CAN WE TALK…ABOUT TEVIN?

As an unanticipated result of Aretha Franklin’s passing, Tevin Campbell has become a hot topic. We take a moment to give Tevin him his props. Young Tevin grew up in Texas singing in church (of course). Through a series of auditions and meetings, he met Benny Medina, head of Black Music at Warner. Q then introducedContinue reading “CAN WE TALK…ABOUT TEVIN?”

REMEMBERING HEAVY

Celebrating one of the most underrated artists in mainstream hip-hop In 2011 we lost an artist I consider criminally underrated and under-acknowledged in hip hop conversations. We’ve touched on him in previous #MusicSermons: looking at the book of Uptown and remembering how hard we danced in the 90s, but today we’re going to properly focusContinue reading “REMEMBERING HEAVY”

TV THEME SONGS THAT SLAPPED

Is ‘The Jeffersons’ “Movin’ on Up” the jammin’est TV theme song of all time? Let’s explore. TV theme songs used to be serious business. They were real life compositions, with verses, chorus and vamp, sung by established artist. Rather than start a fight over by trying to rank some of the best, let’s revist the goldenContinue reading “TV THEME SONGS THAT SLAPPED”

#MUSICSERMON’S TOP 11

Shortly before #MusicSermon’s anniversary, we put out a call for your Top sermons over the first year. For the rest of the month, we’re counting down down the Top 11 based on your responses. #11: THE GOLDEN ERA of R&B/HIP-HOP COLLABS When hip-hop and r&b collabs first hit their stride, each genre brought a distinctContinue reading “#MUSICSERMON’S TOP 11”

The Auntie Divas

Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Natalie Cole all had thriving careers through multiple music evolutions, including strong comebacks and pop hits in their 40s. A look at how they defied career expectations and industry norms. PT I: Aretha, Dionne, Patti and Gladys There have always been rumors of AuntieContinue reading “The Auntie Divas”

PROHPETS & VISIONARIES: The Directors

For Our First #MusicSermon Series of Year 2 (yay!), a Look at the Masters Behind the Golden Age of Music Videos While #MusicSermon maintains our #B2K (Before 2000) doctrine, videos hit their creative stride from the mid-late 90s through the early 00s. We celebrated the best and most impactful of the era. PT I: Bille Woodruff,Continue reading “PROHPETS & VISIONARIES: The Directors”