June not only holds the heavy holiday we call Juneteenth, but it’s also Black Music Month. It was first created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and hasn’t been too prominent until a few years ago. I love this time of the year, not only because it’s summer break, but because I get to celebrate the genre that shaped my whole life. Don’t get it twisted though… one month has never stopped me from appreciating black music all year round!
Music has been my whole life, from watching my grandma and mom direct the choir growing up, to being in a choir, to participating in a band in both middle school and high school, and to being in a choir in college (In His Presence Gospel Choir). My love for music grew much more when I took an African American music appreciation class at Wright State University with the late Dr. Brenda Ellis.
As black folk, we are encouraged to celebrate our blackness 365 days per year. (As we should!) With certain holidays throughout the year, I like to think of it as receiving reminders: MLK Day, Black History Month in February, Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, etc. Consider this your reminder: it’s Black Music Month!
Black Music Month Challenge in June
Well, it’s that time of the year again when I do a June challenge. For some reason, I always wanna do some kind of challenge in June: blog, music, journaling, etc. In this case, a black music month challenge made by Naima Cochrane took my interest yet again. This will be year 3 for me and I enjoy it every year. It always leaves me with nostalgia, remembering where I was when I first heard it. I even find myself thinking of songs that don’t go with the challenge. I did it on Twitter and in my Instagram stories. (If you follow me on Instagram, they are still there under my highlights.) So here they are!
Day 1: A song you love, but very few people seem to know. This one was a tough one. I’ll have to go with “Ready Enough” by Sidibe. I just learned about the songs last year I believe and I love it. It gives me 1980s meeting today’s music.
Day 2: A song you sang with all your heart but ain’t know nothing about. As years continue to add to my adulthood, I always find myself discovering the true meaning of certain songs that I listened to growing up or at least heard on the radio one too many times. “Too Close” by NEXT was DEFINITELY one of them! I had NO BUSINESS singing it as a kid. I was also reminded of “Rock the Boat” by Aaliyah.
Day 3: Your favorite R&B album Interlude. This was ROUGH because it’s been a while since I’ve heard an interlude! I’m going with “Sexy-Interlude” from TLC’s Crazysexycool album. This was too funny to me. Honorable mentions are “Pleasure – Interlude” by Trey Songz and “Anything” by SWV (from their album, It’s About Time)
Day 4: Your favorite live version of a song. Whew! I absolutely love live music and it’s my guilty pleasure. So I can’t pick just ONE song to be a favorite!
1. Any Earth Wind & Fire song will do.
2. “Déjà Vu (Homecoming)” by Beyoncé
3. J Cole’s WHOLE Forest Hills Drive: Live
4. “Angel” by Lalah Hathaway
Day 5: Your favorite rap skit. Not going to lie, there aren’t too many rap skits that I remember off the top of my head. So I went with “Skit #1” from Kanye West’s album, Late Registration. “Broke Phi Broke! We ain’t got it!”
Day 6: Your favorite Gospel/Inspirational song on a secular album. Honestly, I don’t gravitate toward those songs. Technically, I don’t have a favorite. “Jesus is Love” by the Commodores is a very strong like tho lol.
Day 7: A gospel song that rocks like a secular jam. A lot of Kirk Franklin songs EARLY in his career.
1. “Addictive Love” by Bebe & Cece Winans.
2. Many songs by Mary Mary.
3. “Love Him Like I Do” by Deitrick Haddon.
4. “A Closer Walk” by Fred Hammond.
5. “Better” by Kierra Sheard.
6. “Adulting” by Jonathan McReynolds.
7. “Positive” by Erica Campbell.
Etc.
BABY, my list is endless! Basically what Thomas A. Dorsey did.
Day 8: A Song That Wasn’t About What You Thought it Was About. “Stairway to Heaven” by the O’Jays. My mom told me this a loooong time ago. And to think that people were singing it in churches!
Day 9: An album cut that should have been a single. I will stand on this hill alone if I have to!
1. “Made to be Together” by Trey Songz.
2. “Don’t Fight the Feeling” by Day26.
3. “Like the Weather” by Musiq Soulchild.
4. “Mercy” by The Walls Group.
5. “WKND” by Ledisi.
Day 10: A song you know every adlib, run, vamp, and vocalization. There are a few, so I’ll just name three.
1. “Let Me Love You” by Mario.
2. “Damage” by Chris Brown.
3. “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Day26.
Day 11: A song that everyone else loves but you hate. Okay… I won’t choose the one I posted last year. This year, I’ll say “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye. I want to gag every time I hear it. Why? Because I think of two old people having sex.
Day 12: Your problematic fave… even at your big age. Ummm… I have quite a bit of those… lol! To prevent you from getting a heart attack, I’ll just name three.
1. “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill
2. “B**** Better Have My Money” by Rihanna
3. “Knuck if You Buck” by Crime Mob
Day 13: The first song you remember dedicating to someone, or someone dedicating to you. “Details” by Jacob Latimore. I won’t go any further lol. The person knows. Another will be “You Are the Sunshine of my Life” by Stevie Wonder. My dad and I danced to this song during my Debutante Ball (2009).
Day 14: A remix that made you forget the original. “Finesse (Remix)” by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B. I will listen to this and get hype as if I heard it for the first time.
Day 15: A song that makes you believe in love for that moment. FYI, I believe in love period. These songs do it for me every time, giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling. They get it!
1. “Into You” by Tamia ft. Fabolous
2. “Love U 4 Life” by Jodeci
3. “We Can’t be Friends” by Deborah Cox ft. R.L.
4. “Like the Weather” by Musiq Soulchild
Day 16: The sexiest song you know. Again… I can’t choose just one!!! They make me want to catwalk around my room 🙂
1. “Anytime, Anyplace” by Janet Jackson
2. “Funny How Time Flies” by Janet Jackson
3. “Pressure” by Ari Lennox
4. “Secret Garden” by Quincy Jones
5. “Before Dark” by Such
Day 17: A song that’s your safe space. “I Need a Word” by Smokie Norful. This song brought me through a lot of tough times. It does it for me every time. I can’t help but think about what I was going through when I hear the song. Although I still go through tough times, I am grateful that God brings me out!
Day 18: A song makes you feel like a rap star. I mean like a full rapper with the invisible mic. I have only three that came to mind.
1. “Finesse (Remix)” by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B.
2. “Crying Out for Me (Remix)” by Mario ft. Lil’ Wayne
3. “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill
Day 19: Name the blackest song you know. There are many songs that I feel are super black, like “Say it Loud” by James Brown and the “Lift Every Voice” by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson. (If you’re black and don’t know those songs, then where on earth have you been???) There is one that I think not many people would think of, and that is “Optimistic” by Sounds of Blackness. A current song would be “Black Folk” by Tank and the Bangas.
Day 20: A cover that is better than the original. Not going to lie, I was reminded that Luther Vandross did a lot of cover songs, a lot more than I anticipated! I love his music… but I didn’t think of Luther when I was thinking of songs. Here are two songs.
1. “I’m Going Down” by Mary J. Blige
2. “Angel” by Lalah Hathaway
Day 21: Your favorite song with a whole a** monologue in the music. “‘Cause I Love You” by Lenny Williams. I don’t know the whole thing by heart, but you have to admit it. He gave a WHOLE Ted Talk! “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men is another one!
Day 22: A song dedicated to your haters and naysayers. “Hate on Me” by Jill Scott. That’s the only song. That’s it… well… there is “F*** You” by Cee Lo Green. If I’m honest, I don’t acknowledge my hater. I don’t know who they are and I don’t care to know. My life is peaceful that way. So these particular songs are fun to sing.
Day 23: You still remember the very first time you heard this song. “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” by Mint Condition. The first time I heard this song was by playing it in the marching band. It was my favorite song to play. Mint Condition is one of my favorite bands to this day.
Day 24: This song aged terribly. “Unbreakable” by Alicia Keys. Listen, she was inspired by wanting a love based on couples who aren’t together anymore, are divorced, and are problematic to people in the public eye.
Day 25: Your favorite song from a male R&B group/band. I loved listening to boybands growing up. My first encounter was listening to N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys at around 8 years old. I’ve been obsessed ever since. The first black boyband that I paid attention to was B2K in my preteens. I thank being in the marching band (high school) for opening my musical pallet to other people. As I grew, I loved listening to Day 26, Mint Condition, The Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, etc. I was obsessed with the Making the Band era in my teenage years. (Thanks Diddy, I guess.) “That’s the Way of the World” by Earth Wind & Fire immediately comes to mind!
Honorable Mentions:
1. Day 26 – “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “Don’t Fight the Feeling”
2. Mint Condition – “Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” and “You Send Me Swinging”
3. The Temptations – “Treat Her Like a Lady” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”
4. B2K – “Everything” and “Why I Love You”
5. B5 – “You Got Me”
Day 26: Your favorite song from a female R&B group/band. Not to retype what I already wrote for Day 25, my first girl band was The Spice Girls. Y’all, I love Spice World growing up. I’ll still watch it to this day. My first girl group was SWV. A childhood friend/lil-sister had the CD It’s About Time and burned it for me. I played that CD OUT you hear me?! Eventually, I discovered TLC, Xscape, Blaque, Brownstone, etc. “Right Here (Human Nature)” by SWV is one of my favorite songs!
Honorable Mentions:
1. Brownstone – “If You Love Me “
2. TLC – “Red Light Special”
3. Blaque – “I’m Good”
Day 27: A song that gets you on the dancefloor (or the club furniture). Any song with a beat will get me to dance. But if you want me on the dancefloor, “Da’ Butt” by Experience Unlimited will get me! AN honorable mention is that any line dance will get me to the dancefloor.
Day 28: Your favorite rap/sung collaboration. I have five…
1. “Finesse (Remix)” by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B
2. “Into You” by Tamia ft. Fabolous
3. “Deja Vu” by Beyonce ft. Jay-Z
4. “Come Close” by Common & MJB
5. “U Know What’s Up” by Donnell Jones ft. Left Eye
Day 29: If you had to put together a talent show routine TODAY, you’d pick this song. I along with childhood friends used to make up dance moves. Then we would perform them in front of our parents lol. Did anyone else do that?! Wow, what a time to be alive. I think that’s what helped me through those random praise dances at church (don’t ask lol), marching band, and my Debutante Ball. If I were to pick a song, then I think I’ll go with “If It Isn’t Love” by New Edition. An honorable mention would be “Jesus is the Reason For The Season” by Kirk Franklin lol.
Day 30: An original song you ended up loving more than the sample. I’m not going to lie… this one was TOUGH! Like, I couldn’t come up with one at all. But it finally hit me: “Lately” by Tyrese. He came out with this song back in 1998, and it’s one of my favorite songs. Anita Baker came out with her rendition in 2012, and although I like her spin on it, I still like Tyrese’s better… *Kanye shrugs* I do remember them eventually singing it together, which was very sweet.
Naima just announced today that she will be extending the challenge for the rest of the summer. The prompts won’t be every day; rather, it’ll be a weekly prompt to start a conversation. I look forward to what the prompts will be! I love music too much not to participate. Plus, it has been one of the highlights of my summer break so far.
So what would you have picked? I’d love to know! My previous songs for this challenge can be found here.
What Has My Music Pallet Been Looking Like Lately?
What’s My Latest Discovery?
- Alex Isley – Marigold. I’m obsessed with this album. It’s so soothing. Plus, I love Alex Isley and her music.
- Tank and the Bangas – Red Balloon. I discovered them when they hopped on Donald Lawrence Goshen album. But I haven’t given them a chance until this year when I heard they were coming out with a new album. My favorite song on the album is “Black Folk.”
- Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. I like it! It’s very thought-provoking. I had to listen to it twice to get the experience again. My favorite songs are “We Cry Together,” “Savior,” and “Mirror.”
Do you have any albums I should check out? Let me know!
Take care!
