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JUNETEENTH MUSIC PLAYLIST: Wale, H.E.R., Da Baby, Alicia Keys & More Drop The Necessary Black Empowerment Tracks For The Culture

​ Jun 19 | by _YBF ​ ​ ​ ​

We’ve got the perfect playlist to rock out to  from artists like Wale, H.E.R., Da Baby, Alicia Keys and more as you celebrate Juneteenth. Take a listen inside….

It’s Juneteenth and several artists have dropped new music that exude black empowerment. Lyrics that paint the picture of what’s going on in our nation today. Music artists dropped new music this Friday to kick off Juneteenth RIGHT.

Rapper Wale is lending his voice to the revolution! The DC rapper surprised his fans with a new EP titled, The Imperfect Storm. The six tracks were inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement “with a revolutionary spark and his ancestor’s spirit.” It’s poetic infused with politics and current events.

The nation is TIREDT of police brutality and racism. Over the last few weeks, people have been hitting the streets to protest against racism, police brutality, systemic racism and social injustice. The protests were sparked after the death of George Floyd went viral.

"Seen a white riot get a black n*gga shot/Strapped fully, yes, 'cause the pig finna ride/Blasphemy, yes, they ain't askin' for God/They ran through the stores, they ran through the spas/It's hard to get mad when it's mad niggas gone,” Wale rapped on “Movin’ Different.”

On his track titled “June 5th/QueenZnGodZ” he talked about cultural appropriation and the raging protests that have been going on across the nation.

”Okay, who black, who black, who black, who not?/I know you mad, you mad, they mad they not/We the sports and the music, do the math, we the culture/And I gotta ask of you, what have you brought?,” he rapped.

My daughter seen the murder on cellular phone/And that was not on purpose, was orderin' Trolls Okay, they mad, they mad, they mad, they hot/Thinkin' the badge is better than havin' some heart Okay, look now, look now, look how they runnin'/They beatin' white people down just to show us what's comin'/Or to show us we nothin', or to show us we only welcome when singin' or ballin'/Nigga, shut up and dribble (Shut up and dribble)/ Or shut up, perform for them, 'cause they hold all the money,” he rapped.

Prolific.

He also gave a shoutout to "This Is Us" writer Jas Fly, who recently passed away.

Take a listen to his surprise EP below:

In other new music...

H.E.R. just debuted a new track "I Can't Breathe," which is a powerful track written in the wake of killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor on Juneteenth. She titled the track "I Can't Breathe," George Floyd's last words - the same phrase Eric Garner said as he was being choked by police officers in 2014.

"These lyrics were kind of easy to write because it came from a conversation of what's happening right now, what's been happening, and the change that we need to see," H.E.R. said before her iHeartRadio Living Room concert. "I think music is powerful when it comes to change and when it comes to healing, and that's why I wrote this song, to make a mark in history."

Take a listen below:

And peep her iHeartRadio performance below:

Also...

 

 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I have felt called by music like I never have before.⁣⁣ I have been following its lead.⁣⁣ It has led me to the song “A Perfect Way to Die”.⁣⁣ The song title is so powerful and heartbreaking because WE are heartbroken by so many who have died unjustly.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Of course, there is NO perfect way to die. That phrase doesn’t even make sense. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Just like it doesn’t make sense that there are so many innocent lives that should not have been taken from us due to the destructive culture of police violence. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Sometimes I don’t have the words and music is the only thing that can speak.⁣⁣ I hope this speaks to you.⁣⁣ I hope one day this song won’t be so relevant.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Let’s NEVER stop fighting for justice.

A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on

Alicia Keys served up new music to pay tribute to the black lives that were stolen at the hands of police and white people. The new track is titled "Perfect Way to Die" where she collaborated with Sebastian Kole on the emotional ballad. The song was written from a black mother's point of view whose children have been killed due to police violence.

"I have felt called by music like I never have before.⁣," Alicia wrote on Instagram. "I have been following its lead.⁣⁣ It has led me to the song 'A Perfect Way to Die'.⁣⁣ The song title is so powerful and heartbreaking because WE are heartbroken by so many who have died unjustly.⁣⁣" ⁣⁣

Take a listen below:

As for another socially charged track....

Rapper Da Baby recently dropped a "Black Lives Matter" remix of his hit track "Rockstar" with Roddy Rich. The remix features new bars from Da Baby where he talks about his own violent experiences with police officers and the protests against the police bruatliaty that have been talking over the nation.

Take a listen above.

More new music...

 

 

Singer August Alsina just announced he has a new album dropping on June 26th. It's titled The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy and it'll be accompanied with a 5-part documentary series titled "stateofEMERGEncy: The Rise of August Alsina." It'll debut Sunday, June 21st via YouTube.

The album and documentary come as a unit following years of Alsina’s ongoing battle with his severe auto-immune disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and the passing of his sister, leaving him as the guardian for his three young nieces. Both projects dive deep into his lifetime of trials and tribulations all before the young age of 27, and are intended to be experienced together as he tells his story through an authentic humanizing lens. Fans will witness Alsina pull back the curtain on what he’s been through along his path up until now, how he is coping with the cards he’s been dealt, and how he is finding healing through it all. Each episode from the documentary is paired with a track off the album leading up to the full album release on Friday, June 26th.

The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy is a robust 27-songs with features from Yo Gotti, Tink, Lil Wayne, Juicy J and Darrel Walls. stateofEMERGEncy: The Rise of August Alsina documentary explicitly reveals Alsina’s troubling past, his loved ones surrounding him and the life-changing moment creating an instant pause in his career. With only 15-minutes each episode, Alsina opens up about his auto-immune disease, his homeless experience and his anxiety, giving fans a glimpse of his hometown and childhood life in New Orleans leading up to the release of Product III: stateofEMERGEncy.

Get ready!

As for education in music...

 

ASCAP - the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers - announced the launch of a new paid internship program for students enrolled in historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. Woot! Grab your phone, pull up the notes application and take down this information.

This summer, the PRO will offer five HBCU students the opportunity to join ASCAP’s team to gain real-world experience in the music industry.

Howard University (Washington, DC), Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA), Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA), and Bennett College (Greensboro, NC) will be initial partners in the program, which will run through July and August. Interns will work remotely, alongside ASCAP professionals in their field of interest.

ASCAP plans to continue and expand the initiative moving forward, offering paid internships to HBCU students each summer.

“We have a responsibility to seek to nurture talent and empower the next generation of Black leaders in the music business, just as we do on the creative side,” said ASCAP Senior Vice President, Rhythm & Soul Nicole George-Middleton. “Our goal is to provide experience within ASCAP and to help our interns connect with the larger industry as they pursue their careers.”

BONUS:

 

 

Tonight, Alicia Keys and John Legend will battle it out on the piano for the Verzuz Battle tonight at 8pm/EST.

Photo: PenWin/Shutterstock.com

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