Africa 

State of Black Music 2019

The month of June is dedicated to the celebration of Black music in the United States.

To celebrate the contribution of black people in the business of music, the National Museum of African American Music is reflecting on the past year in music in the second annual State of Black Music.

The state of black music remains robust and continues to grow stronger.

And its reach is larger than ever, spanning platforms, countries and genres.

After overtaking rock as the most-played music last year, hip hop’s dominance has only gotten larger.

Eight of the 10 most-streamed artists last year were rappers with Drake ending 2018 as the most streamed artist on earth.

Black artists were leaders in mixing genres and defying category.

Lil Nas X became the most-streamed artist in a single week after a collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus.

And rapper Cardi B’s “I Like It” topped the charts and was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy’s.

The performative powers of Quincy Jones, Beyonce and Aretha Franklin were brought to new audiences through documentaries this year.

The past year has also been tough for those we’ve lost – Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, James Ingram, Roy Hargrove and Nipsey Hussle, are among other artists whose legacies touch the last 60 years of popular music and will continue to reverberate.

Missy Elliot will make history as the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13. Last month, she received an honorary doctorate in music from the Berklee College of Music. Elliot is also preparing to release her first album since 2005.

It was a year for pushing boundaries, finding new audiences and innovation.

AP

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