From The Root. This ended up being a really long post, especially for me. But as I posted the music, each is so good I couldn’t stop or omit, as you’ll see while you scroll through to look.
This February, we’re listening to these soul, R&B and hip-hop hits by some of our favorite Black artists.
By Angela Johnson, Phenix S Halley
There’s no better time for music with a message than Black History Month! Black artists have channeled their pain, frustration and hope into their music for decades. And whether they’re telling us to say it loud, fight the power or f**** the police, their songs make powerful statements, inspiring us to stand up for what we believe in and look forward to better days ahead.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some of the songs we’ve got on repeat.
James Brown’s 1968 hit “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)“ was recorded four months after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and quickly became an anthem of the Black Power Movement. People still love the positive message of Black pride and dope beat today, which is probably why it’s been sampled over 250 times.
After dropping hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” in the late 1960s, Marvin Gaye took his sound in a completely new direction with his 1971 album “What’s Going On.” The song “Inner City Blues” painted a vivid picture of life in America’s inner cities at the time and is still relevant today.
Before Public Enemy told us to “Fight the Power,” there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message.” While most hip-hop hits at the time talked about partying, this 1982 track kept it real about life in the streets.
A song written for Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” soundtrack, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” called for people to stand up to racial inequality and injustice. It was a huge success, climbing to number one on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles and 20 on the Hot R&B chart. Rolling Stone named it number two on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
“You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out,” Gil Scott-Heron warns us in “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The 1971 poem is a call to action for Black people, telling them that rather than waiting for corporations and the media to save us from injustice, we’ll have to save ourselves.
India.Arie’s 2006 single “I Am Not My Hair” is a love letter to Black hair in all its forms. She tells her audience not to allow themselves to be defined by Eurocentric standards of beauty but to feel comfortable in the skin they’re in.
“I am not my hair,
I am not this skin,
I am a soul that lives within,” she sings.
Common and John Legend joined forces on 2015’s “Glory,” a song for the soundtrack of the movie “Selma.” The song, with lyrics that are hopeful of better days, won the pair a GRAMMY and an Academy Award for their performance.
Without a doubt, McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” is a classic disco song that makes you want to dance. But the 1979 hit is also putting the rest of the world on notice that “We’re on the move.”
In “Don’t Touch My Hair” Solange Knowles is putting folks on notice that Black hair is a source of our strength. It is our crown, and it is not to be touched.
Compton rappers N.W.A. call out racial disparities in policing in their 1988 hit, “F* the Police.” Although the song is over 25 years old, unfortunately, the message still resonates. After the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, streams of the song grew 14 times according to data from last.fm.
“Hang on to the world as it spins around. Just don’t let the spin get you down, Donny Hathaway sings in “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” The song, while beautiful, did not land a spot on the charts. But it is beloved by many and has been covered by artists, including Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and Take 6.
Run-D.M.C.’s “Proud to Be Black” is a track from their 1986 “Raising Hell” album and a dope declaration of self-love.
It’s hard not to be moved when you hear Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” He was inspired to write the 1964 song that looks forward to a world without discrimination and hate after being denied access to a white-only hotel in Louisiana and hearing Bob Dylan’s protest song “Blowing in the Wind.”
In “Walking,” gospel duo Mary Mary reminds us that even when times are hard, when you are walking with God, you’re never alone.
KRS One lets us know what we’re being taught in school leaves out a whole lot of important Black history in the 1989 hip-hop hit “You Must Learn.”
Legendary female rapper Queen Latifah spoke out against disrespect and called on everyone to give Black women the appreciation they deserve in her 1993 hit, “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Not many people can make Beethoven sound hot. But Nas flipped “Für Elise” into a positive affirmation record, letting kids know they can do anything they set their minds to on his 2002 hit song “I Can.”
While James Brown and Nina Simone songs were part of the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement, Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” was one of the songs that defined the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Written by the legendary Curtis Mayfield, the Impressions “People Get Ready” is as much gospel as it is soul. The song offers hope in the afterlife for people living with injustice and discrimination.
We are honoring all of the Black stars who left us in 2026.
By The Root Staff Published February 5, 2026
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1969: Photo of Fifth Dimension, c.1969, California, Los Angeles, Fifth DimensionL-R: Ron Townson, Florence LaRueBilly Davis, Jr., Lamonte McLemore, Marilyn McCoo. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
We’re not going to lie, 2025 was a tough year, as we lost many of the Black legends we knew and loved. Now, as 2026 gets underway, we must say goodbye to even more of those who had such a tremendous impact on the culture. Although they are gone, they will never be forgotten.
(snip-brief celebratory obits/photos on the page. A few of them have been posted here, lat year. While you peruse our losses, enjoy this next one from The Root, too! I would listen to Luther Vandross sing the phone book.)
The late Luther Vandross is still a trending topic thanks to the 2026 Grammys. So what better time than now to take a look at some of his best songs!
By Shanelle Genai Published February 3, 2026
LOS ANGELES – 1995: Singer Luther Vandross poses for a portrait in 1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
Although Kendrick Lamar and SZA walked away with the 2026 Grammy for Record of the Year for their song “luther”—which sampled the 1982 Luther Vandross hit “If This World Were Mine”—the late iconic singer still somehow became one of the hottest topics of the night.
This was thanks in large part to Cher’s hilarious and accidental flub, announcing Vandross as the winner instead Lamar. But still it made for a good reason to talk about the legendary singer and his musical contributions. It also got us thinking about our favorite Luther Vandross songs and so we’d figure what better way to wax poetic about them than by putting together our top favorite tracks of his for the best of the best playlist!
Fair warning though: this list will make you move and groove so make room wherever you are!
Hello Everyone, and Hello to you, Scottie!
A bit ago, Scottie – you put out a post titled “I have struggled all day”. In that post, you included two songs, and for those who have been on this blog for a while we do recognize Terry Jacks.
Music is a huge part of my life. I sing like a water buffalo with laryngitis, but I love music. It works to lift me up when I’m down, it reminds me of special people and special times in my life, it brings me peace, and sometimes it allows me to be angry. Music can sing to a person’t soul, lighten one’s load. It allows me to cry when I need to cry, to hope when hope seems gone. It reminds me that I’m not alone.
So, I have three songs here. Two are just a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the last is very special to me. I sent you this song, Scottie, a long time ago. It is my favorite cover of that song.
My challenge and my ask to everyone is to please add in the comments the songs that you love, that feed your heart and soul. Songs that make you smile, make you cry, make you dance or sing in a crowded grocery store because you just can’t not sing or dance when you hear it. Because like the last song says so clearly: we are all in this together, whether we want to be or not. 🙂
I love you, my brother!
Randy
Careful. That one gets in your ear and you can’t get it out.
That one for my big brother, who I do my best to irritate – as all brothers should.
And finally, this one, to remind to remind my very wonderful brother and all of us that no matter how much we may feel alone, we are not. We are loved – first we need to remember that we have to love ourselves no matter how we are feeling (easier said, I know). But, we also have to remember that there are people who rely on us, who hope in us, who see our mangled spirit and troubled mind as a life-line in cold dark seas and really think we are something grand even when we don’t.
So, Again Everyone… please let me know the songs that are special to you, and perhaps even why they are special. Music is the magic. Randy
I’m thankful for Bee’s blog, and especially for this song challenge! Here is the final one for November 2025:
The holidays roll on. I love this song, both for Christmas, and especially for peace. Here’s to it!
Enjoy it anyway; it isn’t as if we aren’t going to eat again until next Thanksgiving! I hope not, anyway; if that’s true, be sure to let us know, seriously. Meanwhile, have a smile with music.
Bee brings back 99 Luftballons for the Peace Song challenge.
If you didn’t get the German version in her blog post (I got both English,) here it is:
Here’s a rocker for my today’s selection; it may be more protest than peace, but peace is the objective, of course.
First, here is a video to go with Bee’s post here yesterday:
(in case her initial video was unavailable.) Today, we get 2 from Bee, as she observes the Blogger’s Global Strike For Gaza. Post 1, then Post 2!
Three videos is plenty; I’ll do one next time! ☮ 🕊 ✌
Bee brings us another song for peace; the video is not available in some areas, but she’s transcribed the lyrics in her post below. I think you’ll appreciate her entire post.
For my selection: this is not the usual rock or folk that I’ve been posting; it’s very beautiful, all the same. I’ve been curious about it since Bee began the Peace Song Challenge, so today’s the day! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Bee brings us a classic Cranberries piece, with a good message about peace in Ireland.
I’ve loved this song since I was a kid; we actually learned it in Sunday School! I still think it’s a fine peace song. Enjoy Peter, Paul, and Mary, with their Hammer!
Scottie's Playtime 