Every June, African-American Music Appreciation Month, commonly known as Black Music Month, serves as the annual celebration of African-American music in the United States.

Initiated by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979, the yearly celebration brings excitement and recognition to an element of black culture that is so essential; it exists as a basic necessity of life.

Black music is like that soul food you can’t wait to eat at grandma’s house every Thanksgiving. Black music is receiving that promotion at your job after devoting long nights and extra hours because you were determined to not let anyone grind harder than you. Black music is that feeling you get when you graduate college, throw your cap in the air, and hit your ‘illest hype dance because you did it for the culture.

Photo: Giphy

Black music is life.

One way we celebrate black music is through the creative events and functions we host to place the talents of our indie, underground, and mainstream artists on display. Typically, festivals and concerts serve as the main avenue to experience these talents and this year should prove no different.

As we head into summer, various events will be looking to take the celebration of music to a new level in order to feed the artistic souls of black visionaries and creatives everywhere.

On Saturday, June 3rd, the tenth annual Roots Picnic festival kicked off Black Music Month in Philadelphia, the same city where the legendary band, The Roots, originated.

Located in a city known for its brotherly love and passion for music, the concert has enlisted a bevy of hip-hop and R&B heavyweights over its ten years including: Public Enemy, Rakim, DMX, Future, John Legend, Janelle Monae, The Weeknd, Usher, Erykah Badu to name a few. This year, the show was headlined by soulful acts like Pharrell and Solange while being infused with rap stars like Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, 21 Savage and more.

Photo: Instagram/@RootsPicnic

With the large-scale success of festivals like the Roots Picnic, Essence Music Festival, Afropunk and Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest, other events and concerts continue to sprout up and take leaps in different locations, to fill the need for music that black creatives in some of our nation’s most popular cities possess.

This past Monday, I attended the lineup release party for ONE Musicfest (OMF). In it’s 8th year, OMF has grown to become one of the largest urban progressive music festivals in the Southeast as it delivers a broad range of music, including hip-hop, soul, R&B, and even alternative and rock. Expected to attract over 20,000 fans to Atlanta this September, the OMF team has placed a great focus on adding more creative elements to the fold in order to elevate the standard that festivals and concerts should aim for.

The creative team for OMF has already pushed the envelope by building a buzz for the annual concert in a unique way. By hosting an event for the public months in advance, the team has already given veterans and festival newcomers alike a taste of what is to come.

Seriously, who hosts a party for the announcement of their lineup? ONE Musicfest does.

Photo: Giphy

Located at the Westside Cultural Arts Center, as guests entered, they were treated to complimentary Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey cocktails and free vintage OMF memorabilia. As you worked the room, you found people at stations that featured virtual reality experiences, abstract and innovative photo booths, as well as artists painting canvasses in real-time.

In addition, the event shined a light by allowing new-age artists to perform like local band, All Cows Eat Grass, which caters to electro-funk and soulful freedom.

Eventually, One Musicfest founder, Jason “J” Carter, called the crowd together to announce the slew of artists that would be joining forces to deliver the sounds later this fall.

Starting off with R&B sensation, Ro James, the crowd went crazy as a snippet of each artist’s music video accompanied the calling of their name. As the list went on, attendees jumped up and down with excitement as both established and up-and-coming acts like Jidenna, Kaytranada, Sean Paul, Noname, J.I.D, and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley were announced. As the list rounded out, the roof came ablaze as the videos for R&B legend Jill Scott and hip-hop icon Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) came on the screen.

After finishing the announcement, guests were surprised by mural-size posters of the announced artists that were wheeled out onto the main floor of the venue. As fans rushed to take their coolest picture with some of their favorite artists’ posters, the energy in the room was electric as everyone felt rest assured that the hype was real.

Photo: Giphy

As attendees stuck around to enjoy more music and beverages, Carter emphasized how the lineup release was only phase 1 of what would truly be a historic year for the event. Phase 2 consists of an opening party taking place at the Tabernacle Atlanta on the day before the event, Friday September 8th. The event will feature performances by Thundercat, J.I.D, Ari Lennox and Noname along with games, art, and other fun aspects similar to an all-out palooza. Then, the actual festival finishes out the creative collection on Saturday, September 9 as it takes over Lakewood Amphitheatre for 11 hours of nonstop music on two performance stages and three DJ stages.

After the successful years that OMF has had, it would have been easy for their production team to ride the wave and simply meet the status quo for the year to follow. The concert has enlisted stars such as Kendrick Lamar, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Dungeon Family, Ice Cube, Method Man & Redman, Nas, & Snoop Dogg. In 2016, Billboard, Rolling Stone, MTV, and Revolt TV named the festival as a “Can’t Miss Festival”. Also, #ONEMUSICFEST hit the social media waves as a #1 trending topic after a day of historic performances.

However, Carter and his team remain intentional about going above and beyond. Regarding his expectations for 2017, he said, "Every year, ONE Musicfest grows and expands. We've built something that fans can really look forward to and we aim to create moments that inspire and invigorate attendees. Expect this year to be historic. We can't wait to see you there."

Shining as one example, the dedication shown by the OMF team to raise the bar for black music and creativity highlights the exact reason why black music and creativity is to be celebrated every June and every day. In former President Barack Obama’s 2016 proclamation about Black Music Month, he stated, “African American music and musicians have helped the country to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country's enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.”

As we continue honoring the many legends who have shaped black culture, as well as up-and-coming artists, let’s consciously be reminded that the #blackboyjoy and #blackgirlmagic that so many of us possess stems from the black music we live by.

Photo: Giphy

For the full lineup and to learn more about One Musicfest, visit http://www.onemusicfest.com/.

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