BLACK HISTORY MONTH

From ‘Fresh Prince’ To ‘The Vince Staples Show,’ How Hip-Hop Has Pushed The Boundaries Of Black TV

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hip hop television
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

In a recent interview about his new Netflix series, The Vince Staples Show, the Long Beach rapper gave a profound answer to what seemed on the surface to be a relatively straightforward question. “Every character is you,” he said. “I think that’s what gives us nuance.”

Now, he was responding to a question about how his show character — who is ostensibly a fictionalized version of himself — differs from the genuine article. But the thing is, his answer could be applied more broadly — not just to Vince Staples, or even to any actor/character combination, but to the very idea of representation itself.

We love TV because we see ourselves in the characters and situations onscreen. This is what gives those depictions their authenticity, what pulls us in, what engages us. This goes doubly for Black folks, who so rarely see ourselves and our lives onscreen that practically any representation can feel like a breath of fresh air.

Hip-hop, which marked its “official” 50th birthday last year, has had a profound effect on that representation. These days, Black audiences see themselves most clearly in boundary-pushing shows like The Vince Staples Show and Atlanta, but those shows are only the latest in a proud lineage of Black TV shows that wear their hip-hop influences on their sleeves.

Shows like The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Living Single proved our favorite musicians could transition to screen stardom, while shows like Empire and The Breaks followed the behind-the-scenes inner workings of the business of hip-hop music (with an engrossing helping of drama to help them along), as shows like The Rap Game and Rhythm + Flow offered a path to stardom for real-life aspirants. A few years ago, I wrote about the hip-hop sketch comedy shows that also gave the culture a greater platform.

From Fresh Prince to Vince Staples, here’s a look at how hip-hop has pushed the boundaries of Black TV.

Sitcoms

In many ways, hip-hop’s legacy of extending the boundaries of television started with sitcoms (there’s a reason the title of this piece marks those two shows as bookends). Will Smith, the titular Fresh Prince of Bel Air, was the first rapper with a regular role in a scripted TV series, let alone a starring one. While it was the existing stardom from his and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s first album Rock The House that got his foot in the door, it was his acting chops that proved he belonged in Hollywood — and helped open the door for future rappers turned sitcom stars like Queen Latifah (Living Single), LL Cool J (In The House), Eve (who had her own eponymous show in 2003), Kid Cudi (How To Make It In America), and even Method Man and Redman (Method & Red, which ran for one truncated season on Fox in 2004).

The groundwork these shows laid allowed for the newer, more experimental approaches of shows like Atlanta and The Vince Staples Show, which drew inspiration from more offbeat shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, but paired them with hip-hop sensibilities. Atlanta, for instance, takes sharp detours in format and setting, sometimes opting for documentary-style episodes or standalone anthologies, which have been praised for moving not just Black TV but television as a whole forward.

Drama

The golden laurels for putting hip-hop on TV in a drama format almost certainly go to Empire, which took the dysfunctional family workings of classic soap operas like Dynasty and updated them to suit the trappings and lifestyle of a successful entertainment family, complete with a patriarch with a lengthy rap sheet. You can see shades of Succession, as well as star turns from both aspiring and established rappers. No doubt, the show’s success (including a slew of primetime Emmy Award nominations) opened the door for future network TV swings such as Queens. The theme of sisterhood from the latter carries over to Rap Sh!t, which chronicled the rags-to-riches story of a Miami rap duo inspired by City Girls.

Meanwhile, hip-hop’s fertile 50-year history offers a wealth of fascinating stories about its birth (The Get Down), development (The Breaks), and the biographies of some of his biggest stars (Wu-Tang: An American Saga). Meanwhile, rapper-turned-mogul 50 Cent has built an entire cinematic universe, Power, filling it with rappers like Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Freddie Gibbs, and Joey Badass.

Competition

Naturally, with the popularity of musical competitions like American Idol and The Voice, similar competition shows would focus on hip-hop, as the odds of succeeding on other shows can be slim (The X Factor eliminated teen rapper Astro, who nevertheless went on to have a solid film and TV career himself, including initially being cast on Euphoria, although he later turned the role down). One of the first rap-focused shows was 2003’s The Next Episode, which was produced by Showtime and Interscope Records to take advantage of the fervor surrounding Eminem’s film debut 8 Mile.

And while that show’s results would prove less than satisfactory, future efforts have produced genuine stars. Jermaine Dupri’s The Rap Game, which aired on Lifetime from 2016-2019, is notable for launching the career of Latto, as well as featuring future standouts like Flau’Jae. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Rhythm+Flow saw the rise and breakout of D Smoke, who went on to receive a Grammy nomination for his debut album Black Habits. The show is set to return in 2024.

Reality

As much as reality shows are looked down on as “trash TV,” there’s no denying their popularity — or their ability to share details of our favorite entertainers’ lives. Growing Up Hip Hop chronicles the lives of second-generation hip-hop stars, while a whole bunch of stars, from Snoop Dogg to Rev Run, have their own shows about their respective family lives and the often wholesome bonds that maintain them throughout their hectic lives.

Of course, no hip-hop reality show is better known or more engrossing than Love & Hip-Hop, the long-running series chronicling the ins and outs of romance in the rap scenes of several major cities. While many come for the mess, the show is responsible — at least in part — for the rise of one of the most notable names in rap: Cardi B, who spent several seasons in the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York, becoming a breakout fan favorite and giving her the launching platform for one of the most successful careers in rap for a woman ever.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Do We Still Need Genre? On SZA, Beyoncé, And The Marketing Of ‘Black’ Music

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SZA
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Look up the term “genre” in regards to music, and you’re likely to land on a straightforward definition. Merriam-Webster refers to it as a category of artistic musical or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content — a description that leaves little to the imagination. When it comes to the reality of genre in the overall music landscape, however, the connotation is a bit more complicated.

Back when popular music first hit radio airwaves, “genre” quickly became more than just a simple characteristic of sound. Instead, it became a way to determine what listeners of certain frequencies might want to listen to, often based on which personal characteristics of the musicians programmers thought they’d relate to. That marketing of music placed artists into neat little boxes, some based on racist categorization of artists, with little thought to the style, form, or content of their music. One example of these musical microaggressions was Tina Turner’s 1966 song, “River Deep — Mountain High.” The seismic pop number was pushed out of radio play because — as her ex-partner and producer Ike Turner revealed in the HBO documentary Tina — it was “too white for Black jockeys and too Black for white jockeys.”

Unfortunately, five decades later, as seen in the 2024 Grammys ceremony, that problem reared its head again. This time. SZA, an artist whose sound falls into alternative, pop, and R&B categories depending on the track, scooped up multiple wins in the R&B category, snagging Best R&B Song for “Snooze” and Best R&B Album for SOS. The same juxtaposition of hip-hop-inspired lyrical delivery with melodic harmonies is present in another album track, “Ghost In The Machine” featuring indie genius Phoebe Bridgers, but that song was relocated to a “pop” category and picked up the Grammy Award Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Does one alternative rock artist plus one R&B artist equal a pop duo? What was it about that song in comparison to every other song on SZA’s SOS that relegated it to pop?

The categorization confusion hasn’t been lost on SZA, who told Alternative Press last year that the lack of R&B sounds on her latest album initially confused fans. “I definitely felt like half of the people [were] like, ‘I wish this was R&B, and it’s not, and I hate it.’ And I was like, ‘Aww, I’m sorry, but also I don’t know…’ It is what it is,” she said, adding, “Sometimes you can’t fault people for putting you in a box if you don’t at least show them, and I definitely had to take responsibility for showing people who I was.”

She also told Consequence in 2022, that she was “so tired of being pegged as [an] R&B artist.” “I feel like that’s super disrespectful because people are just like, ‘Oh, ’cause you’re Black, this is what you have to be’ — like, put in a box. And I hate that,” she added. She went on to say that she found the label “lazy” and that although she loved making “Black music, period,” that didn’t mean that Black music unequivocally meant R&B. “We started rock ‘n’ roll,” she said. “Why can’t we just be expansive and not reductive?” SOS debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, proving that fans, even the ones who may have been surprised by her direction, could handle an album that traveled into gospel, grunge, pop-punk, and rap soundscapes fearlessly.

There’s an energy in the industry that does seem to be moving in diverse, expansive, and less reductive directions. Take, for instance, women sweeping most wins in major categories at the Grammys this year or Paramore becoming the first female-fronted band to win the award for Best Rock Album. There were also the predictions of SZA making history with SOS and hopes that she’d pick up the Best Album of The Year award, making her the first Black woman in 25 years to do so. All the signs were there: a record-breaking, 10-week No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 (marking the longest-running No. 1 album released by a woman in nearly seven years), 11 billion streams (and counting), and groundbreaking moments like her No. 1 hit “Kill Bill.” Fellow record-breaker Taylor Swift took home the ultimate win that night with her album Midnights, which also nabbed her the win for Best Pop Vocal Album. Despite Swift getting her start in country music, she’s had little issue shifting her category of genre, and with it, the associated radio stations and Grammy categorizations. Is this something allotted to all artists? What is it about SZA’s sound that doesn’t allow the same level of sonic shapeshifting?

Speaking of country and sonic shapeshifting, Beyoncé is currently ramping up to release an album filled with so much twang, so much aesthetically oversized cowboy paraphernalia, that it’s hard to keep a straight face while saying the album will be pop and not country. In fact, many fans, catching wind of the R&B, hip-hop, and definitely pop superstar being pushed off of country radio play called into stations, asking why the star’s two tracks “Texas Hold ‘Em’” and “16 Carriages” weren’t hitting the airwaves. When Oklahoma’s country music station KYKC decided not to play Beyoncé’s new songs, one fan who reached out received the response that the station wouldn’t be playing the track because “we are a country music station.” But when the Beyhive reached out to the station, they added it to the rotation. Now, both tracks are dominating the Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em” at No. 1 and “16 Carriages” at No. 9.

The idea of genre as an appropriate categorization of music is being challenged with each passing release week. Still, non-Black artists can move into new sonic territory with an ease not given to their Black counterparts. It’s an unfair limitation that impacts sales, accolades, and promotions, barring these artists from access to larger, more diverse audiences. It also denies those fans the opportunity to be exposed to groundbreaking artists.

So maybe the issue of genre categorization based on race could be solved by an outpouring of disgruntled fans like the Beyhive calling it out or an artist like SZA blatantly stating the obvious when it comes to the alternative leanings of their sound. Perhaps it’s something that can be dismantled as we shine a light on the issue itself, and demand better fitting alternatives.

Or maybe genre itself has become an archaic way of describing music, limiting multi-faceted artists who’ve already pushed past the limitations forced on them from marketing and categorization, because much like SZA recently said herself via X, “I’m complicated and aware it can be annoying. So grateful for those that take time to learn me love me and accept me.” Maybe we all just have more learning to do.

Today In Black History: Civil Rights Icon Malcolm X Is Assassinated 59 Years Ago

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Malcolm X

59 years ago today, February 21, 1965, the civil rights activist and leader, Malcolm X, was murdered at 39 years of age. Three men from the Nation of Islam, Thomas Hagan, Norman Butler and Thomas Johnson, were all charged with the Malcolm’s death, yet only Hagan confessed while the other two maintained their innocence. He was killed as he began speaking during the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem right in front of his wife and children.

Just one week prior to his assassination, attackers threw Molotov cocktails into his home in East Elmhurst, Queens and started a fire. He made a statement to the New York Daily News at the time of the attack:

“It could have been done by any one of many. I’m not surprised that it was done. It doesn’t frighten me…it doesn’t quiet me down in any way or shut me up.”

He received several death threats from the Nation of Islam, yet there are theories that there was more to his murder since it was known that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had ordered close surveillance watching Malcolm’s every move for quite some time.

As we commemorate the death of the influential leader Malcolm X, during this Black History Month, let us not forget what great strides have been taken and must continue to be made for the freedom of Black people in America.

The post Today In Black History: Civil Rights Icon Malcolm X Is Assassinated 59 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Black History: Civil Rights Icon Malcolm X Is Assassinated 59 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

The Latest ‘Wom/n Worldwide’ Pays Tribute To Women In The Arts For Black History Month

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Black History Month is here and, for the latest episode of Wom/n Worldwide, we’re celebrating the record-setting achievements of Black women in music and entertainment that you should know about.

Over the last few years, the pages of the her-story books have been filled with several notable entries from Black women across the arts. From music to TV and, of course, movies, host Drew Dorsey pays tribute to these awe-inspiring trailblazers kicking down doors throughout the industry.

In this episode, we honor icons like Jennifer Hudson and Viola Davis for their recent entry into the exclusive EGOT club, but these phenomenal women aren’t the only onscreen powerhouses that take centerstage. Dorsey also shines the spotlight on TV stars Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, and Niecy Nash-Betts.

And the flower-giving didn’t stop there. We couldn’t miss out on marking the streaming and charting history set by SZA’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, SOS, or the impressive feat Nicki Minaj’s long-awaited Pink Friday 2 album accomplished for women in rap music. What about the sheer dominance Beyoncé has shown at the Grammy Awards? Yes, Dorsey dives into that, too, along with a few sweet caveats about Queen Bey’s culture-shifting album, Renaissance.

Check out the full episode above.

From ‘One Love’ To ‘One Dance’: The Erasure Of Reggae Music’s Social And Political Commentary Roots

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Bob Marley Drake
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Without question, Jamaica’s greatest export is reggae music, as embodied by the genre icon Bob Marley. Even if you’ve never had the fortune to visit the Caribbean country, Marley’s influence can be felt around the globe. Regardless of the genre, the late musician’s groundbreaking discography is the undercurrent for some of the world’s biggest acts, including Burna Boy, Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, Nas, Stevie Wonder, and The Police.

In Paramount Pictures’ biopic Bob Marley: One Love, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir (as Bob Marley) and Lashana Lynch (as Rita Marley), audiences are reminded of Marley’s musical greatness. However, the overlooked takeaway from the film is the cultural significance of reggae music. Born out of multiple diasporic sounds (mainly ska, rocksteady, and calypso), its mento (folk) core is what curated the art form into a calling card specific to the people of Jamaica.

As was the case for hip-hop, reggae’s rise had everything to do with its alluring instrumentation as well as the profoundly political and social commentary heard throughout each record’s lyrics. Somewhere along the way, that rebel spirit has been lost (or at least on the mainstream front). So, how did the genre go from Bob Marley And The Wailers’ 1977 version of “One Love” to Drake’s “One Dance” in 2016? Similar to the music itself, the answer to this question is quite layered. The decentering of religious obligations, commodification of Jamaican culture, and leniency of gatekeepers have all contributed to the erasure of reggae music’s social & political commentary roots.

First, you must examine Marley, the man and musician, to dissect why he’s revered around the globe. The person behind those poetic pieces was a spiritually rich man far before his tangible wealth set in. In journalist Vivien Goldman’s 2006 The Book Of Exodus, she recounted one of her many conversations with Marley before his death, where he detailed his faith journey into Rastafarianism. Having a vision of Jah (God) in 1966 while living in America prompted him to return to Jamaica “with a clear vision” of his life’s purpose. Marley’s unwavering tether to his religious obligations led him to inherit the moral responsibilities of a messenger.

Reggae or, as he referred to it, “the king’s music” (quoted by Timothy White in his 1983 biography, Catch A Fire: The Life Of Bob Marley), each time Marley touched a microphone, his duties were to lead his people toward’s God favor pushing back against the wickedness in the world. With Dancehall being the dominant sound coming out of Jamaica presently, long gone are the days when reggae acts could break through for simply speaking truth to power. To borrow a line from the 1993 film Menace II Society, ‘Don’t nobody wanna hear that sh*t, Sharif.’ Well, unless you count Koffee (the youngest musician to win a Grammy in the reggae category). That’s not to say that rising stars Byron Messia, Jada Kingdom, or Dexta Daps don’t sprinkle spirituality into their music. It’s just not their primary focus. Nor does it pick up steam outside the country’s parishes in days past.

The commodification of Jamaican culture has played the most significant role in the erasure of reggae music’s social & political commentary roots. Globalization is a b*tch. As quickly as Marley’s music traveled, so did the industry’s urge to convert this newly found popularity into a steady income stream. From labels’ rush to extract reggae’s musicality (native instruments, production techniques, etc.) to companies’ mass production of “Rasta-inspired” tchotchkes, an influx of items hit the market to give those obsessed with the country’s superstars a piece of Jamaica on-demand.

We’re not talking just about the white tourist wearing tams with faux dreadlocks (zatavi) crocheted into them. Most certainly, it includes non-natives cosplaying cultural ambiguity. This ushers in the music industry question equivalent of whether Black folks can or can not be racist. So, can Black people appropriate other sectors of Black culture? When you boil it down to semantics, the answer is no. But are Black people (including bi-racial or multi-racial) often seen exploiting Caribbean cultures in stereotypical ways? The answer is, without a shadow of a doubt, yes. Is reggae music a monolith? No. But it’s okay to admit that we’re losing the plot.

Rihanna’s 2005 “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want” to 2009 “Rude Boy” pipeline isn’t precisely how reggae music was intended to evolve, but does that mean it should be stripped from the rolling credits? Drake’s “One Dance” is inspired by reggae music. This development is a game of telephone set to music where the subject matter drastically changes, and the instrumentation refuses to give in to eroding. What happens when the money means more than the message? I don’t know. Ask hip-hop.

Its gatekeepers were the last line of defense in reggae music to retain its social & political commentary roots. Unfortunately, their leniency inadvertently contributed to the genre’s now dull bite. When talking about music families, there’s no one above the Marleys in reggae. Starting with the paternal figures to the children and now grandchildren (hi, Skip), several generations of the Marley bloodline carry the torch both in the booth and label boardrooms. Other key players, including producers, songwriters, DJs, and more, continually fuel the genre’s progression on the ground in Jamaica.

Still, as far back as the 1990s, the barrier enforced based on socioeconomic upbringing nearly pushed Sean Paul out of music. In a 2022 documentary with Vice, Paul confessed that during the early days of his career, he desperately wanted to make “cultural records” that spoke to the economic and living conditions of Jamaica’s ghettos harkening to reggae’s foundation. However, producer Jeremy Harding (one of the most impactful music professionals in reggae) advised against it. “[Harding] was like, ‘You know nobody believes you. You know that, right? You’re not the person that will be able to ‘preach.’ So, why don’t you sing about who you are… sing about girls. Sing about parties.’”

Ultimately, Paul’s success doing so helped kick off Dancehall’s international resurgence in 2000 (so thanks for that). Still, now the public is left to fantasize about what artist Paul could’ve been if given the space to craft the art he originally intended. In the same video piece, Harding shed further insight into the divide in Jamaica on who can be the vocal authority in reggae.

“As I started to work with Sean, we realized that we shared a similar background — the way that we describe it, we were Uptown kids,” he said. “So, the friends and family that we had around us were looking at us strangely. Like, ‘Why do you want to get involved with Dancehall? Dancehall is nasty, dutty, ghetto music?’ And at the same time, you’re struggling against the other side of the community, saying, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t be here because you don’t have a place in this music’ and ‘You’re not from the ghetto; therefore, you are not authentic.’”

“Everyone was challenging [me], [saying] ‘You can’t express for us,’” added Paul.

Yet, that same protective energy disappeared when given the breakout moment to promote Bob Marley: One Love during the 2024 Grammys; Ziggy Marley laughed along as host Trevor Noah poked fun at the Jamaican accent and many of their easygoing personalities instead of focusing on the richness of the culture.

What good are gatekeepers if they aren’t keeping the culture when it matters the most? You tell me. Are Afrobeats and amapiano tastemakers taking heed?

Where do we go from here? Nowhere. As with hip-hop, the damage is already done. A complete gutting would have to take place to undo what has been done, which economic players likely won’t let happen. In short, Bob Marley: One Love is a painstaking reminder of what was and how the decentering of religious obligations, commodification of Jamaican culture, and leniency of gatekeepers have all contributed to the erasure of reggae music’s social & political commentary roots.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

R&B Is Back Under The Mainstream Light, Right Where It Belongs

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SZA Usher Victoria Monet R&B in 2024
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Twenty years ago, Usher’s fourth album Confessions assumed the crown of 2004’s best-selling album in the US thanks to nearly 8 million copies sold nationwide. It sold more than double the release that came in second place, Norah Jones’ Feels Like Home. In addition to the immense commercial acclaim it received in 2004, Confessions remained atop the conversation around modern-day R&B in the years that followed. It’s ever-present on “Best Albums Of All-Time” lists while continuing to be mentioned as a body of work that influenced some of today’s biggest artists. Two decades and a diamond certification later, Usher’s Confessions, among his other work, finds itself in the middle of an R&B resurgence.

For roughly 13 minutes, Usher danced and skated all over the Super Bowl LVIII stage as he cruised impressively through performances of “Caught Up,” “My Boo,” “Confessions Pt. II,” “Burn,” “Yeah!” and more. It marked the second Sunday in a row that R&B was under the spotlight in front of a national audience that extended globally. The Sunday before Super Bowl LVIII was the 66th Annual Grammy Awards where Victoria Monét, who was tied for the second-most nominations, walked away with the Best New Artist award in addition to wins in the Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical categories. SZA, the most-nominated artist of the awards, secured three wins in Best Progressive R&B Album, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best R&B Song. Lastly, Coco Jones tasted victory during her first Grammy award show as a nominated as she walked away with a Best R&B Performance trophy. Together, the trio are undeniable representatives of artists ready to lead R&B into and through its next era – one that brings it back to mainstream glory.

The forecast for the future of R&B doesn’t begin with these award wins, as it’s been clear for a while now that the genre’s resurgence was in order. I’d even argue these awards aren’t the validation of an artist’s work, but rather, the celebration of what was already validated. A loss, or even the failure to get nominated, doesn’t nullify its quality or impact. Last fall, Spotify reported a 25% increase in streams of R&B records over the past year, making it one of the platforms’ fastest-growing genres. In recent years, the sound that many called dead progressed into one that could now take centerstage during both music’s and sport’s biggest nights. As a result, its artists have new hardware to place in their trophy cases, received a moment to celebrate and showcase the best of an already-cemented legacy, and found the inspiration to one day achieve the career-highlighting moments that were showcased during the first two weeks of this Black History Month.

When fans mentioned the “death” of R&B, it often pointed to the absence of pure vocalists and a lack of passion and yearning for love in the music. There’s been a shift in tone in R&B over the years since Usher’s Confessions, where some artists now prefer a middle finger and a goodbye over a good ol’ session of singing in the rain shirtless and begging for another chance from a scorned lover. Things were meant to change though as tradition is the repeated commemoration of the past and rarely does the past exist unaltered forever. An expiration date exists and awaits someone who dares to discover it and go against it in favor of starting their own. In the best cases, what once was is never forgotten, but instead, it’s used in the formula to create what’s next.

The best cases exist with Coco Jones’ “ICU,” SZA’s “Snooze,” and Victoria Monét’s “I’m The One” – songs that passionately call for love at each tick of the metronome and let the passion of their requests spill into their vocal runs. Look no further than H.E.R’s “Comfortable,” Lucky Daye’s “Over,” Chloe x Halle’s “Ungodly Hour,” Summer Walker’s “You Don’t Know Me,” Khamari’s “These Four Walls,” and Leon Thomas’ “Sneak” for additional examples from artists who made use of this ingredient. This helped to bring the best of modern-day R&B to the stage it deserved to be on.

The argument in defense of R&B’s state in the past was that the undeniable talent that fans and critics seek lay deep in the genre’s rolodex, overlooked by those who didn’t value the true beauty of the music. You simply had to sift through the mainstream clutter and do the work to find the artist(s) who represented the greatness of the genre. For fans who did this, their eventual discoveries became like precious gems to listeners who feared if and how their new beloved artist would later be comprised if they had too much light placed on them. In came posts expressing how “better” it was when said artist was below a certain popularity threshold. Sure, fans will still discover and hold these precious gems close to their hearts, but hopefully now thanks to the above examples, they’ll be a bit more willing to support and push them into glory knowing what it could bring to their career. Not to mention the bragging rights that exist with being there since day one.

In just two weeks, R&B put forth a convincing showcase of what tomorrow looks like in the genre, and the fact of the matter is people are listening. The yearning ears are back and the genre is providing music that satisfies all listeners alike in a room that is prepared to house a bigger audience than what was once had in recent years. Since Usher’s Confessions, few years have delivered an R&B album that dominated the charts as well as SZA’s SOS did. Then you have an album like Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II which left an impact on the culture that one would be silly to deny. Lastly, Usher received his flowers in an excellent performance of his career-spanning releases on the Super Bowl LVIII stage. It’s a vivid picture of a genre in great health, one that seems primed for might milestones in the coming years.

First Things First: A Timeline Of Black Music History Milestones

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Black History Month
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

When it comes to diversity and inclusion in our everyday lives, we’re reminded both of how far we have come and how far we still have to go. While there have been immeasurable societal strides, particularly within the last few years, the work won’t end until all races, ethnicities, and genders feel seen, accepted, and included.

This fact is especially pertinent in the arts, as this portion of the culture largely serves as a microcosm for the world at large. Many of the artists we know and love had their share of struggles when it came to inclusion, yet their hard work and dedication to their craft paid off in historic spades.

As Black History Month commences, take a look at some of the iconic “firsts” in music history throughout genres. Black musicians helped to pave the way for artists all over to create magic of their own, and continue to do so decades — even centuries — later.

GENERAL

1890: George W. Johnson is the first Black person to record a best-selling phonograph record. His novelty vaudeville hit “The Whistling Coon” showcased his vocal abilities in more ways than one.

1955: Marian Anderson is the first Black singer to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

BLUES

1920: Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” is heralded as the first significant blues song ever recorded by a Black musician. It was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994 and was entered into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2005.

1969: Blues trumpeter WC Handy becomes the first Black musician to be featured on a U.S. postage stamp.

JAZZ

1925: Louis Armstrong records his Hot Five and Hot Seven combos, considered by many as the pieces of music that kicked off the jazz revolution.

1958: Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie become the first Black musicians to win a Grammy Award. Both artists took home two trophies.

1992: Thanks to her album Unforgettable… With Love, Natalie Cole becomes the first Black woman to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year. So far, there have only been two other Black women to take this award home: Whitney Houston and Lauryn Hill.

GOSPEL

2018: Due to her work on the SpongeBob SquarePants musical, Yolanda Adams is the first gospel artist to be nominated for a Tony Award. (Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre.)

COUNTRY

1971: Charley Pride is the first (and so far last) Black artist to win the Country Music Association’s most prestigious award, Entertainer Of The Year. In 2000, he became the first Black inductee at the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Harmonica player DeFord Bailey is the second (and only other) Black artist to be inducted into this prestigious academy.

2020: Mickey Guyton becomes the first Black female musician to be nominated for a country music Grammy Award in a solo performance category: Best Country Solo Performance for her song “Black Like Me.” (The Pointer Sisters won the award in 1974 for their writing work, not their music.)

ROCK

1977: Black Death — widely acknowledged as the first Black heavy metal band — is formed.

1986: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inaugural class is announced, and the first Black musicians inducted are Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Little Richard.

1987: Aretha Franklin is the first Black woman (and first woman) inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1990: Thanks to their song “Cult of Personality,” Living Colour becomes the first Black band (and first musicians) to win the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. They would go on to win it again in 1991.

HOUSE

1984: “On & On,” Jesse Saunders’ single with Vince Lawrence, becomes the first record featuring a house DJ to ever be pressed and sold to the public.

1987: Steve Silk Hurley’s single “Jack Your Body” becomes the first house track to top the UK charts.

POP

1950: Nat King Cole becomes the first Black solo artist to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts. His song “Mona Lisa” hit the top of the now-defunct “Best Sellers In Stores” chart.

1958: Tommy Edwards becomes the first Black artist to have a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for his song “It’s All In The Game.” A year later, The Platters became the first Black group to have a No. 1 on the Hot 100 with their song, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

1983: Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” is the first music video by a Black artist to play on MTV, which was heavily focused on rock in their earliest years. In 1991, MJ was also the first Black artist (and first artist) to have a song debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to his song “You Are Not Alone.”

1987: Whitney Houston becomes the first Black woman (and first woman) to have an album debut at No. 1, thanks to her eponymous album. In 1992, she also became the first Black artist (and first artist) to have an album sell a million copies in a single week with The Bodyguard soundtrack.

R&B

1972: Isaac Hayes becomes the first Black artist to win an Academy Award in a non-acting category. The “Theme From Shaft” won the Oscar for Best Original Song. He is also the first musician to have written and performed their own Oscar-winning song.

1974: Stevie Wonder is the first Black artist to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year for Innervisions.

HIP-HOP

1980: “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang becomes the first rap song to chart on Billboard’s Hot 100, peaking at No. 36.

1989: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince win the first Grammy in the hip-hop genre. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” won for Best Rap Performance, but the duo famously boycotted the ceremony to protest the historic honor not being televised.

1990: Tone Loc becomes the first rapper to be nominated in the Best New Artist category.

1999- Lauryn Hill becomes the first hip-hop artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year for her sole solo LP, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. She is still the only woman hip-hop artist to do so.

2006: Three 6 Mafia becomes the first hip hop group to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. (“It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp” from Hustle & Flow.) Per an interview with Variety, Juicy J recalled the win seeming “unreal.” (“We didn’t prepare no speech because we didn’t think we was gonna win,” he said.)

2018: Kendrick Lamar becomes the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, thanks to his album DAMN.

Black Award Shows Still Matter

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Black Awards Shows
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Dear Grammys, loving you is complicated.

As a music writer, the annual ceremony is mandatory viewing. However, as a Black woman obsessed with Black creative expression, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to overlook its flaws (covert microaggressions, racially charged snubs, and seemingly willful exclusion). Given the Grammys’ checkered past, I shouldn’t have any expectations of the event. But I just can’t abandon hope for the ceremony. Its latest categoric expansion seems to suggest that I’m not delusional for believing that the landscape of the Grammys can change for the better.

Similarly, for most musicians, divestment isn’t an easy fix either. Given the financial opportunities tethered to earning a coveted gramophone, acts are committed to the advancement of the Grammys. In the meantime, what’s the alternative? Platforming, advocating for, and investing in Black-centered ceremonies — because, yes, Black music awards shows still matter.

If not for the continued communal conversation and unapologetic displays of Black joy — such as Sexyy Red’s impromptu performance at the 2023 BET Awards — Black awards shows are also crucial for their historical preservation of Black art. Due to the erasure of Black musicians’ impact and the shrinking media sphere, archiving Black artists’ works has become more important than ever.

BET, Soul Train, and even the Source Awards (because, as André 3000 so eloquently put it: “Da Souf got sum to say”) all have carried the torch of cultural documentation when others, such as the AMAs, Grammys, and VMAs — didn’t deem it vital — or profitable. Here, we take a look at some of the award shows decided for Black entertainment in need of the public’s support.

BET Awards

The BET Awards remain the creme de la creme of Black award shows. Spanning the decades, the BET Network has introduced a variety of ceremonies to honor Black art: the namesake show, the hip-hop-centered ceremony, the BET Walk Of Fame show, the Gospel Awards, and more. Over the years, the BET Awards have served as the place for legacy acts to receive their flowers and, in turn, pass the baton to the next generation — i.e., the 2003 ceremony when Michael Jackson paid homage to James Brown.

Before Beyoncé was the global music icon she has become, the BET Awards called it first (via Mo’Nique). As other programming executives ignored the impact of Luther Vandross, the BET Awards dedicated an entire evening to the late singer. When other ceremonies failed to properly pay tribute to fallen stars, the BET Awards were there — i.e., the 2020 Prince tribute. The BET Awards also give living legends space to honor themselves, such as New Edition’s 2017 or Mary J. Blige’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement performances.

Though they aren’t perfect — no award show is — the BET Awards and all of their installments offer a constant cycle of appreciation.

Black Music Honors

Just as the title of the ceremony suggests, Black Music Honors is unapologetically Black. Firstly, instead of being held in bigger media markets like Los Angeles or New York City, Black Music Honors is hosted in Atlanta, Georgia.

From there, Black Music Honors focuses its attention on the overlooked medium entertainment demographic. The most common criticism for other shows is they tend to sway too hard in one direction (staid classics or unknown newbies) which is why viewership tends to fluctuate. With Freddie Jackson, SWV, Xscape, and Tamia as past honorees, Black Music Honors confirms Generation X and Xennials are viable audiences.

Lastly, the award show is broadcast by the historic networks: Stellar Network and the Martin Luther King III-co-founded Bounce TV, both Black-owned and Black-targeted commercial entertainment networks.

Black Girls Rock!

As one of the newer award ceremonies here on this list, Black Girls Rock! is the embodiment of what it means to focus on intersectional identities. Before the COVID pandemic put an end to its annual ceremony, the show took pride in highlighting Black women’s contributions to the arts, which often go unacknowledged.

Black Girls Rock! gained mainstream attention after former First Lady Michelle Obama attended the show in 2015. Outside of the ceremony’s focus, organizers don’t forget the less publicized details. For several years, the show was hosted in Newark, New Jersey, a majority Black city on a street named after a Black pioneer, Sarah Vaughan.

Given the city’s rich Black music history, it is the perfect place to honor Black musicians. Since its last show in 2019, a new ceremony has not yet been announced. But even in its short tenure, it created a huge ripple in television programming standards.

McDonald’s 365 Black Awards

Let’s be frank: organizing an award show isn’t a cheap undertaking. That’s why corporate sponsorship for events is so important. Believe it or not, McDonald’s is a key financial contributor to Black music programming. When the fast food chain isn’t collaborating with music’s biggest names, such as Cardi B, Saweetie, or Travis Scott, for specialty menus, it is using its ample resources for music-focused events.

The McDonald’s 365 Black Awards was one of the earliest showings of the corporate giant putting its money where the mouth is in terms of equitable opportunities for entertainers of color. Although the ceremony no longer takes place, McDonald’s hasn’t abandoned Black music events; each year, McDonald’s puts on its annual Gospel Fest.

NAACP Image Awards

The NAACP Image Awards is the epitome of “honoring your own.” Given the civil rights causes platformed by its presenter, the Image Awards’ focus is on acts that have injected their activism work with their entertainment career.

Sadly, the support for the show has continued to dwindle, but during its heyday, music stars like Dionne Warwick drew in massive audiences. Yes, before she was the melodic voice sampled in Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red,” Warwick was one of the very first Black pop stars. During the 1988 ceremony, the late Luther Vandross showcased just how influential Warwick’s music has been with a performance of her charitable single “That’s What Friends Are For.” The single highlighted how she’s served as an ally to the LGBTQ community, raising millions for AIDS research with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight.

Soul Train Awards

The Soul Train Awards has been a staple in Black households for generations. Since its inception as a variety show, Soul Train has kept its finger on the pulse of Black culture. As fresh faces such as Uproxx cover star Chlöe, Coco Jones, and Fridayy burst onto the scene, the Soul Train Awards are there to welcome them into the fraternity of Black musical excellence.

Each year, the ceremony curates a polished tribute to honor acts of the present (T-Pain) and past (Babyface). One of the Soul Train’s standout tributes came in 2010 when Chrisette Michele, Kem, Tamia, El DeBarge, Dionne Farris, Lalah Hathaway, Rachelle Ferrell, Goapele, and Faith Evans honored Anita Baker.

Stellar Awards

It isn’t a coincidence that many of music’s powerhouse vocalists got their start in religious houses of worship. Gospel is the foundation of several other genres, but most notably R&B. As the first and longest-running ceremony for gospel music, The Stellar Awards continuously amplifies how deeply gospel’s roots run.

Other award shows try to spotlight gospel acts, but more often than not, those performances or acceptance speeches are not televised. But when they are, it is magical (i.e., Chance The Rapper, Kirk Franklin, and Tamela Mann’s medley set at the 2017 Grammys).

Other genres pioneered by Black musicians, such as jazz, dance, country, and rock, have whitewashed their history books. Due to the Stellar Awards’ due diligence, the same can not be said of gospel music.

Trumpet Awards

Before Timbaland and Swizz Beatz had the multi-million dollar idea for artists to put their catalogs on display for a walk down memory lane, there was the Trumpet Awards. While Verzuz was intended to ignite a competitive spirit, the Trumpet Awards’ mission was to be commemorative.

Founded by civil rights leader and pioneering broadcasting executive Xernona Clayton, the televised event was a time capsule for acts whose legacies tend to be overlooked. The unapologetic admiration displayed by Steve Harvey during the Verzuz showdown between The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind, and Fire form the essence of a Trumpet Awards ceremony. The Trumpet Awards made sure that the influence of groups such as The O’Jays, The Whispers, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and more was not forgotten.

UNCF Benefit

Although the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) benefit isn’t exactly an award show, it surely veers that way. As it baits viewers in with culture-shifting music performances, the UNCF benefit does what others often conveniently forget to do — hold entertainers socially accountable. Before Cardi B was ranting about public funding crises on Instagram or flexing her love for world history, UNCF demanded that celebrities use their platforms to shine a light on important topics like education. Just look at Megan Thee Stallion’s outreach work as a case study. The Texas Southern University graduate didn’t let her booming rap career derail her pursuit of higher education.

The only path to success for Black children should not be tethered to their ability to sing or dribble a ball. By way of the UNCF benefit, public figures lent their voices to show that pursuing a career in the medical field, sciences, or humanities is just as important. One of UNCF’s most beloved performances was The Color Purple star Fantasia’s tribute to Patti LaBelle in 2009.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors

Long before Hip-Hop 50 programming was on the minds of any television producer, VH1’s Hip Hop Honors was one of the first series to carve out a primetime slot to celebrate rap’s titans. Across the event’s thirteen-year run, it proved to be at the forefront of flower giving, paying homage to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Missy Elliott, Kennedy Center honoree Queen Latifah, and the original “Queen Bee” Lil Kim long before other larger established ever batted an eye.

Given the cycle in which new rappers rise and fall from fame, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for acts to cement their legacy. Contrarily, hip-hop’s issue with ageism favors newbies’ dismissal of their predecessors. The VH1 Hip Hop Honors put an end to that. For a few hours each year, you’d be taken to school. Rookies were forced to learn where their flows, samples, and fashion sensibilities derived from. Now that Hip-Hop 50 has passed, it’d be a shame if the culture stopped honoring its pioneers.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Morgan Freeman Says He Doesn’t Like The Term, “African American”

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Morgan Freeman says that he finds Black History Month to be an insult and doesn’t like the term “African American.” Freeman discussed his opinion on the matter during a recent interview with The Sunday Times while promoting Zach Braff’s A Good Person. The comments have since begun circulating on social media.

“Two things I can say publicly that I do not like,” Freeman began. “Black History Month is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month? Also, ‘African American’ is an insult. I don’t subscribe to that title. Black people have had different titles all the way back to the n-word and I do not know how these things get such a grip, but everyone uses ‘African American’. What does it really mean? Most Black people in this part of the world are mongrels. And you say Africa as if it’s a country when it’s a continent, like Europe.”

Morgan Freeman At The Oscars

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) Morgan Freeman and Margot Robbie speak onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

In response, The Sunday Times interviewer brought up the famous remark from Denzel Washington: “I’m very proud to be Black, but Black is not all I am.” In response, Freeman added: “Yes, exactly. I’m in total agreement. You can’t define me that way.”

The comments sparked debate on social media. The Game commented on a post of the news from The Shade Room: “We gone give Unc a pass on mongrel.. what he meant is people who have multiple mixes at this point in life & not aware of their true origin because of our history.” Another user wrote: “I agree with him. I ain’t African American either. I’m AMERICAN. None of my people are from Africa. I was born here. Black people have BEEN in this country free before slavery.”

Morgan’s opinion echoes similar remarks to those made by Idris Elba, earlier this year. The star of The Wire had said that he doesn’t consider himself a “Black actor,” while speaking with Esquire. The remark sparked backlash online.

The Game Comments On “The Shade Room”

[Via]