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Posts published in “Hip Hop/Rap”

MUSIC MONDAY: “Music Is The Weapon: The Essential Fela Kuti” Playlist (LISTEN)

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

Happy Music Monday! It’s your monthly Groove Agent back with another playlist on this Reverend Martin Luther King Holiday. Today we are celebrating the life and music of the legendary Fela Kuti.

He famously asserted “Music is the weapon. Music is the weapon of the future.” and some nearly 30 years after his death in 1997, his music is still inspiring generations.

Fela Kuti has been described as Malcolm X, James Brown, Bob Marley, Muhammad Ali, and Dr. King all rolled into one defiant package. All contemporary forms of Black music, from funk to hiphop, owe debt to the driving grooves of the Afrobeat genre that he created.

Fela recorded more than 60 albums and spent a lifetime fighting against political corruption in his homeland of Nigeria. He was in a decades-long cycle of recording music, being arrested and beaten for it, making a song  about that – REPEAT. In his homeland and around the world he was affectionately called “Black President.”

This collection was inspired by Jad Abumrad’s “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man” podcast. It’s a twelve- episode exploration of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and an amazing deep dive into the life and legacy of the multi-instrumentalist, sociopolitical powerhouse, and father of Afrobeat.

Kuti endures as one of  the most important musical figures of the 20th century.

Please enjoy 9 hours of the essential works of the man often simply called: Fela!

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

HOLIDAY MUSIC: “Groove Christmas 2025” Playlist (LISTEN)

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

Hello and Happy Holidays,

It’s your friend and selector, Marlon West, with another collection for GOOD BLACK NEWS. GROOVE CHRISTMAS 2025 is an eclectic mix of Christmas music, much of which was released this year.

This collection features favorites from Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, Lou Rawls and John Legend, alongside recent releases by artists like Rebel Rae, Aloe Blacc, Alex Harris and CoCo Jones. I’ve also included selections from Duke Ellington’s classic 1960 “Nutcracker Suite” as a unifying thread.

I hope this seasonal collection introduces you to new classics and favorites to enjoy this year and beyond.

Please also feel free to dig into my earlier offerings, including “Soulful Christmas,” “Cool Yule: A Jazzy Christmas Playlist,” and “Christmas Around The World,” all of which are still available.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season. I will be back with another offering in January 2026.

Until then, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Great Moments in Funk” aka Funk 101 (LISTEN)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Everyday People”: The Essential Sly and the Family Stone Collection (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social, Spotify: marlonwest)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Running Away: The Essential Roy Ayers” Playlist (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social, Spotify: marlonwest)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: Celebrating the “Afroclectic Best of 2024” on MLK Day (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social, Spotify: marlonwest)

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Ultimate Soul of the Season” – The Black Christmas Soundtrack for 2024 (LISTEN)

by Jeff Meier (FB: Jeff.Meier.90)

Hey Good Black News Fam – it’s time for a bonus playlist – this year’s edition of “Ultimate Soul of the Season – The Black Christmas Soundtrack 2024 Edition,” which you can click here: Ultimate Soul of the Season – The Black Christmas Soundtrack – Expanded for 2024

Each year, we’ve updated our popular holiday music song mix by adding a selection of new releases and new discoveries, and though we’re a little late this year, better late than never.

Now reaching over 45 hours long, it’s intended to be a mainstream background for your Christmas season – like those radio stations that turn holiday music 24/7 – except that all the music is done by Black artists (with an occasional duet with a soulful ally).

The big new Black holiday release this year comes from Jennifer Hudson (from her album The Gift of Love), but there are also new yule tunes from Mary J. Blige, Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, H.E.R., and other American Idol vets like Ruben Studdard and Jordin Sparks, modern jazz master Robert Glasper featuring Wicked superstar Cynthia Erivo, ‘it’ girls Coco Jones and Saweetie.

Broadway stars Norm Lewis and Ariana DeBose are also represented, along with veteran Black Brits Rebecca Ferguson, Craig David and Deniece Pearson (of Five Star fame), Tower of Power, Eric Roberson and gospel stars Anthony Evans, Jonathan McReynolds, Naomi Raine, BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans.

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Essential Quincy Jones” Playlist (LISTEN)

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

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Alright: The Essential Pharrell Williams” Playlist (LISTEN)

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

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: The “Say It To My Face/Mind Your Own D*mn Business” Playlist (LISTEN)

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