Black History Month Playlist
February is Black History Month!!!
We here at KCSB are celebrating by highlighting and uplifting some of our favorite music from Black artists… Listen to our picks and read about them below <3
SARAH N.’S RECS
“Nubian Queen” – Michael Angelo
From the Sorcerer’s Delight single released in 2010, you probably might recognize this song sampled in Dean Blunt’s Galice from The Narcissist II album released in 2012. The artist Michael Angelo titled this song as is, as a central claim of reverence; or simply put, showing his respect and admiration for Black/African diasporic femininity. As for the actual instrumentation of the song, it first appears as a dark yet delicate instrumental, then progresses into this psych-pop love letter to Africa as a whole. The lyrics evoke this somewhat romantic escapism, where Angelo swoons over, while also underscoring, the beauty within the physical features of places like Angola, Congo, Zambia, and the Nile and Zambezi rivers. I feel the work of this song really affirms Black womanhood as a concept, and also affirms African diasporic femininity as something that’s extremely sacred, historically continuous, and to stress it even further, unlimited. By detaching Black identity from western narratives by bringing us back to pre-colonial African civilization (given the use of the term Nubian), Angelo allows this practice of femininity to be recognized as a standstill condition that predates western-imposed stereotypes, rather than making Black/African diasporic femininity marginal or ornamental. TLDR: This song is like if Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl was about Black/African diasporic femininity with a romantic and soft, psych-rock twist.
“REMYND (feat. Maria Minerva)” – Cities Aviv
In the Black Pleasure 2012 album released in 2012, Cities Aviv cultivates such an impressive experimental hip-hop record that goes about sampling in an undeniably innovative way. Incorporating traditional cloud rap, he is able to pay homage to what’s been stereotyped as “black culture” while also criticizing the repercussions of this pigeonhole with a relatively sardonic attitude; I feel this is executed through the disjointed framework of each sample within various, if not all, songs. Alongside the heavy implications of modern isolation arising from skin color, stylized by distorted, low-fidelity production, this track—and album as a whole— is truly, in every sense of the word, an atmospheric soundscape. Gavin Mays, or Cities Aviv, inflicts feelings of nostalgia and somber but adds so much color to these rather negatively connoted feelings, both sonically and visually. A song from this album, if not REMYND, that demonstrates this exceptionally well, is Cities Aviv’s very popular Not That I’m Anywhere, which has gone triple platinum over multiple media outlets, such as TikTok, X, Instagram, and is incredibly utilized and respected in short video edit/montage culture; if reluctant to see the beauty in REMYND or the album as a whole, from simply my words, this song is a great start.
“8” – I feel the Black is Beautiful album released in 2012 serves as a postmodern exploration of identity, with Dean Blunt’s blending of low-fidelity production with ambient textures to create not only a masterful piece of art, but to critique how the industry continuously attempts to place black artists within the confines of seemingly black genres: jazz, soul, hip-hop, blues, R&B, etc. What I love most about this album is its spontaneity, and very quickly was it that 8 became my favorite song. Just imagine if you were riding on a carousel, but suspended into the sky…(*imagining*) this song does a great job at transporting you there. Though some songs are considerably avant-garde and may make you uncomfortable, the thrill of not knowing what you’re going to hear next makes the listening experience ahead of the field. 8 is a more tame pick from the album, and possesses a somewhat aquatic, frutiger aero sentiment that I believe is impossible not to like.
“White Horse” – Florence Sinclair
In Florence Sinclair’s departures, wonders, & tears album released in 2022, you’ll find this gem sandwiched within a chest of other treasures. This song in particular is my favorite because it offers such a unique and high-spirited listening experience. Without a doubt, I catch myself moving a shoulder or two as this song plays out, and I must credit this to its syncopated drum beats, in combination with an addicting violin concerto repeated throughout the song that acts as a guide for the other instruments. If you like hypnagogic pop/art pop/trip-hop/Dean Blunt, you’ll very quickly find yourself becoming obsessed with Florence Sinclair. His vocals are a bit unorthodox, with a good amount of auto-tune and reverb accompanying each lyric, but sooner rather than later, every component of the song falls together perfectly.
EL’S RECS
“Fox Chase” – Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten is a legend in folk and blues music. She was famously left handed and played a right-handed guitar upside down– all while being self taught! Because of this, she had to reverse the way that traditional finger picking was played, and played the treble with her thumb and the bass notes with her fingers, which ended up becoming its own distinct style of fingerpicking. This song in particular is a wonderful demonstration of her talent for playing the guitar, with complex and beautiful rhythmic picking and strumming. It’s hard to go wrong with Elizabeth Cotten!
“Candy Man Blues” – Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt was a blues singer who received a large audience towards the end of his life, and his fingerpicking style went on to influence later folk musicians– including that of John Fahey. He was first recruited for a recording session through Okeh Records in 1928, which received minimal attention at the time but it eventually caused him to be rediscovered by musicologists 30 years later. He famously played at the Newport Folk Convention and received a lot of traction for three years before unfortunately passing away in 1966. His music has been covered by many famous folk artists, including this track. This is from his original 1928 recordings, and is so fascinating to hear almost 100 years later!
“Kids Never Grow Older” – Benjamin Booker
This track is from Benjamin Booker’s self-titled debut album that received a lot of praise from various music magazines (including Rolling Stone) in addition to making it to Billboard’s top 10 of alternative albums. The song starts out slow and hazy, with spaced out percussion and guitar. Booker’s voice is scratchy and quiet, matching the atmosphere of the song perfectly. It builds into something angry and thrashing, exploding and veering back and forth between quiet and scornful.
“I Want Your Love So Bad” – Darondo
Darondo, also known as William Daron Pulliam, was best known for his hit song “Didn’t I” that has appeared in numerous TV shows and on the radio continuously since its release in 1972. This track is off of the same album, and is the song that led to Darondo being discovered by the record label Music City. This song has a lot of funky bass with soft percussion and his signature high vocalizations that transform the song into something softer. Darondo is funky, groovy, and extremely fun to listen to; it’s no wonder that his music has been circulating in popular culture for decades!
SARAH B.’S RECS
“Come Live With Me” – Dorothy Ashby
A relaxing and gorgeous track off of Dorothy Ashby’s 1968 psychedelic soul jazz album “Afro-Harping.” Ashby was a pioneer in the jazz world both as a Black woman in a male dominated genre and as one of the first artists to bring the harp into a prominent role in jazz. Her music is entrancing, iconic, and visionary.
“It’s a Trip” – The Last Poets
The Last Poets, formed in 1968, are credited with laying the groundwork for the emergence of hip hop. This track is insanely catchy, blending political poetry, rap, and rhythmic jazz and addressing topics such as civil rights, antifacism, and more. They are right up there with Gil Scott Heron as precursors for Black consciousness raising rap music and their history is wildly interesting so I recommend reading more about them.
My older sister put me on to Santigold when I was in middle school and I’ve been hooked ever since. This track specifically was the one I was blasting on repeat before seeing her play live at Treasure Island Music Festival in 2018. Her mix of reggae and Afro-Carribean rhythms with 2010s indie electronic sound is danceable and addicting and I can’t get enough of it.
When this album, “Heaven To A Tortured Mind” came out in 2020 it was all I listened to. Yves Tumor is a Black queer musician originally from Tennessee and his experimental approach to rock is something I find new and refreshing in the genre. This album is heavy, fuzzy, plush sound is intense and captivating pulling from genres such as glam, psych rock, shoegaze, and R&B to make a truly beautiful collage of styles. This track is guttural yet gorgeous and the listening experience feels visceral. Every time I come back to this album it feels like the first time, it’s something special.
LILY’S RECS
“No Rules” – Pure Hell
Classic pins-and-leather-clad punk rockers from Philly. Cited by Bad Brains as an early influence. They do a really rockin’ cover of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin” too.
“Strange Dream” – WITCH
Groovy Zambian psych rock, their whole discography is really great but this song is captivating in a slightly haunting way. Helped define Zamrock and their post-independence musical heyday in the early 70s. Fun fact: their name is an acronym for We Intend To Cause Havoc!
Mega-classic punk track – many argue it’s one of the first! Definitely helped define that transition from the hard rock of the late 70s to what would become “punk” rock.
“Hate, Fear, and Power” – Hirax
Hirax is one of my FAVORITE thrash bands; I’ve seen them live twice and they were absolute killers. Katon de Pena is a legend and has been active in the scene for over 40 years. Plus, they’re from LA!