Today is June 7th, a day that in some people’s minds should be declared a national musical holiday. Yes, as Prince fans worldwide know, it’s Prince‘s 55th birthday! Although the converted Jehovah’s Witness no longer celebrates his birthday, we’re willing to get the party started on his behalf. We LOVE Prince over here and we […]
Despite the tragic loss of Kriss Kross rapper Chris Kelly, Jermaine Dupri and So So Def, celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this year, will go on. Dupri will bring all of the acts that made his label great to the Tom Joyner Family Reunion in Orlando, Florida Labor Day Weekend August 29 – September 2. Da […]
Writer/producer/cultural critic Nelson George is an expert on Black Music given his long career as a critic covering the Black music scene. He is the former black music editor at Billboard magazine, a job that propelled him onto the front lines of a new genre that we all now know as hip-hop. He talked to the Tom […]
As we do this time every year, we celebrate Black Music Month with special articles, photo galleries, listening parties and more. This year, we’re adding a fun twist – we’re including you in the process as we determine the “Best Of” in several categories – Best Male R&B Artist of All Time, Best Female R&B […]
June is Black Music Month and there’s a whole lot going on. Not only are our contributions to music being celebrated worldwide, June is the month a lot of your favorite musicians were brought into the world. Here’s our calendar of the month’s hottest musical events and a look at which musicians are blowing out birthday candles […]
. Crooner Joe Thomas knows how to please the ladies. At least with his music, the rest, only his personal friends can say for sure. The still single balladeer with the ordinary name has been making extraordinary music for years. His latest project “Doubleback: The Evolution of R&B” will hit the streets on July 2. […]
It’s the last week of Black Music Month and we’ve saved the best for last. We’ve recorded your votes and chosen the Best R&B Male – Marvin Gaye. Your votes gave us the best R&B Female – Whitney Houston – and the Best R&B Love Song -“Always and Forever.” Now we want you to choose […]
Dyana Williams wears a variety of hats. The celebrity strategist and ambassadress of Black music, who has worked with Rihanna, T.I. Fantasia, Erykah Badu, Faith Evans, Justin Bieber, Mary Mary and many others, is also an in-demand speaker, MC and the host of Old School 100.3’s “Soulful Sunday” radio program. Williams also ran an international […]
On June 7, 1979, I had the pleasure of attending the first Black Music Month celebration on the lawn of the White House, hosted by President Jimmy Carter. It was a lovely picnic gathering with an illustrious audience of music industry professionals, including Chuck Berry, Andre Crouch and other prominent artists of the day, who […]
He was born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York, but the world knows him better as Jay-Z. At the time when he chose the moniker that would make him famous, Carter had no idea it would become a household name around the world. But then, who would have imagined that hip-hop could make it […]
Usher Raymond IV may have been born to sing. As a youngster, he sang in the choir, and as his family watched his talent develop, they made what would be a fateful decision – to move from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia, where a more fertile music scene was growing. Turns out his family was […]
It was the hottest single of 2000s. Its video made Kanye West the most hated man in America. Though, at first, it seemed just a catchy pop song, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” turned out to be so much more. From the single ladies of America who could relate to its message […]
