Alternative Black Artists You Should Be Listening To
Following in the footsteps of trail-blazing Black artists like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry, and B.B. King, Black alternative and rock artists are making valiant strides within their artistry.
Though these artists face the challenge of creating art in genres that culture today would deem “non-Black” their stunning takes on longstanding musical traditions by their forerunners debunk the claim that Black folks cannot create and enjoy these genres.
These artists are using their soulfully saturated talents to bring life to their perspective of the Black lived experience. Here are some alternative Black artists you should listen to!
Meet Me @ The Altar — Pop Punk
The lively and exuberant Pop Punk group Meet Me @ The Altar is sure to get you pumped for your day, especially with their song “Brighter Days”. The band consists of a lead vocalist Edith Johnson, guitarist Téa Campbell, and Drummer Ada Juarez. The group’s most recent project, Model Citizen — EP, released in 2021 includes six upbeat guitar-driven tracks. The band is currently on tour and will be performing at the When We Were Young music festival in Las Vegas in October 2022.
Joy Oladokun — Alternative
With gospel and soul influences in an acoustic singer/songwriter form, Joy Oladakun is everything your folk aesthetic needs. With a wonderfully gentle and raspy voice, the singer addresses the intersection of Christianity, sexuality, and racism. In her most recent album, in defense of my own happiness (complete), Oladakun poignantly expresses her experiences through stunning melodies and thought-provoking lyrics.
Mint Green — Alt-Rock
This band is sure to give you all the late summer feels with their dreamy guitar and synthesizer backgrounds. According to their description, the band, consisting of Ronnica, Daniel, Tiffany, and Brandon creates music while, “Capturing the things that everyone thinks and feels but never says.” Their recent single “Body Language”, released on Jan. 13, 2022, is a fun punk creation describing the feeling of realizing you’ve hurt a significant other with your actions.
Moses Sumney — Alternative
Finally, the unbelievably creative Moses Sumney defies all boundaries of genre and style. With his stunning ability to layer sound and texture, Sumney creates his musical lane of soul made manifest. His song, “Plastic” from his debut album Aromanticism was featured on the season one finale of Issa Rae’s Insecure. Sumney’s celestial vocals and musical compositional possess the incredible ability to transcend pre-made confines, placing the artist in a league of his own.
