Black History Month

Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days celebrates the life of athlete Jesse Owens

Black History Month wouldn't be complete without an installment of donnie l. betts's Black Radio Days, the live radio show that picks up where the first nationwide African-American radio drama, produced in Chicago by Richard Durham more than sixty years ago, left off. That boundary-breaking program, ... More >>

A Poet’s Odyssey

As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on the influential Sounds of Blackness

Black History Month 2012 has been a doozy. Beginning with the tragic and shocking death of Don Cornelius to dealing with equally troubling news of Whitney Houston's passing as the month wore on. Most interesting about this time is the ways in which the music healed us. When Whitney died, DJs played ... More >>

Stevie Wonder: One of the most important figures in black music and American culture

Everyone loves Stevie Wonder. If you haven't been at a basement party singing along to "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in punch-drunk love and harmony, you haven't lived. Born Stevland Hardaway Morris in 1950, Stevie Wonder is a child prodigy who has been blind since birth. His classical prowess o ... More >>

Marvin Gaye: The face and voice of black music

Born Marvin Pentz Gaye, Jr. in 1939 in Washington, D.C., the singer also known as the Prince of Soul was the original panty-dropper. But while Gaye had a smooth, controlled voice that combined with an inherent sexiness for a swoon factor that was simply off the charts, he was far more than a mere se ... More >>

Ten things to do for $10 this weekend, February 24-26, 2012

It's so easy to get the blues in dreary, cruddy February. But there's no excuse this weekend -- the city is full of things to do. From Oscar parties to art openings, dance performances to absurd theater, we've got everything you could possibly want. And it all costs $10 or less. For a full list of ... More >>

Tina Turner: A dynamic performer with the most supreme legs to ever walk a stage

​Tina Turner is the Queen of Rock and Roll, the baddest in the land with the most supreme pair of legs to ever walk a stage. Her voice contains a sandpaper grit that helped smoothed the edges of black culture and her own very rough life. Born in unincorporated Nut Bush, Tennessee, as Anna Mae ... More >>

Mary J. Blige only gets better with time

Mary J. Blige has the same pain and grit in her voice of having lived a very full life as artists like Billie Holliday, Etta James and others. For a burgeoning hip-hop generation, Blige's voice and signature style of taking a hip-hop beat and adding her soulful vibe to it so changed the sound of mus ... More >>

They Got the Power

Black History Month: Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman says we don't need one

Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman not only questions why we relegate Black History Month to the bleakest part of the winter, he maintains that black history is a part of American history that doesn't need to be recognized by its own month. To promote his argument, Hassan set off across the country ... More >>

The Wu-Tang Clan forever changed the game

Heavily inspired by mob movies and king-fu cinema, Wu-tang Clan began in Staten Island, the brainchild of the brilliantly sharp RZA, who brought his brothers and their talents together to form a hip-hop conglomerate whose rhymes are as much based on the science of everything in life as they are abou ... More >>

Prince is a shining example of creative blackness

The day has come for us to celebrate the Purple One. Prince Rogers Nelson is as provocative as he is talented. A startlingly prolific songwriter and a virtuosic musician, Prince has written a slew of mesmerizing songs over the course of his career, both for himself and for other artists too numerous ... More >>

Outkast is one of hip-hop's most successful and creative groups

​Outkast is easily one of the most noted and respected hip-hop groups in the game. Big Boi and Andre 3000 met in the East Point section of Atlanta when they were sixteen. The outfit combined funk, soul, jazz and blues influences with hip-hop lyrics on its 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillac ... More >>

Nina Simone: All hail the High Priestess of Soul

Nina Simone was a classically trained pianist and learned to hone the depths of her voice after taking up a gig where the restaurant owner wanted her to sing as well as play. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina in 1933, Simone was raised in the church, and that experience cultivated ... More >>

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: Remembering the greatest performer of all time

Lauded as the greatest performer of all time, Michael Jackson was a dancing, singing, performing phenomenon, and we are not likely to see another performer of his caliber ever again. The life of Michael Jackson is well documented, his struggles, imperfections and sometimes bizarre behavior, but one ... More >>

Suzi Q. Smith, this week's cover poet, nominated for a Cultural Arts Leader award

​In this week's cover story, "Slam, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am," Westword followed local poet (and national award winner) Suzi Q. Smith on her journeys as a full-time artist. Smith's list of accolades is not a short one: She is currently ranked the number three female slam poet in the world, and he ... More >>

Take the Middle Passage

We pledge allegiance to the Funkadelic

Parliament-Funkadelic gave birth to every single motley crew of funk and don't-give-a-fuck all-stars we love so much. Funkadelic, of course, begat Public Enemy, which then begat the Wu-tang Clan, which then begat Odd Future, etc. Ask not what the funk can do for you, but what you can do for the funk ... More >>

Whitney Houston built trust among her audience with her perfect pitch

Trying to think with structure about an artist like Whitney Houston's ability to influence the entire world is as difficult as trying to squeeze your head in a jar. Her voice had a soaring power that transcended pop appeal and packed the gusto of an entire gospel choir. Houston's contributions to mu ... More >>

Weekend best party bets: Mile High Madness, Anti-Valentine's Day parties and more

What are you getting into this weekend? Might you be interested in a party or two? Thought you'd say that. You're in luck. There's a bunch of cool things happening. Tons of reggae, a live hip-hop soiree and even an anti-Valentine's Day themed party. There's a little something for everyone in this gu ... More >>

Chaka Khan remains one of the most prominent figures in funk and R&B music

Born Yvette Marie Stevens in March 1953, Chaka Khan sang songs written by Stevie Wonder and Prince as though they were crafted from her own pen. The Queen of Funk has a fiery soul about her and an undeniable rhythm that oozes from her pores. With hits from her collaborative years with Rufus and solo ... More >>

Aretha Franklin is the greatest vocalist of all time

Aretha Franklin is the greatest soul singer to ever live. She's the reason we have Mary J. Blige, Cee-Lo Green, Adele, you name it. The singer, born Aretha Louise Franklin in March 1942, paved the way for all of the artists who followed. The Queen of Soul sang on a slew of hits such as "Natural Woma ... More >>

Jay-Z's come a long way from the Marcy Projects

What do you know about Jay-Z? Born Shawn Corey Carter in December 1969, the Brooklyn corner boy from the Marcy Housing Projects, who used to flip kilos of coke as fast as he flipped rhymes, turned his life of trial and tragedy into one of triumph and success, making a ton of money and marrying the g ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: J Dilla

Happy birthday, J Dilla!​Ah, J Dilla. His influence and production style brought forth beatmakers carrying their backpacks filled with treasures from the basement into the mainstream. Even more so after his death. A cult-like following surrounds his legacy. Born James Dewitt Yancey in February ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in history. Before being gifted with a guitar at the age of fifteen, Hendrix used a broom stick in place of the instrument that would later become his most beloved method of communication. Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1 ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: Fishbone releases documentary in honor of Black History Month

Fishbone, the self-described "disparate, all-black oddball crew," has released a documentary in honor of Black History Month. Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone is a brutally honest portrayal of one of the wildest and most influential black alternative bands in our culture. Fishbone began as ... More >>

Sounds of Blackness: I'm Rick James, bitch!

Happy Black History Month! February has traditionally been the month when the contributions, traditions, and historical facts about African Americans are celebrated the most. This year's Black History Month started off a little heavy with the passing of Soul Train founder Don Cornelius. All month he ... More >>

R.I.P. Don Cornelius

On this, the first day of Black History Month 2012, there's some sad news coming out of Los Angeles: Don Cornelius, a legend who changed television forever, was found dead this morning at his home of an apparent suicide. The 75-year-old Chicago-bred civil rights-inspired journalist was the epitome ... More >>

Black Actors Guild does the most with Doin' the Most

​The Black Actors Guild was originally founded by five juniors at the Denver School of the Arts who were frustrated with the available material and also by the stereotype of the black actor, according Ryan Soo, the guild's director of operations. "A lot didn't apply to them, and a lot that did ... More >>

"Get on the Bus," a panel discussion and celebration of African-American activism

​Holly Kai Hurd, art curator for the Blair Caldwell Library will be presenting a panel discussion and think tank examining art, activism and leadership in the 21st Century. "Get on the Bus!" is a component of the library's dedication of the month of November to the Freedom Rides of the Civil R ... More >>

The GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee will go down in history -- as shmucks

Bob Gardner​It was a foregone conclusion from the beginning. Earlier this year, state representative Mark Ferrandino and state senator Pat Steadman introduced a bill that would have allowed civil unions in Colorado and given gay couples the same right to make a legal commitment as heterosexu ... More >>

Amelia Earhart on Jaywalking: Is Jay Leno or woman who refers to 9News dumber? (VIDEO)

Amelia?​Update below: Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" routine features man- and woman-on-the-street interviews with alleged morons -- but one recent clip makes him look like a bigger dope than the woman he portrays as a brainless chump. That's because her reference to Amelia Earhart as a 9News persona ... More >>

Arrr! Is the DMNS's upcoming Pirates exhibit discriminatory?

Standing up against the oppression of scurvy swabs.​In the midst of Black History Month, it seems a particularly appropriate time to consider the plight of another marginalized group, a group that has been disenfranchised since the seventeenth century, has been historically oppressed by the U. ... More >>

Uncle Luke for Mayor! What's his platform?

​It's Black History Month, a time when we celebrate the achievements of African-Americans and their impact on society. With that in mind, it's completely fitting to discover that Uncle Luke (aka Luther Campbell) chose the month of February to announce his intent to run for mayor of Miami-Dade ... More >>

What week is it? A breakdown of everything you could be celebrating, January 31 - February 6

The groundhog of your discontent.​When push comes to shove, February is and pretty much always will be Black History Month -- that's the only one they teach you about in school, anyway, mostly by telling you about Martin Luther King, Jr., the least threatening to white people of the civil righ ... More >>

What week is it? A breakdown of everything you could be celebrating, January 24-30

Hell yeah, beer. This is your day. ​There are a number of so-called "drinking" holidays that roll around once a year -- St. Patrick's Day, Fat Tuesday, Black History Month -- but those, as you once heard a bartender say and now like to pretend like you came up with it yourself, are like "amate ... More >>

Get on the Bus

Awele Makeba tells it like it was

Spread the Love

Words Up

Renaissance Man