globe.
Black Music Month offers an opportunity to celebrate the profound influence of African American musicians on American music and culture, not just in June, but also provides something to embrace all year long. As summer begins, it’s a great time to reflect on the diverse genres and artists that have shaped the music landscape, from blues and jazz to gospel, hip-hop, and R&B, among many others.
To close out this year’s Black Music Month: NPR Tiny Desk Features, let’s see who’s bringing the heat, and a brief reminder of how this month came to be…check them out below:
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Alex Isley
Living Colour
Rico Nasty
Just in case you may have missed this year’s NPR’s Tiny Desk Black Music Month line-up, see the celebrated music albums’ anniversaries being featured:
Stanley Clarke – 50 Years of School Days
Living Colour – 35 Years of Time’s Up
CeCe Winans – 30 Years of Alone in His Presence
E-40 – 30 Years of In a Major Way
Beenie Man – 25 Years of Art and Life
Amerie with The Backyard Band – 20 Years of Touch
Wiz Khalifa – 15 Years of Kush & Orange Juice
Alex Isley – 10 Years of LUXURY
Rico Nasty – 5 Years of Nightmare Vacation
As noted by Bobby Carter, Tiny Desk Concerts host and producer. “These artists might not be the first you hear in the Pop culture conversation, but they are crown jewels in Black culture. These are our icons.“
We have entered another Black Music Month celebration and there is so much music to dive into! A little background on the yearly celebration! Also known as African American Music Appreciation Month, it is an annual celebration in the United States that takes place every June. Designated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 , BMM is a time to recognize and appreciate the contributions of African American musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters to American culture.
The month serves as a celebration of the enduring impact and legacy of Black musicians and their creativity on American music, culture, and history.
And just like last year, I look forward to sharing NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert features for the month. This year’s Black Music Month-Tiny Desk Concerts “honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.”
Where do I begin…2023 was another year to remember! It’s nothing like looking back on what happened in the world, what things I accomplished, where I’ve been, and what is in store. This is an opportunity to reflect on ALL that 2023 had to offer!! Traditions were made and carried over…tears were shed of joy and sadness…many lessons learned…new friendships made!! Now I know I will not cover everything but just think of this as an extended highlight reel.
So let us begin….
If I could describe 2023 in three words I would say Patience…Process…Breathe. These three words were very much applicable to me and all aspects of my life, and I would even argue to this year!!
Jumping right out the gate…AI has arrived no more hovering in the shadows. Not gonna say too much but not sure how this is all gonna shake out. Let’s just say it has shaken up a whole bunch of stuff. A part of me is like oooooo, and the other is like uh oh!
Continuing in this vein of the not sure where this is going, oh my, disappointments, and fails I’ll just drop a few names Elon Musk/X, The Flash movie, “Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams, Jason Aldean, Diddy, The Idol on Max, Jonathan Majors, Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare”, Ozempic, George Santos, the Met Gala cockroach, Jann Wenner, and how about 15 votes to pick a speaker of the House (for him to be later booted out)…trust me there are more, but I will spare you….
How about that Super Bowl performance from Rhianna and then the baby bump reveal?!? A new monarch and the coronation of Charles III, Damar Hamlin’s injury shaking the entire country on the first Monday of the 2023, Keith Lee vs. The City of Atlanta, Barbenheimer, Jeremy Renner being critically injured by his own snowplow, The Mega Millions jackpot tipped over $1 billion, Turkey and Syria were struck by a catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake, India became the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon, can’t forget the Montgomery Boat Brawl (will never look at folding chairs the same), Samara Joy earning the Grammy ‘Best New Artist’, no more cheap streaming, and then let me drop this mic…André 3000’s flute album [Listening to it as I type…Simply EPIC]!!
And one of my favorite movies of the year dropped this year Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse!! And I will say this with confidence the BEST Spider-Man movie (both animated and live action)…I will fight you for it!
In some #BlackGirlMagic news …. Missy Elliot and Chaka Khan were induced in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Missy’s becoming the 1st female hip-hop artist to be enshrined. It was announced that Ida B. Wells and Althea Gibson will be featured on the US quarters in 2025. Issa Rae dropped her new prosecco ‘Viarae’. America’s first gourmet biscuit brand is a Black woman-owned business, “Mama’s Biscuits”. Dove and Open Source Afro Hair Library launched the “Code My Crown” initiative (a guide for coding textured hair and protective styles in video games). Racha Tahani Lawler-Queen made history in Virginia opening the state’s first Black-owned birthing center, Gather Grounded Midwifery [Richmond]. Fisk University made history not just with the first HBCU gymnastics team but also in hosting a meet with all Black women coaches. And in wildlife news, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant became the first Black woman in the U.S. to ever host a wildlife show on broadcast television, NBC’s Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
Much like the years before, there was plenty to celebrate in 2023! Professionally, I would see several publications become available to the masses ranging from book chapters edited collections, an article on Black Gamers and Black Girls finding space in comic books, and several book reviews. I’d be featured in various media outlets while continuing to serve my community. I was selected as a Faculty Mentor Fellow for the VCU Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship and a Humanities Research Center Residential Fellow-Health & Medical Humanities…both of these fellowships I get to continue the work that I do on Black female representation in comics, media, and popular culture. I’m also building my mentorship and community networks. 2023 would also present several #ProudProfessorMoments, especially seeing my AFAM students participate in the VCU Poster Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creativity!! This among many other events would be reflected in being awarded the 2022-23 VCU Faculty Champion Award! Throughout this year, I continued to do work on my IG site “Black Girl Magic in Media” and even created a new site that focuses on the statements I make (professionally and personally) through fashion “DrGsTShirtCollection”. In addition to the fellowships, I would present at various conferences all across the U.S. Strides are being made and I’m excited about what is coming next in 2024…A few things in the works that I’m crossing my fingers on!!
Personally, I celebrated my 20th Delta Anniversary of being an illustrious member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and graduating from Clark Atlanta University (Go Panthers!!) Wow does time fly!! I got a chance to travel to Raleigh, NC to see the Ruth E. Carter exhibit “Afrofuturism in Costume and Design” as well as the AWESOME “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures” at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC” exhibits both in Washington, DC. During the early spring, I served as the first keynote speaker for CulpeperCon (Culpeper, VA) as well as participate in numerous events in the 757 area of Virginia centered on Afrofuturism and comics. To jumpstart my summer, I got an opportunity to go camping in West Virginia (nothing like being in nature) and visit the historical site of Storer College (an HBCU in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, that operated from 1867 to 1955). And I started a new tradition of attending other HBCU Homecoming celebrations so that I can see how my fellow HBCU grads get it in!!
With 2023 being as one of my friends called it “The Jordan Year” I cannot help but think about how this year is like a four-quarter game of your favorite sport. There are multiple chances to get ahead, fall behind, and even come out as the winner. And speaking of sports, there were a lot of FIRSTS and REPEATS! This year we got to see the Denver Nuggets celebrate their first NBA championship, the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, Brittney Griner made her reappearance in the WNBA after being detained in Russia for almost a year, The Vegas Golden Knights win their first Stanley Cup in only their sixth NHL season, Simone Biles makes history at the US Gymnastics Championships with her 8th all-around title [further cementing that she truly is a G.O.A.T.], Coco Gauff wins the women’s singles at the US Open, the Las Vegas Aces win the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty becoming the first repeat WNBA champions in 21 years, and the Texas Rangers win their first World Series in franchise history, just to name a few!
We went through a historical SAG-AFTRA (suspended its 118-day strike on November 9) and Writer’s Guild of America strike (suspended its 148-day strike on September 27) and for a minute we were almost at a standstill with television and film. However, even with the strike in effect, several shows shined through in 2023 that are definitely worth mentioning:
Found (NBC)
The Irrational (NBC)
Justified: City Primeval (FX)
Class of ’09 (FX)
The Bear (FX)
Hijack (Apple TV+)
The After Party (Apple TV+)
Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount +)
Lawman: Bass Reeves (Paramount +)
The Chi (Showtime)
Billions (Showtime)
Winning Time: The Rise of Lakers Dynasty (Max)
The Gilded Age (Max)
Rap Sh!T (Max)
Lupin (Netflix)
Beef (Netflix)
They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix)
Loki (Disney+)
Rye Lane (Hulu)
Poker Face (Peacock)
The Continental (Peacock)
With the conclusion of several great series like Succession, Billions, Snowfall, Jack Ryan, and Loki I can only hope there will be more greatness in store for 2024!!
In the music world, Beyoncé went on her Renaissance World Tour (highest grossing to date) and let’s just say folks are STILL talking about it. She put new meaning to “traveling for what you want to see!” Ohhhhh and let me tell you about the NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, they were killing it with the features this year!! I was like a kid in the candy store every time I got an alert on YouTube!! Some of my faves for 2023 you can check out below:
2023 was also a HUGE celebration for Hip Hop! As we know Hip Hop is not just a genre of music but a WHOLE MOVEMENT!! It would start with a Questlove curated a hip hop tribute at the 65th annual Grammy Awards ceremony, Hot 97-WBLS hosted the Hip-Hop Forever concert at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Hip-Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium, Boom Bap Atlanta: Hip Hop 50 Fest, the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s (NMAAHC) hosted its annual Hip-Hop Block Party in Washington, DC, the Museum of Pop Culture (Seattle, WA) would showcase an exhibit Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, along with a host of events all around the world. Closing out the year of hip-hop celebration, it was a true treat to see Queen Latifah become a part of the 2023 Kennedy Center Honors!
Shifting gears…Self-care…This year I was more intentional about making sure I listened to my body more while taking care of it. I have said it before, I’m no spring chicken and my body has definitely reminded me of that recently. Starting over the summer I began booking monthly appointments for 60-minute full-body massages (Shout out to my girlfriends Antoinette and Shermaine). And MY GOD they have worked miracles!! Every month is a heavenly treat! That on top of my monthly loc maintenance appointments are just a few things that have become a part of the regular self-care routine. In 2024, I am hoping to add a few more things.
In addition to stepping up my self-care game, I plan to continue collecting more stamps on the passport. Now one thing that I got to do this year, which I LOVE, is travel (especially internationally)! Can’t quite pick a fave place but going to Tanzania and Curacao definitely warrants a return visit! You can check out my blog travels here!! I look forward to traveling the world even more in 2024 ( I already have a few more places planned)!
Switching gears to the music scene, I definitely got my fill of concerts….Catching Dru Hill, Jodeci, and SWV in Birmingham….Going to see Lauryn Hill in Denver for the 25th Anniversary of The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill album tour (definitely one of the lucky ones)…Witnessing the greatness of Lakeside, Jermaine Dupri, Big Boi, and a repeat performance of SWV at Hampton’s Homecoming…All the way live!!
Now I will say there are several events that I am looking forward to in 2024 especially as it relates to Las Vegas Residencies. Here are a couple that I plan to put on my calendar:
Jodeci: The Show, The Party, The Las Vegas Residency
New Edition: Las Vegas
With the popularity of Usher’s residency, it seems like Vegas is becoming the HOT SPOT again!
This year we also lost a great many icons, many of which surprised me and hit me to my core. It never gets easier, but I do continue to be thankful for the legacies that they leave.
Fred White (January 1st)
Lisa Marie Presley (January 12th)
David Jude Jolicoeur ‘Trugoy the Dove’ (February 12th)
This year I celebrated turning “42” my Jackie Robinson year! Another year of blessings and good times with family and friends! I will always be grateful for life and another day to live it!!
Ahhhhh so before this post comes to a close I look forward to implementing a couple of new themes to guide me through the year… #FocusForward and #LightsCameraAction !! Stay tuned for how this will come to fruition!
So as we count down these last few days of 2023 I cannot help but think, Come on in 2024!!
As we continue our celebration of #BlackJoy and #BlackMusic, I wanted to step away from the U.S. and bring in some #GlobalBlackJoy!
So, today’s #BlackJoy curated playlist is all about the “Global Sounds of Black Joy!” Some of these sounds include old-school dancehall, Afro-beats, and reggae!! One of the great things that I love about each of these musical genres is how they each uniquely speak to and ignite the passion of the people who perform it. Dancehall, Reggae, and Afrobeats culture has and continues to make such a major impact on the music industry so much so that we see it presented not just in music videos, but TikTok, YouTube, a Verzuz battle, festivals, and of course annual carnivals/festivals.
To get a little taste, see this week’s playlist below:
Now you know I got a #TinyDeskConcert treat for you this week too (a Tripleheader), see below:
Adam Blackstone
Ambré
Amaarae
And don’t forget, if you would like to listen to the previous week’s list, you can check them out here:
We got another week of #BlackMusicAppreciation on deck!! Today’s #BlackJoy curated playlist is all about literal joy in a song!!
Right now is a great time to get some feel-good, healing vibes!! Whether you are taking a morning walk with your dog, a run on the treadmill, or driving your commute to work, a joyful song can set the tone and mood! With everything going on in the world, we could all use some joyful tunes!!
Special shout out to my friend and colleague Shermaine Jones for helping curate this week’s list!! See this week’s #BlackJoy playlist below:
And as a special treat, we got a double bonus with the recent NPR Music #TinyDeskConcert performances from Babyface and Tank!!
Babyface
Tank
And remember if there’s a track or two that you think should make the list, make sure to drop it in the comments section!!
We are back for another week!! And as we continue to celebrate Black Music Appreciation Month, today’s #BlackJoy curated playlist is an ode to Hip Hop!!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, a musical genre that has become a global and cultural phenomenon. Hip Hop as anart form has touched every corner of our world and evolved into one of the most significant cultural forces today. In addition to being a form of entertainment, hip hop has played (and continues to do so) a role in being a voice for marginalized youth to speak about their frustrations, need for change, and times of joy!! As noted by communications/hip-hop scholar professor Aisha Durham, “some of the most innovative hip hop formations that you see today still come from those communities that may feel alienated, disaffected, or in some ways vulnerable — economically, socially, or politically.” Through it all hip hop has changed the game of life!!
In the great words of the late Notorious B.I.G., “you never thought that hip-hop would take it this far.”
See this week’s #BlackJoy playlist below:
As an extra bonus, check out the recent NPR Music #TinyDesk with Charlie Wilson!!
One last nugget check out this upcoming event “Hip Hop 50 Live” set to take place in the Bronx, NY!!
Don’t forget if there’s a track or two that you think should make the list, make sure to drop it in the comments section!!
Black Future Feminist 