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🎙️🔥 Juneteenth

Well!

So first, let's clear a common misconception: no, President Abraham Lincoln did not love Black people nor see them as human equals. At best he was centrist about it (though, even his implication that 'exceptional' Black men ought to vote got him assassinated).

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do, it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union...I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."

The "freeing of slaves" after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was meant to kneecap the economic and military powers of the seceded South. Lettuce stop making a white savior figure out of Lincoln, or thinking that my people's shackles were unchained via anything other than desperate war strategy and extreme violence. Think on that, for a moment.

That being said!

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

Consider going through the Smithsonian website to learn about Juneteenth! Recognize why it's an actual day of freedom, versus July 4th and the independence of a select few.

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🎙️🔥

James Baldwin

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🎙️🔥

Kate Bush

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🎙️🔥Yes, A Music Legend and innovator : Sly Stone

Rest in Power, king.

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🎙️🔥Listen up .

Amy Winehouse singing an emotional rendition of Love is a Losing Game, October 2006

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Gertrude "Ma Rainey" Pridgett is known as the Mother of the Blues and is one of the earliest blues singers as well as one of the first generation of artists to record their work in that genre.

Though Ma Rainey sang quite a lot about men, “Prove It on Me,” according to Angela Y. Davis, “is a cultural precursor to the lesbian cultural movement of the 1970s, which began to crystallize around the performance and recording of lesbian-affirming songs."

Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,

They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men.

Reportedly, the song refers to a 1925 incident in which Rainey was arrested for hosting an orgy at her home involving women from her chorus. Rainey also was rumored to have had a relationship with Bessie Smith, her protege. An ad for “Prove It on Me” winks at these rumors, showing Rainey mingling with women while wearing a menswear-inspired take on a woman’s suit, under the eye of a cop lurking suspiciously in the shadows.

This is remarkable not only for the openness about lesbian relationships, but the blatant nose-thumbing at law enforcement. For all the new sexual openness of the 1920s, queer sexuality was still taboo and heavily policed- even more so for Black and Brown people, and violence from law enforcement was a constant threat.

Rainey’s legacy is one of defiance, independence, larger-than-life glamor, and iconic artistry, even as her power was limited by the white, male- dominated ruthlessness of the recording industry and the confines of a similarly racist and homophobic America. Despite this, she transformed the role of women in music.

Rainey was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 for her early influences on today's music industry.

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Gertrude "Ma Rainey" Pridgett es conocida como la Madre del Blues, fue una de las primeras cantantes de blues y forma parte de la primera generación de artistas en grabar su trabajo en este género.

Aunque Ma Rainey solía cantar mucho sobre hombres, “Prove It on Me”, según Angela Y. Davis, “abrió camino cultural al movimiento cultural lésbico de la década de los 70, el cual comenzó a cristalizarse en torno a la interpretación y grabación de canciones lésbico-afirmativas.”

Salí anoche con una multitud de mis amigos,

Deben haber sido mujeres, porque no me gustan los hombres.

Según se informa, la canción se refiere a un incidente de 1925 en el que Rainey fue arrestada por organizar una orgía en su casa, en la cual estaban participando mujeres de su coro. También se rumoreaba que Rainey había tenido una relación con Bessie Smith, su discípula. Un anuncio comercial de “Prove It on Me” hace un guiño a estos rumores y muestra a Rainey fraternizando con mujeres mientras usa una versión masculina de un traje de mujer, bajo la mirada de un policía que le está acechando sospechosamente desde las sombras.

Esto es destacable y no sólo por la franqueza sobre las relaciones lésbicas, sino también por la obvia crítica a las autoridades. A pesar de toda la nueva transparencia sexual de la década de 1920, la homosexualidad todavía era un tabú y estaba fuertemente vigilada (aún más para las personas negras y de color), y la violencia por parte de las fuerzas policiales era una amenaza constante.

El legado de Rainey es uno de desafío, independencia, glamour descomunal y arte icónico, incluso cuando su poder estaba limitado por la crueldad de los hombres blancos de la industria discográfica y los confines de un país (Estados Unidos) igualmente racista y homofóbico. A pesar de ello, transformó el rol de la mujer en la industria musical.

Rainey fue incluida póstumamente en el Salón de la Fama del Rock and Roll en 1990 por sus influencias en la industria musical actual.

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🎙️🔥

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🎙️🔥 Queen La

HOL’ ON WAYMENTTTTTT 😩🔥

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🎙️🔥

Missy Elliott, 1999.

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🎙️🔥 The iconic Ms. Diana Ross at The Met Gala

Diana Ross at the 2025 Met Gala

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🎙️🔥

Joan Jett 1984

📷 MPIRock/ MediaPunch via Getty Images

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🎙️🔥 “Maybe together we can get somewhere”..

Tracy Chapman for NYT, 2025

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🎙️🔥 Kelly Rowland style

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🎙️🔥

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🎙️🔥 Trailblazing , Singer Angie Stone

If anyone should be called the Queen of neo soul, it should be Angie Stone. We remember, the neo soul Queen, Angie Stone, a talent gone too soon. Angie began her musical career as a member of the first female hip hop trio, The Sequence. The hip hop group performed throughout the United States and had a number of hits that resonated with their fans. The group ultimately disbanded in the 1980s.

Angie continued on her journey performing as a member of other groups such as Vertical Hold and Devox. She worked as a songwriter and backup vocalist for musical acts, Lenny Kravitz and D'Angelo. Stone ventured out to become a solo artist and achieved amazing success in the music industry.

Her solo career spanned decades, releasing memorable hits such as "Brotha" and "No More Rain (In this Cloud).” Ms. Stone sang the theme song for the hit series, Girlfriends. Her albums, Black Diamond and Mahogany Soul were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Angie was still performing right up until her untimely loss. She was comfortable in her skin and proudly sported natural texture, kinks and afros. Angie leaves behind two children, Diamond and Michael (Swayvo Twain).

Rest in Peace to a real one, Ms. Angie Stone. Sending prayers, love and well wishes to her family.