My love for music runs about as deep as anything in my life. Being the grandson of a Cameroonian Baptist preacher, who raised five girls in a West African village, music and “song” was about as necessary as food and water, clothing and shelter. For the African community, throughout the diaspora, music was, an still is, our channel to communicate with the heavens, with our creator. The outward expression of an inward affection. L-O-V-E.
So whenever I come across music that makes me feel that inward affection, I have no choice but to share the good news. I came across the award-winning group, Blaquestone, from a good friend of mine, Maleeka T. Hollaway, a dope millennial with a flourishing brand communications and PR agency based out of Atlanta. In a day and age where all we see is hate, murder, slander and violence, being able to tap into a peaceful place by way of music seems more like a necessity than a luxury. BlaqueStone is an infused Soul/Hip-Hop/Jazz couple, consisting of rapper/singer/songwriter and producer Nyne (Marcus Webster). The other half is singer/lyricist/songwriter Cortney Knight, known as Queen. The band consists of keyboarder, Deon Moon, drummer, Brendan Mills and bass player, Deshawn Davis. So, as my interest peaked and as life became more and more chaotic, I found myself gravitating towards the energy they produce through their music.
Recently having had one of their original songs, “11:59,” be licensed by Netflix, for the movie Dude, BlaqueStone is beginning to carve their lane as the next voice in the world of neo-soul. Community art philanthropists by day, love revolutionaries at night, the band has adopted the ideal that one can indeed build community through emanating and being pervasive with afro-futuristic, jazz and neo-soul inspired tracks backed with truth that isn’t forced, but simply soothed onto your ears. And if you’re doing the real work, you need a constant feed of positive vibes.
Not only do they create amazing music, but the group creates visuals to showcase their uniqueness and musical genius in what they call “Stone Sessions.” Stone Sessions are a series of jam-sessions that give viewers and listeners a peak behind the sacred curtain of the music studio. I liken these sessions to being bible-study for the soul, as they offer a clean break from the monotonous imagery in music today. Their fourth Stone Session, “You,” can be viewed on their YouTube channel.
BlaqueStone’s sound is authentic. It’s captivating. It makes you remember that #BlackLove is real, #BlackExcellence is more than a hashtag and that #SoulMusicMatters.
