Artist	Song
James Brown	Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, Pts. 1 & 2 (Single)
from JB40 (40th Anniversary Collection) (1996)
Sam Cooke	A Change Is Gonna Come
from 30 Greatest Hits - Sam Cooke Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964 (2005)
Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions	People Get Ready
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Curtis Mayfield (2000)
Angie Stone	Brotha
from Mahogany Soul (2001)
Marvin Gaye	What's Going On
from What's Going On (2003)
Edwin Starr	War
from Motown 1's (2004)
Terell	The Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice"
from Love, Truth and Audio Tape (2005)
Styles P	I'm Black
from Time Is Money (2039)
D'Angelo	Brown Sugar
from Brown Sugar (2000)
Billie Holiday	God Bless the Child
from Billie Holiday: Greatest Hits (1998)
India.Arie	Brown Skin
from Acoustic Soul (2001)
Nas	I Can
from God's Son (2002)
The Sugarhill Gang	Rapper's Delight
from The Showdown: The Sugarhill Gang Vs. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (2005)
Stevie Wonder	Superstition
from Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection (2002)
Aretha Franklin	Respect
from The Best of Aretha Franklin (2009)
Mahalia Jackson	Take My Hand, Precious Lord
from The Essential Mahalia Jackson (1980)
Afrika Bambaataa	Don't Stop...Planet Rock (Original Vocal Version)
from Don't Stop...Planet Rock - The Remix EP (2005)
Usher	Yeah!
from Confessions (2004)
Beyoncé	Crazy In Love
from Dangerously In Love (2003)
Kurtis Blow	The Breaks
from Kurtis Blow (1998)
Janet Jackson	That's the Way Love Goes
from Janet. (2000)
Jackson 5	ABC
from Anthology: Jackson 5 (2000)
Erykah Badu	Tyrone
from Erykah Badu: Live (1997)
Chuck Berry	Johnny B. Goode
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Blues Rock Songbook (2003)
Parliament	Flash Light
from Funked Up - The Very Best of Parliament (2002)
Rick James	Mary Jane
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James (2000)
Nina Simone	Mississippi Goddam
from The Best of Nina Simone (1986)
Bob Marley	Get Up Stand Up
from Legend (Remastered) [Bonus Tracks] (2002)
Louis Armstrong	What a Wonderful World
from What a Wonderful World (1996)
Sly & the Family Stone	Everyday People
from Stand! (1987)
The Isley Brothers	For the Love of You (Pt. 1 & 2)
from Beautiful Ballads: The Isley Brothers, Vol. 2 (2006)
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band	Express Yourself
from Express Yourself - The Best of Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (1993)
The O'Jays	For the Love of Money
from The Essential O'Jays (2004)
KRS-One	Sound of Da Police
from A Restrospective (2000)
Etta James	At Last
from At Last! (Remastered) (1999)
The Notorious B.I.G.	Juicy
from Ready to Die - The Remaster (2006)
Little Richard	Tutti-Frutti
from 20 Greatest Hits - Little Richard's Very Best (Re-Recorded Versions) (2001)
Chaka Khan	I'm Every Woman
from Rhino Hi-Five: Chaka Khan - EP (2005)
New Edition	Candy Girl
from Candy Girl (2003)
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman	My One and Only Love
from John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1995)
Whitney Houston	Greatest Love of All
from Whitney Houston (1985)
Barry White	Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up
from Barry White's Greatest Hits (1988)
Gerald Levert	U Got That Love (Call It a Night)
from Stroke of Genius (2003)
Kool & the Gang	Jungle Boogie
from The Very Best of Kool & the Gang (1999)
Isaac Hayes	Theme from "Shaft"
from Shaft (2006)
Wu-Tang Clan	C.R.E.A.M.
from Legend of the Wu-Tang: Wu-Tang Clan's Greatest Hits (2004)
Luther Vandross	Dance With My Father
from Dance With My Father (2003)
Mary J. Blige	Real Love
from Reflections - A Retrospective (2006)
Snoop Dogg & Dat Nigga Daz	Gin and Juice
from Doggystyle (2001)
Lauryn Hill	Doo Wop (That Thing)
from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Charles Mingus	Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
from Mingus Ah Um (1999)
Jay-Z	Lost One
from Kingdom Come (2006)
Faith Evans	You Used to Love Me
from Faith Evans (2005)
2Pac, Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman	California Love (Remix)
from All Eyez On Me (2001)
Jill Scott	A Long Walk
from Who Is Jill Scott? - Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 (2000)
Big Mama Thornton	Hound Dog
from Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings (1992)
Jackie Wilson	(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher
from Jackie Wilson: 20 Greatest Hits (2002)
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong	Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
from Compact Jazz: Ella and Louis (1988)
Herbie Hancock	Rockit
from Future Shock (1999)
Alicia Keys	You Don't Know My Name
from You Don't Know My Name - EP (2003)
Thelonious Monk	Straight, No Chaser
from The Composer (1988)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes & Teddy Pendergrass	Wake Up Everybody
from The Ultimate Blue Notes (2001)
Aaliyah	At Your Best You Are Love
from Age Ain't Nothing But a Number (1990)
Charlie Parker	Koko
from The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (2002)
Lil Jon featuring E40 & Sean Paul of Youngbloodz	Snap Yo Fingers (Featuring E40 & Sean Paul of Youngbloodz)
from Snap Yo Fingers (Triple Pack) - EP (2006)
Diana Ross	Ain't No Mountain High Enough
from Diana Ross (1970) (2002)
The Temptations	My Girl
from My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations (2002)
The Four Tops	I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: Motown 1960s, Vol. 1 (2001)
Robert Johnson	Sweet Home Chicago
from Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (1996)
Blackstreet	Before I Let You Go
from Blackstreet (1994)
R. Kelly	Step In the Name of Love
from R. Kelly: Remix City, Vol. 1 (2005)
Bobby "Blue" Bland & B.B. King	Let the Good Times Roll
from Soul Legend (1996)
Gladys Knight & The Pips	Midnight Train to Georgia
from Love Songs: Gladys Knight & The Pips (2005)
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles	Ooo Baby Baby
from The Ultimate Collection: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (1998)
Kanye West	Jesus Walks
from The College Dropout (2004)
A Tribe Called Quest	Award Tour
from Midnight Marauders (1993)
LL Cool J	Doin' It
from All World - Greatest Hits (1996)
The Roots & Erykah Badu	You Got Me
from Things Fall Apart (2004)
Keith Sweat with Jacci McGhee	Make It Last Forever
from Make It Last Forever (2004)
Ice Cube	It Was a Good Day
from Ice Cube: Greatest Hits (2001)
Maxwell	Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)
from Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996)
Albert King	I'll Play the Blues for You
from The Best of Albert King (2006)
Patti LaBelle	Somewhere Over the Rainbow
from Live! One Night Only (1998)

Comment:

With this selection of tracks, we've tried to give you a glimpse of some of the most essential tracks in the development of modern black music. These are tunes that, in some case, changed the face of music (think Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", Public Enemy's "Fight the Power") or just expressed the feel of the times like no other before it (Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On", the Impressions' "People Get Ready"). Some tracks are just unparalleled moments in pop (New Edition's "Candy Girl, Jackson 5's "ABC".) Whatever the context, this playlist is all about artistry and innovation.

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