Black Music Month - Reminisce
So, June is considered "Black Music Month". With that being acknowledged, I thought I'd do a post on my love and appreciation for what I like to call REAL music.
I can recall as a child when my aunt Debbie would be playing her records of Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson, among others. That was the beginning of a beautiful adoration and appreciation for music. Remembering Stevie with those braids and beads and listening to his music only mad my heart beat even stronger, for his music always touched my heart and just made you want to grow up to be a person who truly cared about something.
I don't think I'll ever forget Lionel Richie's video for "All Night Long", when the people were dancing the night away, and those Caribbean melodies just made it that more soothing and dance-friendly.
Of course there's Michael Jackson...at the time, who didn't like Michael? I also remember the girls from school drooling and smiling as they talked about how cute he was. I remembered thinking to myself, he's just a regular person, what's the big deal? I wouldn't dare think about saying that to any of my friends or classmates, as it would mean war. Nevertheless, I would never discredit Michael Jackson for his amazing talent.
It wasn't until 1984 when I truly fell in love with music, when I first heard "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa. Those computerized melodies, drums, and vocals just blew me away. I remember it clearly. I was at Summer Camp, and the grownups had started a Soul Train line. All of a sudden, I heard what sounded like a different version of a violin. I turned and looked to see where it was coming from. It was coming from the radio. I paused for a few minutes to listen to the melody, and instantly started bopping my head. Right there at that moment, that was a feeling like no other. Listening to the musical instruments that could've possibly made up the song, is what caused me to truly listen and not just hear music from that point on.
If you'd like to learn more about the creative juices behind the song "Planet Rock", check out the information on this link:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov08/articles/classictracks_1108.htm
Back in those times, things appeared to be more simpler, especially the music. The artists back then made their fans truly feel and appreciate where they were coming from. In my opinion, their music served a purpose, to make you think, love, or dance. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Most music artist of today are only in it for the money, just to collect a check. The REAL artists of the 70's, 80's, or 90's did it for love and/or to bring about awareness or a voice to the community. I sure miss those days.
Here is a list of artists and/or songs that I consider to be REAL music or Classics from back in the day AND today:
Stevie Wonder - Ribbon in the Sky New Edition
Lionel Richie - Love Will Find a Way Boyz II Men
Michael Jackson - Rock With You EnVogue
Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock Kem
Whodini - Five Minutes of Funk Prince
Run DMC - Peter Piper Angela Bofil
Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight Deniece Williams
Earth, Wind, & Fire DeBarge
Ohio Players Angie Stone
Marvin Gaye Jill Scott
Supremes Ledisi
Gap Band Lauryn Hill
Cool and the Gang 2Pac
Dazz Band - Whip It
Salt-N-Pepa
MC Lyte
LL Cool J
Luther Vandross
Rick James
Teena Marie
Sade
Stephanie Mills
Anita Baker
I could go on and on, but I won't. This list is just a few of the artists I appreciate. However, don't get it twisted...that's only a few genres of music: R&B, Hip-Hop, & Neo-Soul. I also enjoy Gospel, Classical, and Reggae artists such as:
BeBe & CeCe Winans Luciano Pavarotti
Vicki Winans Johann Sebastian Bach
Clark Sisters Beethoven
John P. Kee Mozart
Helen Baylor Chopin
Fred Hammond Yo-Yo
Esperanza Spalding
Bob Marley
Beenie Man
Buju Banton
Gregory Isaacs
Peter Tosh
Beres Hammond
Shabba Ranks
Shaggy
Sean Paul
As I've grown older, I've come to not only appreciate music, but to pay attention to the messages behind it. In today's music, there are so many subliminal message that one needs to be very careful as to what is allowed in the eargate. As a Christian, I truly believe in the scripture of "Life and death is in the power of the tongue". Sad to say, not too many artists of today believe or understand this.
With that being said, I will never just go along with or support a song merely because "the beat is tight". Music is more than just about a beat! It's about the instruments used to create the song. It's about the overall message that's being conveyed. It's about the image being portrayed, which in my opinion...should be relevant to the lyrics of the song. It should tell a story!
I remember when I was in high school, I loved music so much that I'd record videos from various shows on BET like Video Soul, hosted by Donnie Simpson. Man I loved that show. I would sit and watch videos for hours at a time. So one could say that I was sort of studying them, not just for the images being portrayed, but for the sense of style and to really listen to what the artists were saying.
Lastly, I still am a music lover...just on another level.
I can recall as a child when my aunt Debbie would be playing her records of Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson, among others. That was the beginning of a beautiful adoration and appreciation for music. Remembering Stevie with those braids and beads and listening to his music only mad my heart beat even stronger, for his music always touched my heart and just made you want to grow up to be a person who truly cared about something.
I don't think I'll ever forget Lionel Richie's video for "All Night Long", when the people were dancing the night away, and those Caribbean melodies just made it that more soothing and dance-friendly.
Of course there's Michael Jackson...at the time, who didn't like Michael? I also remember the girls from school drooling and smiling as they talked about how cute he was. I remembered thinking to myself, he's just a regular person, what's the big deal? I wouldn't dare think about saying that to any of my friends or classmates, as it would mean war. Nevertheless, I would never discredit Michael Jackson for his amazing talent.
It wasn't until 1984 when I truly fell in love with music, when I first heard "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa. Those computerized melodies, drums, and vocals just blew me away. I remember it clearly. I was at Summer Camp, and the grownups had started a Soul Train line. All of a sudden, I heard what sounded like a different version of a violin. I turned and looked to see where it was coming from. It was coming from the radio. I paused for a few minutes to listen to the melody, and instantly started bopping my head. Right there at that moment, that was a feeling like no other. Listening to the musical instruments that could've possibly made up the song, is what caused me to truly listen and not just hear music from that point on.
If you'd like to learn more about the creative juices behind the song "Planet Rock", check out the information on this link:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov08/articles/classictracks_1108.htm
Back in those times, things appeared to be more simpler, especially the music. The artists back then made their fans truly feel and appreciate where they were coming from. In my opinion, their music served a purpose, to make you think, love, or dance. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Most music artist of today are only in it for the money, just to collect a check. The REAL artists of the 70's, 80's, or 90's did it for love and/or to bring about awareness or a voice to the community. I sure miss those days.
Here is a list of artists and/or songs that I consider to be REAL music or Classics from back in the day AND today:
Stevie Wonder - Ribbon in the Sky New Edition
Lionel Richie - Love Will Find a Way Boyz II Men
Michael Jackson - Rock With You EnVogue
Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock Kem
Whodini - Five Minutes of Funk Prince
Run DMC - Peter Piper Angela Bofil
Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers Delight Deniece Williams
Earth, Wind, & Fire DeBarge
Ohio Players Angie Stone
Marvin Gaye Jill Scott
Supremes Ledisi
Gap Band Lauryn Hill
Cool and the Gang 2Pac
Dazz Band - Whip It
Salt-N-Pepa
MC Lyte
LL Cool J
Luther Vandross
Rick James
Teena Marie
Sade
Stephanie Mills
Anita Baker
I could go on and on, but I won't. This list is just a few of the artists I appreciate. However, don't get it twisted...that's only a few genres of music: R&B, Hip-Hop, & Neo-Soul. I also enjoy Gospel, Classical, and Reggae artists such as:
BeBe & CeCe Winans Luciano Pavarotti
Vicki Winans Johann Sebastian Bach
Clark Sisters Beethoven
John P. Kee Mozart
Helen Baylor Chopin
Fred Hammond Yo-Yo
Esperanza Spalding
Bob Marley
Beenie Man
Buju Banton
Gregory Isaacs
Peter Tosh
Beres Hammond
Shabba Ranks
Shaggy
Sean Paul
As I've grown older, I've come to not only appreciate music, but to pay attention to the messages behind it. In today's music, there are so many subliminal message that one needs to be very careful as to what is allowed in the eargate. As a Christian, I truly believe in the scripture of "Life and death is in the power of the tongue". Sad to say, not too many artists of today believe or understand this.
With that being said, I will never just go along with or support a song merely because "the beat is tight". Music is more than just about a beat! It's about the instruments used to create the song. It's about the overall message that's being conveyed. It's about the image being portrayed, which in my opinion...should be relevant to the lyrics of the song. It should tell a story!
I remember when I was in high school, I loved music so much that I'd record videos from various shows on BET like Video Soul, hosted by Donnie Simpson. Man I loved that show. I would sit and watch videos for hours at a time. So one could say that I was sort of studying them, not just for the images being portrayed, but for the sense of style and to really listen to what the artists were saying.
Lastly, I still am a music lover...just on another level.
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