top of page
.png)
This may be extremely difficult for Jann Wenner and other faux elitist music journalists to believe, but there are at least 100 albums by Black artists worth listening to. And Bob Dylan had not a damn thing to do with any of them.
Before the ubiquity of social media and blogs, judging the quality of Black music was largely left up to white music critics who experienced music differently than we do.
.png)
.png)
These are the top 500 singles by Black artists as I see them. Since I’m not a music critic, I don’t need to be diplomatic and spread the wealth around when I put these lists together. If it so happens that the top 50 is glutted with songs by the same artists, so be it. I used a numerical ranking system to compile the list so if that happens, that’s math and I can’t argue with it.
Here I attempt to focus on albums by sometimes lesser-known Black artists that you probably rocked on your hi-fi back in the day. There may also be some in here you forgot about eons ago. A few of the artists are not household names and some of the albums profiled here are by recognizable artists but may not rank among their most well-known works.
I see duets (or even group sing-alongs like Dionne and Friends' "That's What Friends Are For") as competitions. And I know that some of the participants see it that way, too. (I'm looking right at you, Aretha!). I enjoy the idea of hearing a duet and then raising the arm of the victor like in a boxing match. So I have dedicated this page to winners and losers in the world of duets.
“Let’s be honest, the bitch cannot sing.”
Chaka Khan
When we sing, we just sing whatever we think sounds best, even if the lyrics coming out of our mouths make absolutely no sense. The inspiration of “Wuh Chew Seh?!” is the people who ride in their cars singing all the wrong without giving a single fuck that most of them are WRONG!
If you are going to cover someone else’s song, you’d better come with the fire or else. Sometimes a cover is an improvement on the original. Sometimes it’s crap. We are going to review some of the biggest covers in music and decide who did it best.
I have not heard Beyoncé's country album and know absolutely nothing about Shaboozey. And that’s not because I have anything against them. I just can’t stand straight up country music, no matter how hip hop-infused the genre has become.
Follow Black Gaddy on YouTube @BlackGaddy
bottom of page