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Good Black News

MUSIC: “Blunami 2026” Playlist – Celebrating the Blue Wave! (LISTEN)

MUSIC: “Blunami 2026” Playlist – Celebrating the Blue Wave! (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on November 11, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music… Wednesday!! It’s your groove slinging friend and selector, Marlon West, back with a collection of sweet music for your ears. If you are a visitor to GOOD BLACK NEWS, it’s a good chance that you are in a good mood after last Tuesday’s election.

I also have it on good authority that the majority of visitors to the feed are Black women. So I’d like to thank you all for leading the way with 96% percent of you this year, and frankly every year and helping not only make this a “blue wave” but what I’ve seen called a “blacklash.”

While GBN is not occupied with politics, this feed celebrates the accomplishments of Black people, and spotlights issues that affect us. Last week was a national rebuke of policies that have had the most overtly negative effects on African Americans since the Woodrow Wilson Administration.

Out of 596 books banned by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), 591 were by Black authors. 75% of Black leaders and officials in independent multi-member agencies were removed, compared to about 27% of white officials in similar roles.

Those firings include high profile figures like Alvin Brown (National Transportation Safety Board / NTSB), Robert E. Primus (Surface Transportation Board / STB), Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. (Joint Chiefs of Staff), Gwynne A. Wilcox (National Labor Relations Board / NLRB) and Carla Hayden (Librarian of Congress) to name a few.

Direct assaults on DEI has helped drive Black unemployment from the record low of 4.8% in April 2023 to a current 6.6%. While Election Day was no magic wand that will undo anything, citizens across this nation have spoken loud in clear.

Here is a collection of songs that have long been associated with civil rights. While some were featured during this election specifically.

During a stop at a voting precinct in Smyrna, Georgia, on Election Day, Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms quoted lyrics from the classic track “If I Were Your Woman” by Gladys Knight, saying:  “I’ll never ever stop loving you”.

Minnesota-based, Sounds of Blackness, released the track “Get Off Your Hands and Vote” ahead of the November 3 election to encourage voter participation.

These two and many other songs associated with civil rights and activism are here for your enjoyment. Just in case you, like me, are still doing a victory lap.

I’ll be back next month with some new and classic music for the Holiday Season. So until such time, please stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: AfroClectic Halloween 2026 (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: AfroClectic Halloween 2026 (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on October 12, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday! Halloween season is here again at Good Black News, and your Afroclectic ambassador of sweet grooves is back.

As your sonic chauffeur, I am delighted to share this seasonal playlist to help you celebrate All Hallows’ Eve.

This 5-hour collection features creepy soul, reggae, blues, jazz, and soundtracks covers an array of dark themes like Poison, Evil Ways, zombies, vampires, and Frankenstein.

You will find Halloween standards by Ray Parker Jr., Eartha Kitt, and Michael Jackson, alongside newer tracks from The Womack Sisters and Gorillaz.

Whether you are decorating, trick-or-treating, handing out candy, or hosting a party, or just out and about in those Halloween streets this playlist will set the perfect mood for the season.

Take good care, everyone. As always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: The Essential Cassandra Wilson Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: The Essential Cassandra Wilson Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on September 7, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Another Music Monday is upon us, and I hope this missive finds you all smiling and well. Many of us were saddened by the news of Cassandra Wilson’s passing on September 1.

With her low, smoky, and intimate vocal style rooted in her Mississippi heritage, Wilson was a transformative figure in jazz who broke traditional genre boundaries by fusing jazz with blues, folk, and country music—though, like many artists, she rejected strict labels.

She reinterpreted songs by rock, folk, and pop artists such as The Monkees, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Cyndi Lauper through her own soulful lens. Her relaxed yet thoughtful delivery made both familiar standards and modern covers sound freshly discovered.

I have gathered a playlist of her music to honor her legacy and to enjoy whenever you want moving, soulful vocals. It features over five hours of music by the artist Time magazine named “America’s Best Singer” in 2001 for her broad appeal and individual artistry.

Please enjoy this essential collection of music by the immortal Cassandra Wilson.

As always, until next time: stay sane, safe, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Billy Preston Playlist” (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Billy Preston Playlist” (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on August 10, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday, you all. Hope that first weekend of August treated you well.

After watching the amazing documentary, Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It, I was inspired to create this playlist.

Directed by Paris Barclay and co-written by Cheo Hodari Coker, the film chronicles the life, amazing six-decade career, and complex personal struggles of the legendary keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, Billy Preston.

The GRAMMY-winner started as a child prodigy backing his mother, his own gospel group, and the iconic Mahalia Jackson. I’ve included gospel tracks along with his hits, including chart-toppers like “Will It Go Round in Circles” and “Outa-Space”. 

Billy Preston was a virtuoso keyboardist and powerhouse sideman who bridged gospel, R&B, rock, and soul. So no collection would be complete without his his iconic collaborations with The Beatles (earning him the moniker “the fifth Beatle” from John Lennon himself), The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Sam Moore and Eric Clapton.

I’ve gathered more than 100 songs by him as a solo artist, in duet, as sideman, and collaborator, defying genre. From “With You I’m Born Again” with Syreeta Wright to the “Warlocks” backing Red Hot Chili Peppers, you’ll find a wide-ranging collection of tracks by the often under-recognized maestro. 

Until next time, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Old School Cookout Playlist” (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Old School Cookout Playlist” (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on July 6, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday, you all. It’s your friend selector, Marlon, back again with a collection of turns for your musical enjoyment.

I’ll keep it short and sweet. While it’s past both Juneteenth and Independence Day, it is still summertime and BBQ weather. I have assembled a new collection of cookout music to be played in the park,  backyard, or kitchen table.

No old school collection of grooves in complete with offerings from Frankie Beverly and Maze. There are also tracks from Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cheryl Lynn, and so many others.

Over the generations the cookout has become a celebrated tradition defined by family, friends, generational recipes, and good music.

The cookout is a sacred cultural space for community, and resilience. That is particularly true during this era where Black joy seems like an act of rebellion.

Please enjoy these tracks that range from the funky 1970s to the present day. It is a freewheeling collection that is formulated to induce joy and good time.

Take good care, you all. And as always, stay safe, sane and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “Dubwise: An Essential Dub Reggae Collection” (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Dubwise: An Essential Dub Reggae Collection” (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on June 8, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday! It’s your groove pathfinder, Marlon, back with another musical offering.

While reggae and dancehall are well-known when it comes to Jamaican music, not everyone may be in tune with its more electronically-minded cousin, dub reggae, and the sound system culture that accompanies it.

Dub music grew out of reggae in the 1960s and 1970s. The songs largely consisted of heavily-edited remixes of existing records, created by removing the vocal sections and placing increased focus on the rhythm section, or riddim.

Audio effects like reverb and delay would then be applied, often quite generously, and vocal snippets and other instruments from the original song (and other songs) can be worked into the track by means of dubbing or sampling. The term ‘dubbing‘ has also come to mean emphasizing the bass and the drums.

Included in this collection are works of influential figures including Lee Scratch Perry, Osbourne Ruddock (better known as “King Tubby”), and Hopeton Overton Brown (aka “Scientist”) and many others.

The influence of Dub can be heard across many genres of music, including rock, hip hop, techno, ambient, house music, trip hop and others

This collection features classic works and tracks across the decades. Hope you all enjoy this essential collection of Dub Reggae.

Until next month, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate James Brown Collection” Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate James Brown Collection” Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on May 11, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend for folks.

Last week was the 93rd anniversary of James Brown’s birth. I realized that I have never done a playlist devoted solely to the music of The Godfather of Soul, The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, Mr. Dynamite, The Amazing Mr. “Please, Please” himself, James Brown. So it was time to remedy that situation.

Like so many artists, he was inspired by preachers in the Black church and started out singing in gospel quartets. James Brown transitioned into a secular soul singer though his live shows had the spirit of a church revival.

His flamboyant and theatrical moves, including falling on his knees, erupting into splits and half spins, and popping the mic to the floor and back, became signature moves and the stuff of legend.

He is an often-cited influence on the styles of Michael Jackson, Prince, Mick Jagger, Usher, Sharon Jones, Bruno Mars and others.

As the architect of Funk, Brown revolutionized music by focusing on “the One” – emphasizing the first beat of every measure. Tracks like “Cold Sweat” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” used interlocking, syncopated rhythms that laid the foundation of soul, disco, and hip-hop.

James Brown is the world’s most sampled artist. I have not included any of the plethora of songs where he’s sampled. “Funky Drummer,” featuring a break by drummer Clyde Stubblefield, has provided the rhythmic DNA for thousands of hip-hop and pop recordings. That could be a playlist for another Music Monday.

Here is a collection of essential tracks by Soul Brother No. 1. I’ve gathered tracks from across James Brown’s impactful career, spanning more than half a century. Please enjoy and I’ll return with more tasty tunes next month.

Until such time, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “The Moon Cave: Black Artists in Collaboration with Gorillaz” Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Moon Cave: Black Artists in Collaboration with Gorillaz” Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on April 6, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Back in February, Gorillaz shared a new eight-minute short film titled The Mountain, The Moon Cave & The Sad God. The beautiful hand-drawn animated film follows the adventures of the fictional band members Noodle, Murdoc, 2-D and Russel as they journey across India, in connection with the release of their new album, The Mountain.

For over 25 years, Gorillaz has functioned as a massive collaborative project helmed by Blur’s Damon Albarn and Tank Girl co-creator Jamie Hewlett. Their distinct sound, which fluidly blends hip-hop, electronic, and alternative rock, is defined by a dynamic roster of contributors, including both legendary figures and emerging artists.

Their collaborators include the late actor, Dennis Hopper, Carly Simon, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon of The Clash, Lou Reed, Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays), Mark E. Smith (The Fall), The Cure’s frontman, Robert Smith, Beck, Vince Staples, Little Dragon, Kali Uchis, Bad Bunny and others.

This collection though focuses on their frequent partnerships with celebrated Black artists across hip-hop, soul, Afrobeat, and R&B. Notable past collaborators include the late Bobby Womack, the living treasure Mavis Staples, hip-hop royalty De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, and Mos Def/Yasiin Bey.

Other partners include Little Simz, who has contributed to the track “Garage Palace” and participated in the band’s tours. Del the Funky Homosapien provided the rap vocals on “Clint Eastwood” and “Rock the House,” and Bootie Brown is notable for his contributions to “Dirty Harry” and “Stylo”, along with many other great artists.

The Mountain continues that tradition featuring artists like Black Thought and Jalen Ngonda, as well as archived material from legends such as Tony Allen and Bobby Womack.

Hope you all enjoy this funky collection by the free-wheeling collective, Gorillaz.

As always, stay safe, sane, and kind!

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “Sonia Pottinger – The First Lady of Reggae” Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Sonia Pottinger – The First Lady of Reggae” Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on March 9, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Women’s History Month! Welcome to another Music Monday at GBN. Your monthly groove wrangler is back with a new collection for your musical pleasure.

When discussing Jamaica’s greatest reggae producers, names like Lee “Scratch” Perry, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, King Tubby, Bunny Lee, and Joe Gibbs are frequently bandied about. However, Sonia Pottinger—the “First Lady of Reggae”—is seldom included in that conversation.

Against all odds, Pottinger became a formidable force in Jamaica’s male-dominated music industry as the country’s first female record producer, record shop owner, and label head. Today, we are shining an audio light on her incredible work.

Affectionately known as “Miss P,” she was one of Jamaica’s most noteworthy producers from the 1960s through the 1980s. She excelled through an individualized approach to production bolstered by keen business acumen, leaving behind a catalog of outstanding breadth and quality.

Reggae producer Sonia Pottinger (photo via reggaereport.com)

From the rocksteady craze of 1966 and ’67 to the classic roots reggae recordings of The Gladiators, I have gathered this collection of Sonia Pottinger’s essential tracks.

Please enjoy!

As always, stay safe, sane, and kind. See you next month for another dose.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
BHM100: Celebrating “Freedom’s Journal,” the 1st Black-Owned Newspaper in the U.S.

BHM100: Celebrating “Freedom’s Journal,” the 1st Black-Owned Newspaper in the U.S.

By goodblacknews on February 28, 2026

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Founder and Editor-in-Chief

Sick and tired of having to constantly read racist commentary in the mainstream press of the United States, free Black Americans Rev. Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russwurm started their own paper – Freedom’s Journal.

First published on March 16, 1827 in New York City — the same year New York State abolished slavery – the four-page weekly was the first Black-owned newspaper of record in the United States. At its zenith, Freedom’s Journal circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada.

In addition to covering general news and current events, Freedom’s Journal included editorials denouncing slavery, lynchings and challenged the racist attacks against Black people that appeared in other newspapers.

The paper also contained articles advocating for voting rights, repatriation of Blacks to Africa, covered international news, celebrated Black achievements, offered biographies of prominent African Americans and published vital record listings of births, deaths and marriages in the African-American New York community.

Although Freedom’s Journal folded in 1829, shortly before Russwurm emigrated to Liberia, its two-year existence helped spawn at least 40 similar papers over the next four decades and kicked off the long standing, time-honored tradition of the Black Press in America.

To learn more about Freedom’s Journal, you can check out the digitized archive of all 103 issues of the paper on wisconsinhistory.org, as well as other sources linked above and below.

Sources: