Today is the twenty-seventh day of Black History Month. Because the current administration is racist, fascist and wants to deny the existence and histories of anyone that isn’t cis-het and white, there are some important things everyone should remember during this month — and every single month:
- You can’t love Black artists and their work, and not see them as people
- Black lives — and Black art matters
- Black culture is American culture
As we go through the month, I’m going to talk about a collection of Black artists. It’ll be fairly comprehensive and eclectic list — although it won’t be a complete list. So far I’ve talked about the following:
- Big Boi, who celebrated his 51st birthday on February 1
- Rick James, who was born 78 years ago on February 1
- Sudan Archives, one of the most talented and dynamic artists performing out there today
- The Temptations‘ second and longest tenured lead vocalist Dennis Edwards who was born 83 years ago on February 3
- Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, bassist and JOVM mainstay Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner
- Bobby Brown, who celebrated his 57th birthday on February 5
- The legendary Bob Marley, who was born 81 years ago on February 6
- Natalie Cole, the daughter of the legendary jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole, who was born 76 years ago on February 6
- J. Dilla, who was born 52 years ago on February 7
- The pioneering Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- The uncompromising and trailblazing Tracy Chapman
- The legendary Roberta Flack, who was born 89 years ago on February 10
- D’Angelo, who was born 52 years ago on February
- Bad Brains‘ founder and frontman H.R., who celebrated his 70th birthday on February 11
- Brandy, who celebrated her 47th birthday on February 11
- Grammy Award and Brit Award-nominated artist Billy Ocean
- Freedom Williams, whose sonorous baritone flow was part of C+C Music Factory‘s biggest hits of the early 1990s celebrated his 60th birthday on February 13
- Maceo Parker, who celebrated his 83rd birthday on February 14.
- Holland-Dozier-Holland‘s Brian Holland, who celebrated his 85th birthday on February 15
- Ice T, the controversial pioneer of West Coast gangsta rap and of rap metal with his equally controversial metal band Body Count, who celebrated his 68th birthday on February 16
- Kamasi Washington, who celebrated his 45th birthday on February 18
- Dr. Dre, who celebrated his 61st birthday on February 18
- Seal, who celebrated his 63rd birthday on February 19
- The great Smokey Robinson celebrated his 86th birthday on February 19
- Nina Simone, who was born 93 years ago on February 21
- Whitney Houston arguably one of the best and most memorable voices ever recorded
- Billie Holiday whose influence on jazz and pop has been towering
- Salt-N-Pepa, one of the best-selling rap acts ever
- Al Green, the king of soul and of love songs
- Erykah Badu, who celebrated her 55th birthday on February 26
- New Orleans-born and-based singer/songwriter, pianist and rock ‘n roll pioneer Fats Domino, who was born 98 years ago on February 26
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings featured Sharon Jones, one of the most dynamic, larger-than-life presences of her time. And that voice! Arguably, the heart and soul of Daptone Records, she fronted a band with some of the best players ever assembled.
We lost Jones a decade ago, but luckily I’ve caught her live four times, including photographing her during Afropunk 2014.
___
The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
Make a one-time donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.
You can follow me on the following social platforms:
X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent
Instagram: @william_ruben_helms
Threads: @william_ruben_helms
Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement
As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.