Brandy: One of The Most Successful Performer of Our Time
Music: Brandy Norwood, born in McComb, Mississippi got her start in the music industry when she was just fifteen years old, in 1994, when she released her self-titled, debut album which featured her number one song: “I Wanna Be Down.” Brandy has seven studio albums including: “Brandy,” “Never Say Never,” “Full Moon,” “Afrodisiac,” “Human,” “Brandy […]
Biggie Biggie Biggie Can’t You See
Christopher Wallace a.k.a Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the soon of Jamaican parents, but was raised solely by his mother. Biggie dropped out of high school and began selling drugs in his neighborhood, and his mother, who worked several hours a day, […]
A Prelude to Christmas: Concert Review
On Sunday November 18, 2018, I had the pleasure of attending The Atlanta University Center Symphony Orchestra’s performance: “A Prelude to Christmas,” at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center on the campus of Morehouse College, which was directed and conducted by Dr. Roumena Georgieva. The Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the Clark Atlanta University’s Departments […]
Porgy and Bess
The story of Porgy and Bess, set in the 1930s, is an African American opera set in a Charleston neighborhood known as Catfish Row. This opera is a tragic love story about a poor, crippled boy, Porgy, and a beautiful prostitute and addict, Bess, and was written by American Composer: George Gershwin. Bess is the […]
OTR II Concert Analysis
I’d like to give an in depth analysis of one of the best concerts I’ve been to. This show was a joint performance between a husband and wife: Jay-Z and Beyoncé here in Atlanta at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. On The Run (OTR) II was a display of black excellence from all aspects: musicianship, […]
One Nation Under The Groove: Funk
“A sensation… a universal feeling from another dimension” also known as Funk. In the late 1960s and early 1970s from Muddy Water Blues Funk music emerged. This genre originated in African American communities when black musicians created a highly rhythmic and danceable genre combining Soul, Jazz, and Rhythm & Blues. Funk developed during a period […]
A Slight Deviation: Classical Music
The Classical genre is a slight deviation amongst the other genres we’ve discussed because African Americans did not create it. In the Medieval period, the majority of music that was sung was in the form of plainchant or “Gregorian” chant. Plainchants are characterized as songs with a single melodic line, oftentimes without accompaniment. Gregorian chants […]
Tania Leon: Afro Latina Composer
Tania Leon is a world-renowned Afro Latina conductor, composer, educator, and advisor to the arts from Havana, Cuba. Leon studied at the National Conservatory in Cuba and later moved to New York City, New York. As far as compositions are concerned, Leon is no rookie. She has composed a classical opera called Scourge of Hyacinths, […]
I’ve Got The Blues
From deep southern, African American roots at the end of the 19th century, a musical genre that would become world-renowned was born: Blues. The Blues, invited by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves, developed from work songs, chants, field hollers, slave fiddles, and rural life. The Blues is “music with humble beginnings” (Barack Obama). This […]
Music and Social Justice: The Intersection a Response to Michael Eric Dyson’s Breakfast Club Interview
I am writing this post is in response of the Breakfast Club Interview with Michael Eric Dyson in which he discussed two things that I am very passionate about: music and social justice. Dyson spends the beginning of the interview discussing Beyoncé’s Grammy Award snub to Adele. As we all know, in 2017 Beyoncé lost […]
It’s Ragtime!
This groundbreaking musical genre, similarly too much other African American music, was born in southern churches; being that the first place many African Americans had access to pianos was the church. Although many Black musicians got their start in the church, this is a secular genre. In addition to churches, Ragtime was heavily influenced by […]
An Introduction to A Capella plus Rhythm: Jubilee Quartets
Negro Spirituals have had influence over every single American genre of music that is still performed today. One genre that was directly influenced by Negro Spirituals is the Jubilee Quartet, which began taking flight after the 1930s: the transitional period. Jubilee Quartets used similar content to Negro Spirituals but began slowly incorporating syncopated beats and […]
Negro Spirituals/ Folk Songs: What are they?
When the first group of 20 African slaves was brought to the United States in 1619, they brought instruments, rhythm, and music with them. Negro Spirituals are a fundamental part of the African American community’s DNA, but what is a Negro Spiritual? It is a song that is tightly liked to the slave’s African ancestry […]
Five Poppin’ Songs From 1928-1950
Nia Jackson 20 August 2018 Below I have comprised a list of five songs from the year 1928 to 1950 that I like because of their uniqueness, musicality, and influence over music produced in the current day. “Dark Was the Night”- Blind Willie Johnson – 1928 Often times when people cannot find words to express […]
Nia Jackson: An Introduction
My name is Nia Jackson and I am sophomore Psychology pre-law major from Little Rock, Arkansas. I am a lover of music. I generally listen to all genres except Screamo and Country. My family is comprised of avid music lovers as well so I have been exposed to many different artists across several genres. Currently, […]
