Music
Gnarls Barkley's Odd Mix
The new Gnarls Barkley joint, The Odd Couple, has "an intensely wacky vibe" and is similar to the group's debut album, St. Elsewhere.
By Anthony Harding.
Apr 28, 2008,
23:42
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Music
Hip Hop's Hidden Gems
Hip-hop fans looking for creative work from Q-Tip and Talib Kweli have had to look extra hard to find it. And Nas' Greatest Hits is a hit.
By Anthony Harding
Apr 22, 2008,
12:32
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Music
Jeff's 'Magnificent' Effort
Jazzy Jeff's The Return of the Magnificent is saturated with solid rhymes and beats, with flares of brilliance.
By Anthony Harding
Apr 15, 2008,
09:37
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Music
Friendship of Ideas
Relationships furthered the genius of Black writers, thinkers and artists, in part, because all involved were generous with their time and their opinions--a generosity that is at times missing among the generation of hip-hop and post-hip-hop thinkers.
By Mark Anthony Neal
Feb 28, 2008,
17:07
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Music
The Power of Black Music
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| credit: robertcasumbal.com |
For some people, music, the "right" music, can transform one's way of looking at the world, and even change lives.
By Mumia Abu-Jamal
Jan 8, 2008,
08:43
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Music
The SB Best of 2007 Mixtape
Jill Scott, Rahsaan Patterson, Pharoahe Monch, 4Hero and Stephanie McKay are among the artists on Mark Anthony Neal's 2007 Mixtape. Find out who made MAN's cut--and who didn't.
Dec 31, 2007,
15:59
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Music
Dee Dee's Search for Home
On Red Earth: A Malian Journey, Dee Dee Bridgewater reveals her quest for a spiritual home while melding jazz, r&b and music from Mali. By Daniel Garrett
Nov 1, 2007,
20:35
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Music
Chaka Khan's Funky Reprise
On her new album Funk This, Chaka Khan revisits her earthy Rufus roots, covers classics and adds some contemporary flash.
By Natalie Maxwell.
Oct 18, 2007,
13:26
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Music
Make it Opera-Funky Now
Three Mo’ Tenors, playing just off-Broadway in New York City, combines operatic arias, Broadway show tunes, R&B classics and contemporary pop hits. By William S. Gooch
Oct 18, 2007,
11:35
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Music
A Last Listen to Lucien
Jon Lucien, the Caribbean balladeer known for his earthy and romantic hits of the 1970s and 1980s, including "Rashida" and "Dindi," died on the morning of Aug. 18 of respiratory failure and other complications from illness. Enter here to listen to Jon Lucien.
Sep 4, 2007,
10:19
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Music
Chrisette Michele--I Am
Save Mary J. Blige and perhaps Beyonce (though she too must be beginning to feel old), there is little room—or seemingly need—for grown Black women in contemporary R&B. But Chrisette Michele is too grown to play to the expectations of the music industry. Mark Anthony Neal
Jul 13, 2007,
15:49
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Music
Bodies in Pain
BLACK MUSIC MONTH 2007--The Redemptive Soul of Linda Jones and Keyshia
Cole: How does one sing of a body in pain? By Mark Anthony Neal
Jun 20, 2007,
00:04
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Music
An Interview with Donnie
BLACK MUSIC MONTH 2007--Donnie, who made a critical splash with The Colored Section in 2003, is set to drop his new disc, The Daily News, on June 19. Mark Anthony Neal spoke to him while he was still in the studio.
Jun 15, 2007,
16:26
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Music
I Want to Take You Higher
BLACK MUSIC MONTH 2007--The recently released Sly & the Family Stone: The Collection provides an opportunity to revisit the era when Sly Stone might have been the most popular Black Pentecostal mystic in the country. By Mark Anthony Neal
Jun 15, 2007,
16:14
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Music
Abbey Lincoln's Groove
On her new disc, Abbey Lincoln's once disparaged and now weathered flat tones mark her as one of the most unique vocalists ever to record. By Mark Anthony Neal
May 25, 2007,
02:06
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Music
The Last Soul Brother
Hip-hop is simply the most visible example of James Brown’s influence. He was of a generation of Black men—mythological in many ways—who helped define the contours of freedom and possibility for Black folk in the 20th century. By Mark Anthony Neal
Jan 5, 2007,
13:25
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Music
Grown and Minivan Driving
Mary J.? India.Arie? Corrine Bailey Rae? Mark Anthony Neal and his whurl-a-girls pick their favorite music of 2006 (that they can listen to together.) MAN even admits to driving a mini-van!
Dec 22, 2006,
14:42
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Music
Oh Brother 2006: 'My Passport Says Shawn'
”The Branding of Jay Z: Whereas most hip-hop artists simply adopt alternative personas, often referencing an underground drug lord or fictional Mafioso figures, Jay Z has created a complex hip-hop identity that speaks to concepts such as fluidity, mobility and social capital.
By Mark Anthony Neal
Nov 27, 2006,
23:46
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Music
Oh Brother 2006: Remembering Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert defined the possibilities of R&B for his generation by making longevity and not crossover appeal the goal. Levert unabashedly embraced the “shouter and honker” aesthetic that was the hallmark of classic performers.
By Mark Anthony Neal
Nov 27, 2006,
21:04
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Music
EWF: An Elemental Legacy
A new compilation celebrates the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire. “…Ultimately, the legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire and its music is not its continued presence on the playlist of your local “classic R&B” station,” writes Mark Anthony Neal.
May 9, 2007,
17:11
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Music
Blame the Manufacturer
The often convoluted debate over hip-hop lyrics and images frequently misses the point: mass marketed rap recordings, videos and stage acts are corporate products, and the artists are virtual employees and subcontractors of huge multinationals. By Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report
May 9, 2007,
16:31
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Music
The Other Grammy Winner
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| John McLaughlin Williams |
John McLaughlin Williams won a Grammy in the classical music category for Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra, yet most Blacks, or music lovers in general, don't know him. By Esther Iverem
Feb 23, 2007,
13:16
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Music
Good "Game Theory"
Mark Anthony Neal says that Game Theory is the most important recording from The Roots since Things Fall Apart. (But this isn't another blown kiss for Philly's finest)
Oct 15, 2006,
20:35
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Music
Old School in D.C.
On August 11, Morris Day and the Time, AWB and Mother's Finest rolled into Washington, D.C.’s DAR Constitution Hall for a night of funk, soul and 80’s cool. By the Red-Eye Crew
Aug 25, 2006,
11:45
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