What’s up, what’s up, what’s up!?!?!?!?!

It is I – your long lost DJ, Ms. Lady Luck, back on the “keyboard” of steel to bring you a very overdue first broadcast in the new year!

So, in honor of the month we all love- that is, February – I’ve returned to help my listeners celebrate all things incredible about, uplifting to, and a testament of blackness!  And when it comes to showcasing our history, our resilience, our talents, and our inventiveness, one song just won’t do!

That’s right – I’ve got a “triple play” for your day, week, and month! Because, as Adichie noted in her TED talk, we do not and should not have a single story.  So, cue the music, sit back, close your eyes, and relax (nod your head, or bust a move or two) to these messengers of truth, self-respect in love, and light!

Speak Life to Each Other

First up, I’ve got the song that brought me back from my musical exile (in other words, a long break from scouting out new sounds to share with you each month) – thanks, of course, to those recommending geniuses at YouTube!

And who better to be first in bringing the light to my darkness than Jr. Gong himself – my man, Damian Marley with the tune “Speak Life,” from his Grammy award-winning album “Stony Hill.”

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – “Speak Life” (2017)

“Speak life, Live a humble and meek life/ Ordinary day of the week life/ Try to search and seek life/ Way up, keep your head up and stay up/ Even when you sore and pain love/ Never giving up till its game up/ Keep your aim up”

Besides the song being another lyrical masterpiece, I instantly fell in love with the video’s visuals of Ethiopians going about their daily business as scenes of Damian walking through the streets of their country’s capital and elsewhere were mixed in and brought full circle on screen.

True to life, he’s speaking life to me – talk about being transported back to my brief months living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia… the mini buses, folks going to market, the main square/amphitheater/intersection in the heart of the capital… ohhhh, the flashbacks!

*Site history note: For those who didn’t get the significance to why there’s Amharic subtitles or how reggae, Rastafari, and Ethiopia are connected, now would be the perfect time to explore their relationship to each other. Personally, while in Ethiopia I visited a Rastafari gathering spot one day and learned a little about the expat community of believers living there long-term. Fascinating stuff and an experience I will always treasure!

Show Respect for Yourself and Others

Next up on my “triple play” is another tune that took me deeper into the rabbit hole of YouTube recommendations…

I’m always down for giving a listen to anything the Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has out in the airways, so when I saw this head’s up about her collaboration with a female artist from a neighboring country, I had to press play! Here’s Ghanian singer Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda, better known by her stage name MzVee, featuring Yemi, on the track “Come and See My Moda (Mother).”

MzVee ft. Yemi Alade – “Come and See My Moda” (2018)

“A woman of quality knows what she wants/ If you want to tarry me and do what you want/ Then hurry hurry, come carry your baby go/ Come see my mother ah (My mother)”

Ummmmmm, DJ confession time! Can a girl just say “the younger me” wants e-ver-ry (every) outfit worn in this video by Yemi and MzVee!!! I mean, for real, the African fashions featured are an absolutely beautiful sight to behold for these eyes. Love, love!

Ok, time to carry on…

And Remember, You Are Black Gold

And, last but not least, I’m going in the archives to bring back a new classic to cap off this show’s salute to Black History Month. Here’s the soulful smoothness of Esperanza Spalding on “Black Gold,” a song she intentionally released on the first day of Black History Month back in 2012.

Esperanza Spalding – “Black Gold” (2012)

 

With that last tune for my “triple play” broadcast today, here’s wishing you a wonder-filled month of relishing in “Black Panther” movie pride, discovering the rich Black history you have (or may find) right in your own family, and loving as Esperanza said best “all the strength you have in you/ from the blood you carry within you.”

Peace,

DJ Lady Luck