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Black Musician

Rapper YG, center in white, at a June 7 protest over the death of George Floyd.

Hip-hop is the soundtrack to Black Lives Matter protests

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Tyina Steptoe — The sound of Public Enemy’s 1989 song “Fight the Power” blared as face-masked protesters in Washington, D.C. broke into a spontaneous rendition of the electric slide dance near the White House. It was the morning of June 14, and an Instagram user captured the moment, commenting: “If Trump is in the White House this morning he’s being woken up by … a Public Enemy dance party.” View…

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The Apollo Theater

HBO’s The Apollo: ‘The story of how black America lifted itself through music’

By Editors' Choice

The director Roger Ross Williams on the Harlem ‘temple’ that has hosted legendary performers from James Brown to Lauryn Hill. By André Wheeler, The Guardian — The Apollo Theater is a living piece of black history. Located in the heart of Harlem on West 125th Street, the theater has operated as a refuge for black audiences and performers from its opening in 1934. Artists from James Brown and Aretha Franklin to Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill have graced…

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Maurice Mitchell

A Socialist Afro-Punk Rocker Challenges the Two-Party System

By Editors' Choice

By Nick Fouriezos, OZY — Maurice “Moe” Mitchell stalks the stage aggressively, barking lyrics in pointed contrast to his black T-shirt, which reads in bold white letters: “Don’t Shoot.” It’s August 2014, and the socially conscious punk rocker is grieving. Not just because this Afropunk Fest show is his band Cipher’s first in three years after the death of its drummer Danny Bobis, but also because, less than three weeks earlier, the…

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Houston rappers are putting their money in the only African American bank in Houston Unity Bank in third ward.

Nipsey, And Others, Dispel Thug Image of Black Males

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, The Hutchinson Report — There are two stories that regularly make the rounds about men like Nipsey Hussle. The one story that should be routinely told, pointed to, and held up for all is the colossal refutation of the gangster and thug image much of the public holds of men such as Nipsey. Yet, this never gets more than passing mention. It took the massive media…

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Nipsey Hustle

Why Are There Still Nipsey Hussle Murders Taking Place in Black America in 2019?

By Commentaries/Opinions

Nipsey Hussle (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019) By Bashir Muhammad Akinyele — As I read and watched the reports on the murder of our brother Nipsey Hussle this past Sunday in the media, I thought about how South Central, Los Angeles’ African American community loss a good Black man. He was a brother of many gifts. He was a father. He was husband. He was a friend. But he was also a Hip Hop artist, entrepreneur, and…

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Member of parliament and musician Bobi Wine says there are still 40 million people living under oppression, and domination, and under dictatorship in Uganda.

Jamaica: Uganda Activist Bobi Wine Says He Is Still State Enemy

By Editors' Choice

The politician and freedom fighter said reggae music has helped to influence him to fight against colonial afflictions while growing up in the ghettos of Uganda. By teleSur — Member of parliament, freedom fighter and artist Bobi Wine traveled 36 hours to Jamaica, the politician says, to be able to spread his musical message to his fellow Ugandans and the rest of the world. Bobi Wine made the remark while…

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Julian Marley, son of late reggae icon Bob Marley, celebrates his father's 69th birthday at the National Stadium in Kingston, 2014.

UNESCO Adds Reggae Music to Global Cultural Heritage List

By News & Current Affairs

Reggae was often championed as a music of the oppressed, with lyrics addressing sociopolitical issues, imprisonment and inequality. By TeleSUR — Reggae music – whose calm, lilting grooves found international fame thanks to artists like Bob Marley – has won a coveted spot on the United Nations’ list of global cultural treasures. UNESCO, the world body’s cultural and scientific agency, added the genre that originated in Jamaica to its collection of “intangible…

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