We Set The Trends
Jazz, Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Rock n’ Roll, black is the soundtrack that moves your soul
MUSIC
FASHION
SPEECH
“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”
- James Baldwin -
FEATURED ARTISTS
Cleo Sol
I'm sure many of you have already heard Cleo Sol's music, but some of you may just be discovering her through this post. Cleo's music immediately puts me in a relaxed and calm state of mind and body. I don’t know if anyone has done the research and knows what her music is, but I'm guessing it's landing at all of the ones that help calm, relax and uplift spirits.
The song Shine, for instance. It sounds like a lazy day on the river or hours in the grass in the sunshine near your favorite tree.
The Whitewashing of (EDM)
Whitewashing black contributions to American musical genres is nothing new. Please see rock ‘n roll, pop, jazz, and country music in particular for more background on that subject. But the erasure of EDM’sblack American origins has been especially egregious. And just importantly, the central role of gay men in developing EDM music has also been largely overlooked.
We should all take a moment to recognize the fact that dance music and the surrounding club culture was created as a safe space for black gay men and other gay men of color. In fact, the music and the clubs helped create a sort of escape from the daily struggles for those living at the intersection of blackness and homosexuality.
Amy Sherald
One of Sherald’s earliest and most influential experiences was on a sixth-grade field trip to the museum where she saw Bo Bartlett’s piece entitled Object Permanence (1986). It was the first time she saw someone who looked like her in a painting like Bertlett’s. In an interview with Artnet, she says the following about the Bartlett painting
“The image of a young black man looking at me, just seeing myself in that work was powerful. I still feel the same about it and it’s still a great part of my inspiration as a figurative painter. It’s a reminder that there need to be more images out there existing in the world that can offer other children and people that same experience that I had in that moment when I first saw that painting in a museum.” Artnet
Photo - Jordan Geiger