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Black Sounds Beautiful: Prince
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Black Sounds Beautiful: Prince’s GRAMMYs Legacy 2021-black-sounds-beautiful-prince-genius-uncontainable

Black Sounds Beautiful: Five Years After His Death, Prince’s Genius Remains Uncontainable

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In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, explore Prince Rogers Nelson’s GRAMMYs legacy and consider how—five years after his passing—we’ve only scratched the surface of his bottomless talent
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jun 18, 2021 - 3:05 pm

Some artists celebrate Black genius pointedly through their lyrics and public statements. Others like Prince, simply live it by being exceptional.

Not that the Purple One, who passed away in 2016, didn’t acknowledge race. In the midst of acrimony with a major record label, he scrawled “SLAVE” on his face. He called his name change to the infamous “Love Symbol” “the first step I have taken towards the ultimate goal of emancipation.”

In the end, though, he knew his inimitable writing, production work and guitar playing would be his true statement to the world. attacking others for their immutable characteristics wasn’t the answer. 

“Nothing more ugly in the whole wide world than INTOLERANCE (between) Black, white, red, yellow, boy or girl,” he wrote in his personal archives. (He punctuated it with an extra “INTOLERANCE” at the end.)

The Genius Of Prince | Black Sounds Beautiful

In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, take a brief tour through Prince’s astonishing history as a GRAMMY winner and nominee. Without cheating, try to guess how many wins and nominations he earned before pressing play.

Then, when you’re done, chase it with one of those recent boxed sets of 1999 or Sign o’ the Times. Or, if you’re pressed for time, peep his outrageous, spotlight-stealing guitar solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” (Seriously, you’ll be glad you did.)

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Beyoncé Has Empowered The Black Community Across Her Music And Art

Artwork for For The Record episode on Sylvester's 'Step II'

Sylvester

Photo: Eric Blum/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Inside The Colorful World Of Sylvester's 'Step II' sylvester-step-ii-record-lgbtq-pride-month

For The Record: Explore The Colorful, Inclusive World Of Sylvester's 'Step II'

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In the latest episode of For The Record, learn how disco maverick Sylvester crafted 'Step II,' a touchstone of the genre and a clarion call for LGBTQ+ culture
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jun 13, 2021 - 1:50 pm

Let's face it: "Disco Sucks" sucks. The late-'70s backlash against the popularity of disco music and films like Saturday Night Fever, which crescendoed with the infamous Disco Demolition Night on a Chicago ballfield in 1979, is now generally understood as wrongheaded, if not bigoted.

Because the discotheque wasn't simply some hedonistic phenomenon: It was often the last place where marginalized people, like Black, gay singer/songwriter Sylvester, could be themselves.

Inside The Colorful World Of Sylvester's 'Step II'

"You've come out of the closet. It's been difficult," Sylvester's biographer, Rick Karr, told NPR in 2018. "Many people [at the time] have moved out of their homes of origin, their families of origin, with great pain, and moved to a more liberated place, like San Francisco. And then ... this person comes out into public life that sounds like what you were feeling when you made yourself free."

Granted, by 1979, Sylvester had already been around for six years and had released five albums. But it was his 1978 album, Step II, that genuinely delivered his message of liberation to the world. Step II, which included his chart-topping signature song "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," hit the Billboard charts hard and received gold certification by the RIAA in the late '70s.

Both the album and the song left a profound mark on disco and are today considered touchstones of the genre and clarion calls for LGBTQ+ culture. Hailed as one of the definitive LGBTQ+ Pride anthems of all time, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" was inducted to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2019.

The world lost Sylvester too soon; he died in 1988, at 41, of AIDS. But when considering the strides the LGBTQ+ community has made in music, art and all other media, we can partly thank this fearless, out-and-proud musical dynamo.

In the latest episode of For The Record, GRAMMY.com takes you into the colorful, inclusive world of Step II, the classic album from disco maverick Sylvester that still sounds like it could have been recorded this morning.

For The Record: The Liberating Joy Of Lady Gaga's Born This Way At 10

Artwork for Black Sounds Beautiful episode on Beyoncé
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How Beyoncé Empowers The Black Community beyonce-black-power-empowerment-black-sounds-beautiful

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Beyoncé Has Empowered The Black Community Across Her Music And Art

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In the debut episode of GRAMMY.com's Black Sounds Beautiful series, learn about the many ways in which Beyoncé's words, music and initiatives have celebrated and elevated the Black community
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2021 - 12:40 pm

Beyoncé doesn't only loom large in American culture just because of her hits. Although her musical accomplishments are staggering—at 28 GRAMMY wins, she holds the record for most GRAMMYs won by a woman—Beyoncé's ongoing commitment to uplifting and celebrating the Black community has become a key part of her legacy.

This goes beyond her empowering songs—it's in her public statements and art, too.

In the debut episode of GRAMMY.com's Black Sounds Beautiful series, a special series honoring Black music and culture in all its forms, learn about the many ways in which Beyoncé's words, music and initiatives have celebrated and elevated the Black community and how she remains a steadfast fighter for the accomplishments of Black people everywhere.

How Beyoncé Empowers The Black Community

"It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror—first through their own families as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the GRAMMYs—and see themselves and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent and capable," Beyoncé said in an acceptance speech at the 59th GRAMMY Awards in 2017.

She doubled-down on the sentiment at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards show when she won the GRAMMY for Best R&B Performance for "BLACK PARADE," which she originally released on Juneteenth last year.

"As an artist, I believe it's my job, and all of our jobs, to reflect the times," she said in her GRAMMY acceptance speech this past March. "... So, I wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world."

She's continued to do exactly that throughout her entire career.

In 2018, Beyoncé headlined Coachella, becoming the first-ever Black woman artist to headline the festival. She used the history-making moment as a platform to celebrate Black culture, inviting performers from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to the Coachella stage and mixing in vocal snippets of Black icons like Malcolm X and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her 2020 GRAMMY-nominated music film, Black Is King, is a "love letter" to Black men. The film is the visual counterpart to The Lion King: The Gift, a 2019 soundtrack album curated by Beyoncé that spotlights African and Afrobeats artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi and many others.

Check out the strengthening clip above and watch out for more episodes of Black Sounds Beautiful as GRAMMY.com's Black Music Month celebrations proceed throughout June.

Inside The Visual World Of Beyoncé And 'Black Is King,' Her "Love Letter" To Black Men

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Black Sounds Beautiful: Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

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Inside Kendrick Lamar's Explosive GRAMMYs Legacy 2021-black-sounds-beautiful-kendrick-lamar-became-rap-icon

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Kendrick Lamar Became A Rap Icon

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In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, take a minute to explore the astonishing GRAMMYs legacy of hip-hop heavyweight Kendrick Lamar—from Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City to DAMN and beyond
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jul 1, 2021 - 1:19 pm

When Kendrick Lamar rapped the verses to "Alright" in front of a massive fireball at the 2018 GRAMMY Awards show, the pyrotechnics felt metaphorical for K-Dot's presence in the rap game.

Since he hit the ground running with 2011's Section.80, the visceral, socially conscious and self-analytical MC has led the charge for hip-hop's 21st-century evolution.

In classic albums like 2012's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and 2017's DAMN., he braided dazzling technical acumen with the realities of the Black experience, all anchored by his Christian faith.

Inside Kendrick Lamar's Explosive GRAMMYs Legacy

In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, behold the 13-time GRAMMY winner and 37-time GRAMMY nominee's astonishing legacy in a whiplash one-minute tour of his life and career. 

While we wait for Lamar's next album — which, given, his track record, is bound to be another game-changer — check out the thrilling, informative video above.

Black Sounds Beautiful: Five Years After His Death, Prince's Genius Remains Uncontainable

aretha franklin

Aretha Franklin 

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How Aretha Franklin Rose To Soul Royalty black-sounds-beautiful-how-aretha-franklin-ascended-soul-royalty

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Aretha Franklin Ascended To Soul Royalty

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In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, learn how the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, became a towering figure in Black music—and earned "Respect" every step of the way
Morgan Enos
GRAMMYs
Jun 25, 2021 - 2:44 pm

To understand Aretha Franklin's appeal across decades, genres and color lines, just watch the reactions to her volcanic performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center in 2015.

Carole King, who co-wrote the song, is flabbergasted, animated as her jaw hangs open in amazement. On the other hand, the generally unflappable Barack Obama stoically sheds a tear. Such is the essence of Franklin: At first, her voice may be an electric jolt to the body, but one walks away with a feeling of religious awe.

Black Sounds Beautiful: Aretha Franklin

In the latest episode of Black Sounds Beautiful, take a ride through Franklin's astonishing litany of accomplishments. The quick-yet-dynamic clip begins with her 1967 GRAMMY win for her titanic single "Respect," which became an anthem for racial and gender justice. 

Not merely paying lip service to the civil rights movement, she toured with Martin Luther King, Jr. and singer/activist Harry Belafonte, spreading the gospel of universal equity to every audience she sang for.

All the way up to that earth-shaking 2015 performance, Franklin stayed relevant, a living legend. She received the Recording Academy's GRAMMY Legend Award in 1991 and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. 

Overall, she has five recordings in the GRAMMY Hall of Fame: "Respect," "Chain Of Fools," "Amazing Grace," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You."

As GRAMMY.com carries on with its Black Music Month celebrations, check out the above video to celebrate the beautiful life and irrepressible joy of the Queen of Soul.

Black Sounds Beautiful: How Beyoncé Has Empowered The Black Community Across Her Music And Art

 
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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy and its Affiliates.