Tag Archives: Black History

The Source Black History Month Digital Cover: Hip-Hop is Black History

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Every year, February is marked as Black History Month as the nation remembers the efforts of our icons and legends that pushed forward the efforts of equality for Black people, created and led innovations that pushed forward American culture, and constructed lanes for future generations to strive in. Each of those sectors of Black achievement is scored by the music of our people, echoing the movements, culture, and trends of the time.

Black artists and musicians have influenced all facets of American culture. That’s the statement. That is a fact. Examine every cultural movement and dominant genre throughout history. There is a Black man or woman who serves in the space of a pioneer or delivers a piece or body of work that becomes instrumental to the time. Our music echoes slavery, reminding us of our heritage as we bellowed songs in crop fields to pass the time. Those songs would eventually serve as anthems of hope, chimes of spirituality, and methods to share our moments.

The Black music experience expands from the boastful range of vocal and creative genius inside of Beyoncé to the gospel greats like Albertina Walker and Shirley Caesar. The Motown majestic music of Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross & the Supremes and the genre-spanning genius inside Prince encapsulates us. We are the brilliant bars of 50 years of Hip-Hop born out of the Bronx house party hosted by DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, eventually giving us the generational ranging from Big Daddy Kane to JAY-Z to Kendrick Lamar.

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Black music is an evolution of our oppression. As we often do with the trials we are dealt with, Black people made something out of nothing. In the post-slavery era, Blues served as an arena to display emotions related to the circumstance. Talented voices and instrumentalists, many of which are iconic guitarists, created the first bridge for what would be an expansion of sound, the gateway to R&B, which also was a gateway to America as Black citizens who were long citizens of the south became migrants to other areas of the United States. Throughout that migration, the music would begin to expand in its representation. That representation carried through The Civil Rights Movement, where during the 1960s, Sam Cooke genuinely understood the time, Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” resonates in the hearts and souls of Black culture as strongly in 2023 as it did when it was first performed in a February 1964 episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” James Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” dropped in 1968 and became one of the most empowering anthems of all time. His command of “Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” resonates in the spirits of Black people today, as the Godfather of Soul’s memory lives on through musical lore, and is a fabric of the initial start of Hip-Hop.

The continued evolution of music led to the streets of New York City, where a sound was being crafted to define the next 50 years of music. Black Americans throughout the borough would all begin to explore the craft created at the rec room of the aforementioned Sedwick address on August 11, 1973.

Hip-hop history can be said to have its roots in the events on this day in 1973. At 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in New York City, what was supposed to be a summer party turned into the birthplace of hip-hop, one of the most significant musical phenomena of the 20th century. In the Bronx, the school was about to start, and Kool Herc’s sister, Cindy Campbell, was determined to be the flyest student on the first day. She feared being seen wearing a classmate from down the block’s blouse because she knew that all the other females in the neighborhood would likely be shopping at nearby shops. Without a job or wealthy parents who would allow her to make frivolous charges on their credit, Cindy was left to figure out how to sate her upscale tastes. She had the wonderful idea to have a back-to-school celebration in the community room of her Bronx apartment complex. The date was established after she hired her 16-year-old brother Clive, also known as DJ Kool Herc, to play the music. Cindy was looking to the Lower East Side boutiques to help her achieve her goal of having a distinctive outfit. Flyers for “A Kool Herc Party” with a $.25 cover for the ladies and a whopping $.50 for any fellas looking to have a good time were distributed all over the city on hand-drawn index cards. 300 people showed up on the night of the event to celebrate with Cindy and Kool Herc.

DJ Kool Herc wasn’t a well-known figure in the New York DJ scene prior to this evening. The city’s festivities in 1973 were still dominated by soul train lines and disco balls because B-Boys and breakbeats hadn’t yet made an appearance. Herc kept the crowd moving and the energy high by playing funk and soul tunes from The Jimmy Caster Bunch to live James Brown. The inaugural Kool Herc Party served as the catalyst for the hip-hop domino effect that followed.

It is well known that everything started in the recreation room of his building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. Still, The Black Door was another legendary location that played a crucial role in fostering Hip-Hop culture and NYC nightlife. The rap-focused hotspot, located at 1375 Prospect Avenue, became the designated gathering place for anyone interested in the thriving Bronx lifestyle. According to a report on the impact of Morissana by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the venue is now recognized as an official “Neighborhood Asset” even though the days when Black Door parties had the entire BX standing in line around the corner until almost sunrise to get in are long gone.

Take a look below for a quick profile on The Black Door, via NYC.gov:

In the mid-1970s, after DJ Kool Herc had begun spinning records in the Sedgwick Avenue Rec Room, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five began gigging at a small, new underground venue called “The Black Door.” It was a safe haven, near the schoolyards and abandoned buildings where Flash and his crew had won fans. “Lines used to stretch around the block” and “…we’d be opening the doors at 4 in the morning getting cursed out. ‘Flash, I’ve been standing out here forever tryin’ to get in!’”

The origin story of the genre alone highlights a reality too often evident in Black history, the desire to make something out of nothing.

The genre continues to evolve and grow. Initially, a fixture of house parties, rap pioneers like Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, and Sugarhill Gang took the reigns, offering words that reverberate throughout our ears to this day. Continuing Black music’s tradition of highlighting the times as Hip-Hop carried in the 1980s, rap music highlighted the scenes of rappers’ respective cities.

Within the 80s, 1988 to be exact, The Source Magazine was founded. Now in our 35th year, The Source has been a cultural hub of news, information, breaking news, artists, and in-depth content highlighting the energy figures and leading Black culture. Throughout its history, The Source became the No. 1 selling music magazine in America in 1999, released numerous albums, and more. In Black music history, The Source created the iconic The Source Awards, which held legendary moments ranging from Suge Knight’s “Come Over to Death Row” speech, Andre 3000 rallying southern Hip-Hop by letting the East and West know “The South got something to say” and more. The Source also changed how reviews were handled, creating the Five mic system and stamping albums like Ice Cube’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, De La Soul’s De La Soul is Dead, JAY-Z’s The Blueprint, and Scarface’s The Fix. With an ownership transition to The North Star Group, The Source looks to celebrate its 35th year through various activations, more historic covers, and reinvigorating The Source Awards brand by evoking the spirit of peace and prosperity.

Through outlets like The Source and Yo! MTV Raps the explosion of the genre across all areas of the country, was able to be shown. Continuing to make Black history, Hip-Hop groups like California’s N.W.A and New York’s Public Enemy used their styles of music to provide statements of Black power. N.W.A. helped usher in the era of Gangsta rap, creating political statements in their music, drawing from their own experiences. Brash in their delivery and showing no love for the police and authority, N.W.A. sparked controversy but was able to withstand to show both the power of Hip-Hop and the messaging it carries. Across the nation, Public Enemy’s message would also highlight the issues plaguing America through racism, but also the controlled narrative of the media, which made them and their Cali counterparts easy targets. Hip-Hop has long carried on the tradition of providing a message through music. As evident as the work of Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” of 2015, Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” of 2020, and YG’s 2016 controversial hit “FDT.”

Hip-Hop also has had its share of sad moments. The early life departure of our heroes Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Nipsey Hussle, Takeoff, Jam Master Jay, and more to violence, while health captured the likes of DMX, Coolio, Eazy E, we have often left with thoughts of what could have been. At the same time, we marvel at their greatness and the trends they set before they left us.

Black music is rooted in trends, not just the audio product, but the outpouring of the genre into other areas. Hip-Hop infused television, spawning shows like In Living Color and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the latter of the two can serve as a time capsule of 90’s Hip-Hop fashion. The trends in our daily wear continue to evolve; the transition in sneakers, jewelry, and trends of clothing choice are all derived from various genres of the Black music experience, especially in Hip-Hop. Skinny jeans and skateboards echo the early 2010 eras of Hip-Hop. Ball players desire to be rappers, and where they don’t excel on the mic, they find a way to bring the culture with them.

No matter where you go and what you experience, the DNA of it is Black, and that history is something that we all should continue to embrace. If you still need to, the A$AP’s “1 Train” has yet to leave.

The post The Source Black History Month Digital Cover: Hip-Hop is Black History appeared first on The Source.

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Black-Owned Bank Rolls Out Wakanda Salute Posing Harriet Tubman Card, Clowned Relentlessly

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Source: urbazon / Getty

Black History Month is always a welcome time to learn about our great historical figures, but one bank is getting a somewhat harsh lesson on the proper use of the imagery of our ancestors. Black-owned OneUnited Bank has debuted a card that features the great Harriet Tubman in a pose that should be familiar to many,  but some folks on Twitter have noted that the use of the Underground Railroad conductor’s image in this fashion is the opposite of Black excellence.

According to the bank’s website, the limited-edition Harriet Tubman debit Visa card is part of the company’s intention to celebrate Black History Month. OneUnited commissioned Miami, Fla. artist Addonis Parker to deliver a painting of Tubman doing the Wakanda salute from Black Panther for the card’s front image.

OneUnited writes of the card, “Harriet Tubman not only escaped slavery, she made nineteen missions to bring 300 others, including family and friends, to freedom. She also served as an armed scout for the Union Army and was an activist in the struggle for women’s voting rights. Given her profound impact on American history, she deserves to be placed on the $20 bill.”

The site goes on to note that the card is part of a larger Black History Month initiative and to promote two related campaigns in #BankBlack and #BuyBlack along with a “Right To Vote” programming schedule lined up.

Via Twitter, OneUnited, which is located in Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston, endured some harsh criticism from folks who believe that the idea of Tubman’s image being used wasn’t exactly the best choice.

We’ve included some of those replies below.

Photo: Getty

Source: HipHopWired.com

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Nas to Perform ‘Illmatic’ With Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Nas’s Illmatic is still the holy grail of Hip-Hop albums 25 years after its initial release. Young “Nasty” Nas literally transformed the rap game and things were never the same. Just last year, on Great Performances — Nas Live From the Kennedy Center: Classical Hip-Hop, Nas performed Illmatic in Washington D.C., accompanied by an orchestra. The Queensbridge MC must have really enjoyed because he set to perform once again with a full orchestra.

Now, it has been reported by Okayplayer that Nas will perform tracks from Illmatic backed by the Detroit Orchestra. The Detroit Pistons announced today that Nas will perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) in conjunction with the Detroit Pistons Black History Month festivities at Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center on March 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit programs that stem from the Detroit Pistons partnership with the DSO and the Sphinx Organization, which provides opportunities to young African-American and Latino string players to develop and showcase their talents in the communities they serve.  The Detroit-based national organization identifies, recognizes, rewards and nurtures young and talented musicians of color while making classical music accessible and relatable to diverse audiences.

Tickets to Nas – with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and presented by the Detroit Pistons go on-sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 26 and are available online at Ticketmaster.com.

The post Nas to Perform ‘Illmatic’ With Detroit Symphony Orchestra appeared first on The Source.

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Nike Unveils Black History Month 2019 Collection [Photos]

NIKE BLACK HISTORY MONTH COLLECTION

Source: NIKE / NIke

Nike is celebrating African American culture to start of 2019. The sportswear giant will be releasing a drop that will help consumers embrace their heritage.

As part of a yearly initiative Nike will be releasing a Black History Month themed collection. According to the formal press release the designs were inspired “by an assortment of national African patterns, brought together onto modernized prints in a theme of Afro-futurism in sport.”

The set will include some of Nike’s most classic and sought after basketball models including the Lebron 15’s, Kyrie 5’s and Air Jordan 1’s. Staying in line with the celebratory theme the sneakers feature Afrocentric detailing including a very generous use of kente cloth accents and branding of applicable words such as “Equality”.

NIKE BLACK HISTORY MONTH COLLECTION

Source: NIKE / NIke

Senior Creative Director for Nike Basketball Jonathan Johnsongriffin detailed how the collection aligns with the modern athlete. “In sport, there’s a movement happening where athletes are inviting others to discover the full side of who they are, through finding their voices and improving their communities,” he says. “We wanted that movement to inspire this year’s design.”

Aside from the limited-edition shoes Nike also announced they are launching the Future Varsity program, which provides leadership training to 14 young African Americans who are creating positive change in their communities. The participants will be paired with mentors from within and outside of Nike to help advance their causes (their projects range from organizing charity basketball tournaments in Chicago to providing nutrition education to youth in New York City). Programming is set to kick off on Friday, January 18 in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can view more of the Black History Month collection below.

Photo: NIKE

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