The Plug’n Play: June (‘20)
June 30, 2020
You can listen to the full playlist on Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal
From H.E.R. and Anderson .Paak to Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, Black artists have offered their voices to the movement, calling truth to power, embodying messages of pain, anger, and hope. The month of June featured a showdown between Noname, who simply told all of us to read and asked for artists to lend their voices to the movement, and Jermaine Lamarr Cole, who got personally offended about it; incredible albums from Ambrose Akinmusire, Derrick Hodge, Khruangbin, and Jessie Ware; another single from Victoria Monét’s forthcoming album, and a quality soundtrack from Insecure. In-person events like the Roots Picnic and BET awards may have been cancelled, but they were able to pull off enjoyable virtual events.
Songs 1-12, were selected by me, Stanley and songs 13-26 were selected by Kevin. As always, we hope you find a song you like and check out the entire album! Below are some of our favorite songs from the month and a little about why we love them.
Stanley: MonoNeon — Breathing While Black
Dwayne “MonoNeon” Thomas, the gifted southpaw bassist from Memphis, is mostly known for his fluorescent outfits, YouTube and Instagram videos trolling any and everybody, and his comedic approach to music. In recent years, MonoNeon’s teamed up with drummer Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth to form Ghost Note, the fire breathing funk band. Earlier this month, MonoNeon showed a slightly different side that’s rarely seen from him - a more vulnerable, pensive, and angry disposition. His new song “Breathing While Black” is a response to the persistent violence against Black bodies and a call for revolution, and as always, it’s funky.
Stanley: Noname — Song 33
Earlier this month, offended by some tweets from Noname calling for Black artists to step up in the fight against systemic racism, violence against Black bodies, particularly queer and trans bodies, Jermaine Lamarr Cole took it upon himself to respond with his song, Snow on tha Bluff (a complete waste of very quality Kelvin Wooten beat). Noname’s since apologized for getting into the back and forth with Cole, but still, her words ring true. Noname’s evolution into an artist that is willing to spend time studying, building community, and challenging the evils of capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and so on, is something all artists can, and should, learn from. That shouldn’t be lost in her apology, “tone,” or whether or not one “likes” her. Also, Madlib absolutely snapped on the beat. Shoutout to Soul Surplus too for the sample he used.
Stanley: Derrick Hodge — New Day
Derrick Hodge’s new album, COLOR OF NOIZE, is a wonderfully honest landscape of sound. Hodge’s music is steeped in the traditions of Black American Music, pulling equally from gospel music as he does Jazz and Hip-Hop. This song in particular, New Day, shows Hodge’s skill as a composer, crafting beautiful harmonies, as well as his singing ability. COLOR OF NOIZE is undeniably my favorite album from the month of June.
