We always have music and that alone can soothe the
soul. June is not only about the
beginning of summer, but it has also been celebrated as a month of African
American music recognition. You don’t hear too much about Black Music Month
anymore. So to lighten the load of the
world a bit, let’s celebrate just for a little while. We can’t let June slip past without showing
appreciation to some of the soul comforting sounds of African American music.
Whether it be jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, gospel, reggae, house or R & B,
music transcends through all barriers and transforms our whole sensory nervous
system.
Music is a force that moves through our soul like a bolt of
lightning! When we hear a song for the
first time and quickly use our mobile app to get the name of the artist(s) and
song title, the next thing is to buy it.
Some people like to download music, others go to major retailers and get
it, but there are still some that like the authentic music stores. You know the ones that are jamming when you
walk in and make you stop in your tracks…yeah, I find those little gems to be
magical.
At any rate, when we make these
purchases we’ve just bought stock in something and the only reason is because
at that moment it made us feel a certain way.
Paying homage to the Black record stores is one of the things I do just
to show appreciation for the longevity of staying in a tough fight.
In the world of technology, music can be obtained with a press
of a button. Yet, record stores are
becoming obsolete especially Black-owned record stores. Nevertheless, some enthusiasts like myself,
still prefer to have collector’s items as such.
One of my favorite places to visit when I need to press pause is a music
store. Here in Atlanta, GA you can find
some of the best music at Moods Music in the Little Five Points district. Although they carry a wide selection of
various artists stemming from all across the world, I find that they have the
most diverse selection of “SOUL” music.
Artists
like Jumanji, whose cd is so immersed in mind-blowing craftsmanship that you
can’t even predict what the next track will sound like but be prepared for
eargasms throughout. Other artists that
are slipping under the radar but can definitely set or change a mood to
complete blissfulness are: Maysa, Sy Smith, DJ Ezasscul, Esnavi, Robert
Glasper, Carmen Rogers, The Rurals, Dangerfield
Newbies, King, Oddisee, Elijah Bland, JSoul, and Conya Doss just to name a few
of my personal favorites. These talented
brothers and sisters are unique in their own right bringing a style of their
own and doing it with pure delight for your listening pleasure. This is the type of music that keeps me
coming back to the record store…it’s not mainstream but definitely “music to my
ears”. No matter where I go, I will
always find a record store.
It really doesn’t matter what you’re musical taste is or
whether you want to step outside your preference of music as long as you let
the music play. Let it carry you for a
while if for nothing more than to wash away the stresses and hardships of the
day. Celebrate every day with a little
bit of soul; don’t get swept away in the midst of the chaos. We can’t run from our problems but we can run
to music.
Respect to all the amazing
African American artists that fill us up when we’re running on empty with their
beats and lyrics. Blessings to the Black
record store for bringing sunshine to my life.
Black Music Month is a time to celebrate how far and wide our music has
reached across cultures however, we have access to it on a daily basis…go ahead
put your music on!
As an era where the music industry has drastically changed,
it hasn’t halted in the desire to feed us.
We sing to it, dance to it, play to it, dress to it, exercise to it,
drive to it, and yes, we’ve even made lots and lots of babies to music. Music is truly the one thing that has no
color barriers or stereotypes…it loves all people. Its vibrations move through us in different
ways but we all find something about music we love. Now who can hate that? With music you can just be!
