Black History Playlist

My whole life motherfuckers have asked me about my love affair with black music. To be clear music ain't got a race. Music isn't black, or white, or yellow. It's just music. It's like math. It doesn't care about your skin tone. Only we care about our skin tone. The artists that create the music may be and should be informed by their experiences, and most of that is informed by their skin tone.

Young children pay no attention to race or creed. It's not in their normal mode of operation. It's only until we become cynical and bitter do we pay attention to something as rudimentary and uncontrollable as skin tone.

These are stupid restraints we put on ourselves. We. Do. This. To. Ourselves.
Man, free your mind and your ass will follow. Get on this train with me.

Upfront, these are all masterful songs I didn't include on my list of full-length albums. In other words, these are singles, in the Old School sense. They were designed to stand alone and that they do.

• A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
• Zombie - Fela Kuti
• The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron
• Ball of Confusion - The Temptations
• Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud - James Brown
• (Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below We're All Going to Go - Curtis Mayfield
• Chocolate City - Parliament
• The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
• Fight the Power - Public Enemy
• Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters
• Doo Wop (That Things) - Lauryn Hill
• Redemption Song - Bob Marley & The Wailers
• The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff
• September - Earth, Wind & Fire
• Love Train - The O'Jays
• This Land - Gary Clark Jr.
• Love of the Common People - Nicky Thomas
• We Are Family - Sister Sledge
• Mississippi Goddam - Nina Simone
• Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington
• Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
• People Get Ready - The Impressions
• I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
• I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles
• I'll Take You There - The Staples Singers
• This is America - Childish Gambino
• i - Kendrick Lamar
• Umi Says - Mos Def
• Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson