BLACK SONGS MATTER #3. Continues tomorrow.

A Caffè Lattè tribute…

 

BLACK

SONGS

MATTER

Some remain iconic; some were a call to arms; while others imagined a world where prejudice and injustice ceased to exist. Here are 100 songs by black voices that are the soundtrack to the struggle that continues to this day for equality, respect and dignity. They serve to carry the message that Black Lives Matter. 

 

3

TO BE YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK

Nina Simone

Included on Nina Simone’s 1970 ‘Black Gold’ album, the singer co-wrote this civil rights anthem with her protegè Weldon Irvine. At the dawn of the 1970s, black empowerment was catching on and this gospel-tinged composition reflected the new attitude. Simone's version was issued as a single in 1969 and was soon covered by the likes of Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin.