Guide Archives Say It Loud

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FROM JAZZ TO SPOKEN WORD, FROM SOUL TO FUNK, FROM RHYTHM’N’BLUES TO DISCO, AN OVERVIEW OF THE DIFFERENT MUSICS THAT CARRIED THE VOICE OF THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, LIKE THE BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL MANTRA. For two decades, the American scene saw Black music rise to the top of the charts, carrying an emancipatory message while revolutionizing the codes of pop music. “People Get Ready,” The Impressions remind us, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” confesses Nina Simone. From Eddie Kendricks, “My People... Hold On,” before “The Heat Is On,” for The Isley Brothers. Sometimes avant-garde, sometimes ultra-accessible, between contagious enthusiasm and enveloping melancholy, the melodies of black empowerment remain, even half a century later, as relevant as ever.