It feels like the good folks of the world are always struggling to gradually shift the needle, while the meanies are casually lobbing grenades and setbacks. Lately, time feels like the enemy of progress instead of providing for its inevitability. Here, Black artists provide tracks spanning 100 years - and voices on the subjects of time, progress, action, and hope (or sometimes lack thereof).
Tracklist in comments.
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That's some set with some great selections, especially the archive music from 1947 and 1923. That whole final section from the prisoners onwards is genuinely moving.
I'm quite old now and wonder sometimes whether I've already lived through peak tolerance in my lifetime, or whether a halfway equal or tolerant society can even survive without the subsoil of prosperity. Whenever the money runs out, the need for scapegoats is back on the agenda. And whenever there are votes in xenophobia, there'll always be politicians willing to capitalise on that.
So you should try to remember what progress has been made, I suppose. I try to think of that whenever I see a black and white couple, or a gay couple for that matter, walking down the street as if they expect to get from one end to the other without being assaulted or abused. That was one thing that was rarer when I was younger.
Thanks so much for your thorough listen and kind words - and I agree with all of what you’ve said here. It’s extremely hard to have a glass-half-full perspective these days. But, progress has been made, indeed. In some ways it feels like tolerance and equality didn’t improve as much as some of us thought it had, but that maybe many people just became polite, closeted bigots. And it didn’t take much to reverse that… like you say, just a handful of people willing to capitalize on close-mindedness. In the past I always thought each generation would bring big shifts towards open-mindedness, but my hopes there have lessened over the past several years. Maybe my kids and their friends will figure it out, if we can't! All the best.
Awesome selection of tracks on important subjects, my friend. "A Change Is Gonna Come" is such a powerful song, absolutely love it. And " If I Ruled The World" is part of my standard repertoire when I DJ.
Well selected, mate!
Thanks as always for the kind feedback!
Yes, some of these songs give me chills every time I listen - A Change is Gonna Come falls into that category. If I Ruled the World is a contemporary classic for sure - a deceptively upbeat song with a serious foundation - a rare song that can be happy or melancholy depending on how you approach it, and not in a tricky way - both are valid, I think.
It was a real emotional exercise reflecting on this variety of voices through time; probably the most serious of the mixes I’ve shared here, now that I think about it.
All the best, Furio!
Not gonna lie, this one cuts into unhealed places. But that's okay. "I am that nigga". The struggle is real and still we swing low.. sing out.. strike out.. stand up to be counted.. "I AM A MAN / I AM WOMAN".. we are the river.. together we are strong and beautiful. Big teary hugs brother.
I won’t lie either, I teared up myself a few times putting this one together. Not necessarily about individual voices, but about the fact that the same songs about the same struggles are still being sung decade after decade. When do they abate, let alone end? I find myself wondering what it would be like to time travel so the more recent artists could play for their predecessors - how would Nina respond to Haviah Mighty? Harold Melvin to SAULT? Would it instill hope or hopelessness? I guess there is some pessimism in this, but YES to (real) progress for sure. And big hugs. Lots of love to you!
..I too am questioning whether we (humans / U.S. citizens) will ever really change. How many more songs have to be written and sung before petty differences and hatred no longer rule the day? Add to that the question and my deepening concerns about yet another U.S. civil war. Again, not gonna lie, things feel bleak. How that for pessimism? Still, I will continue to 'imagine' a time when we learn how to coexist in collaborative peace.. it isn't hard to do. Again, thanks for taking the time to put this together. Sourcing much of these amazing works must not have been easy, and likely took years of picking to find them. So bravo! Abiding peace & love to you and yours brother!
Power to PROGRESS through education (the whole truth/facts not some narrow version of it), respect for the planet and one another. Thank you for this!
Great mix! I know what you mean regarding the needle. Many of the technological developments of the past three decades or so which appeared beneficial seem to be more of a problem these days, having been hijacked by those spreading lies etc. I'm wondering what would have happened if the present epidemic had hit before facebook and other social media were founded, and think it likely that the vaccination programme would have been much more successful globally without all the disinformation and misinformation that has been spread on such platforms. Still, have to try to stay positive and great music certainly helps!:)
Yes, I hear you! Our species far too quickly moved from the information age into the misinformation age, and in a way that really impacts lives in a non-abstract way. It’s hard to see a positive path forward when so many prefer misinformation that confirms their views, rather than seeking the truth. And that’s before we even consider nuance and complexity of many issues… Reality, and people, are not as black and white as many would like. In any case, here’s to progress, and the hope that music helps move it along! Thanks so much for listening and commenting - all the best.
Kids are digging this.
#educational
#parental-advisory-explicit-lyrics
#is-there-a-kidz-bop-version-of-close-your-eyes-and-count-to-fuck
Tracklist:
The Natural Spiritual Orchestra - Malcolm & Martin (1989)
A Word From James Baldwin
War - Slippin Into Darkness (1971)
Nas & Lauryn Hill - If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) (1996)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (1975)
Haviah Mighty & Yizzy - Protest (2021)
Public Enemy- By the Time I Get To Arizona (1991)
Gary Bartz NTU Troop - Uhuru Sasa (1973)
Run The Jewels & Zach de la Rocha - Close Your Eyes And Count To Fuck (2014)
Archie Shepp - Attica Blues (1972)
Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (1971)
Nina Simone - Backlash Blues (Live at Montreux) (1976)
Charles Mingus - Original Faubus Fables (1960)
Louisiana State Penitentiary Prisoners - Early In The Mornin’ (1947)
Oscar Peterson - Hymn To Freedom (1962)
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
SAULT - Light’s In Your Hands (2021)
Horace Silver - Peace (1959)
Manhattan Harmony Four - Lift Every Voice and Sing (1923)
Saul Williams - Sha Clack Clack (1998)