It’s Day 7 of our week of action, a campaign organized in solidarity with groups all over the world resisting acts of hate and seeking justice for Black lives tragically cut short. Though we are approaching the end of this week long campaign, by no means are we done with the pursuit of change. Instead, we are learning together what we can do to break and build for a better world.

One of the greatest tools for a young revolutionary, next to their voice, is the power to listen. With it, one can always be receptive to the act of learning that is so crucial to fighting injustice. Listening can open our minds to new perspectives, and with them new ways to envision a better future. Listening fuels the imagination. Listening drives progress.

Listening also facilitates communication. It allows others to be heard, and makes us better at expressing ourselves. All of the artists in this playlist understand this fact, and that’s why they made these songs, to make their voices heard and to touch the people that listen. Take a stroll through this brief history of Black music, the backbone of American culture. After all, what would America be without blues, jazz funk, rock n’ roll, and hip hop?

George W. Johnson - Photo Credit: The Phonoscope

1891 - The Laughing Song by George W. Johnson
One of the earliest known music recordings! With a brilliant use of laughter as a chorus. I dare you to listen to this without catching a contagious smile

1912 - Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten
Written by Cotton when she was 11 years old! She also named herself on her first day of school because everyone at home called her Lil’ sis. She played her guitar left-handed, so she held it upside down, thumbing melodies and playing bass lines with her fingers.

Louis Armstrong, Photo Credit: World-Telegram staff photographer

1931 - Sleepy Time Down South by Louis Armstrong
Originally written by Clarence Muse, Leon René and Otis René in 1931, but made popular by Louis who recorded it over 100 times! A sweet lullaby to the land he loves.

Billie Holiday, photo credit: William P. Gottlieb

1939 - Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday
For this selection we suggest the parent’s discretion and preparation for a difficult conversation. It’s a million pounds heavy song about the historical violence inflicted on black bodies. It’s important to think about not only how tragically important the song is today, but how revolutionary a woman Billie was to sing this in 1939. Singing the first popular protest song, Billie redefined the relationship between pop and politics and has haunted the country with it for almost a century.

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, photographer unknown

1942 - Salt Peanuts by Charlie ‘The Bird’ Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
The only lyric in the song is ‘Salt Peanuts,’ probably a staple snack for these hungry jazz cats as that's the only food to be found in most jazz venues. Listen to how Dizzy and The Bird seem to repeat the lyrics with their instruments

Chuck Berry, photo credit: Universal Attractions Management

1957 - School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell) by Chuck Berry
He was a trouble maker as a kid, as one would assume from his attitude about school in this song, but went on to become known as the father of rock n’ roll!

Odetta, photo credit: Jac. de Nijs / Anefo

1970 - Hit or Miss by Odetta
As talented a musician as she was fierce an activist. Often referred to as the voice of the civil rights movement, Odetta sings here about the importance of being yourself!

1973 - High-tide, Low Tide by Bob Marley
Marley popularized Jamacian music world wide, called for African unity and liberation, and often sang about anti-imperialist themes. This song is a true anthem for friendship and unity in good times and in hard ones.

Grace Jones, photo credit: John Swannell

1981 - Walking In The Rain by Grace Jones
Grace Jones, a statuesque, androgenous, music and fashion icon captures the feeling of a despondent walk perfectly here. Don’t we all feel like a “no-no” sometimes?

1997 - Appletree by Erykah Badu
A song by a real life magic woman, explicitly dedicated to “righteous children”, chew on this funky food for thought!

Esperanza Spalding, photo credit: Montuno Productions

2010 - Little Fly by Esperanza Spalding
She’s a crazy talented stand up bass player and vocalist with a sound simultaneously ancestral and playfully contemporary. This song is a jazzy rendition of the work of William Blake, a sublime poet with an endless respect for children.

2012 - Losing You by Solange
Her music, her humor, her style, her collaborators, Solange is a bonafide queen of the world and we are all living for her. Clock the groovy/dancy ocean of sound (produced by Dev Hyns of Blood Orange, a queer black icon). Make sure to watch the music video for this one (as well as every music video she’s ever made) to get a sense of her iconic aesthetics and golden personality. Oh, and she’s Beyonce’s sister.

Flying Lotus, photo credit: Simon Fernandez

2015 - The Protest by Flying Lotus
This mind-melting end track to the album is emblematic of (affectionately nicknamed) Fly-Lo’s beautifully hybritized style of production. He draws on classical elements,and breaks into the spiraling psycadila, a whirlpool of jazz, hip-hop, and trance music creating a dreamscape, a universe of its own. He got his start doing the in-between music on Adult Swim, giving his whole career a union with the technicolor of cartoons.

Spellling, photo credit: Catalina Xavlena

2019 - Under the Sun by Spellling
Oakland based Spellling hypnotizes with a sound simultaneously nostalgic for disco and 80s lo-fi, and oracular for a sci-fi afro futurism. Described in the youtube comments as “the nocturnal psychedelic witch-pop i wanted”, the highly stylized music video picks up where vapor-wave left off and is just so wholly COOL.

We’ve created this brief music timeline as part of our week long campaign, #illustoriaweekofaction, in solidarity with communities around the globe seeking justice for Black lives cut short by atrocious acts of hate. Illustoria is committed to fighting racism and listening to the unheard. We hope you will join us in remembering the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade and all of the black lives we’ve lost.