Top charting Black musicians you should know

NSU students are celebrating February’s Black History Month by listening to music by Black artists.

Tamia McEwen, nursing major and freshman at NSU, recommends some Black musicians.

“My favorite Black artists are SZA, Labrinth and Steve Lacy,” said McEwen, adding these artists made it to the top of her list because of their messages.

She said she likes how each artist communicates different views, such as women’s and LGBTQ+ perspectives.

Other students’ favorites include Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Frank Ocean and Louis Armstrong. These artists have been pillars in the Black community and have a way of communicating the Black experience through their music.

Here is what some students have to say about some of the artists.

Kendrick Lamar

“He always puts how he feels about the Black community in his music and he’s very logistically skilled in terms of his rapping,” said Jordan Marriott, freshman biology major and Radio X program director.

He has taken the American Black experience into his music and embodied a socially mindful approach to his lyrics. This earned him a Pulitzer Prize for songwriting in 2018 and he has continued this style into his most recent album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” released last year.

SZA

When listening to SZA, “her vocals are very hypnotic and angel-like. It puts me in a relaxed mood,” said McEwen.

Her pieces of music communicate a soulful aesthetic that embodies vulnerable emotions. The music encapsulates a twirling style that resembles poetry in some instances.

Steve Lacy

A soul artist that has intertwined elements of pop and indie rock. His music comes off in feelings encompassing a good time and letting loose. McEwen said that his music gives off a childlike atmosphere that makes it very friendly and interesting.

Marriott said she is grateful to be part of a community that can share so many different recommendations and hopes that music can bring people together to celebrate Black culture.

“Music is the one thing that’s kind of universal,” said Marriott. “It’s an open door to those different cultures [to] see how they express themselves. It’s definitely important to broaden your music because if you just listen to one type of thing, then you will have one type of mindset.”