In the spring of 1971, Stevie Wonder released an album titled Where I’m Coming From. My favorite track from this collection is the funky, clavinet-laced nugget “Do Yourself a Favor,” in which the opening lines of the refrain declare, “Do yourself a favor; educate your mind.”
This album was the first project on which Wonder exerted total creative and production control. This album was not the commercial success or critically acclaimed phenomenon that later became the norm. But it was Wonder’s transition away from being just another tool in Berry Gordy’s assembly line of how music at Motown was made. The output here was much more adventurous musically and lyrically than Wonder’s previous offerings. This was the commencement of the iconic award-winning artistic ascension that really took off two projects later with the release the album Talking Book.
The words “Do yourself a favor; educate your mind” reverberate in my head when I think about the current state of black music. Sometimes listening to mainstream urban radio sounds like “all Drake, Rihanna and Beyoncé” all the time. Of course, that is an oversimplification but the limited radio playlists are real. They make it feel like you hear the same five to ten records over and over again. Tight lists also prevail on the urban adult radio format. The difference there is most of the records are “vintage” sounds that are at least 15 years old. The fact that the aforementioned exists reflects commercial terrestrial radio can lead to a black music-loving consumer (or listener) to “check out.”
Multitudes of people have come to a place where they are indifferent to today’s music landscape. Many I speak with think there are limited new music offerings. They feel there is a lack of exposure to variety and to upcoming artists. This in turn leads many to make comments like “they don’t make good music like they used to” or “they only play the same five or ten songs on the radio” and the like. I also hear the sentiment, “Man, I wish things were like they were back in the day!” I sometimes even hear these comments from veteran music industry peers.
As much as I relish the foundation of the past upon which we stand, I am a mature man who remains excited about the emergence of music of the future (and present). I still get off on being aware of “who is next.” I am a firm believer that black music is not dead. I feel black music is in fact alive and well. However, I feel that in order to find much of the most vibrant offerings, we have to do ourselves a favor and educate ourselves to stretch outside of the boundaries corporate powers that be would have us to believe are the only vehicles that exist.
Here are a few tactics I personally utilize to circumvent music monotony in order to keep smiles on my face, pleasures bouncing in my head and soul in my heart:
- Realize that standard commercial terrestrial FM radio is but a part of the music exposure landscape. As noted previously, it’s not necessarily exposing that much music anyway. I remember my much younger days when AM radio was the prevalent mode on which to hear music. Then technology brought FM radio to the forefront and with it (initially) a more progressive output of music. Being a New Yorker, I remember the early days of WBLS-FM, which program director Frankie Crocker deemed the “Total Black Experience in Sound.” Later, there was 98.7 WRKS-FM, which under Barry Mayo included hip-hop artists like Run-D.M.C., Kurtis Blow, Eric B & Rakim and others at a time when traditional radio would not touch them).
- Today technology is available to allow us to be more exploratory in search of music. We can listen to radio on our television with Music Choice (I personally like the R&B/soul, reggae, jazz and rap channels). Music Choice regularly plays artists’ music ahead of other more conventional outlets. We can subscribe to satellite radio with SiriusXM. Its Heart & Soul Channel regularly spices up its programming with emerging artists. We can listen to radio on our computers. I am a fan of independently operated Internet-only stations like Frances Jaye’s Neo Soul Café (www.neosoulcafe.com) and Marko Noble’s Rhythm and Soul Radio (www.rhythmandsoulradio.com). These outlets provide an eclectic blend of largely independent nu soul artists like Eric Roberson, Avery Sunshine, Foreign Exchange, Rahsaan Patterson, Lalah Hathway and others.
- We can also use the TuneIn Radio app found on any smart phone. Using TuneIn gives you the opportunity to listen to radio stations from around the world. I often listen to radio stations from the United Kingdom, Barbados, South Africa, and Jamaica as well as some of my U.S. favorites like WHUR in Washington, D.C., KJLH in Los Angeles, WTCC in Springfield, Mass. and WCLK in Atlanta. Utilizing these alternative radio vehicles has taught me that some of the best black music travels some unconventional roads that often begin outside the U.S. I also augment my radio ingestion with visits to websites like Soultracks.com, Singersroom.com, Soulbounce.com, Soul-Patrol.com, Okayplayer.com and others.
- Realize that black music is a multi-genre phenomenon precipitated by the African Diaspora. Black music is produced in Europe, the U.K., the Caribbean, South America and Central America. Black music encompasses R&B, soul, blues, gospel, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, salsa, soca and other styles. As such, we should broaden our musical geography.
- Multi-instrumentalist Peven Everett is black music, hip-hop purveyor Kendrick Lamar is black music, Ledisi is black music, Les Nubians is black music, Hypersounds is black music former Haitian President Sweet Micky is black music. Taking the aforementioned position, I have what some might say is a contrarian view. From where I sit, the state of black music is good and STILL moving on!
Kevin Harewood is an entertainment industry veteran who currently operates EDclectic Entertainment in Brooklyn, NY.