Black artists have helped shape modern music in so many ways. These are eleven Black musicians who are worth adding to your playlist.

1. Pat Smear of Foo Fighters, The Germs, and Nirvana

Born Georg Albert Ruthenberg, Pat Smear has been in many legendary rock bands. He was born in West Los Angeles to his mother, who is half-Black and half-Indigenous, and his father, who is of Jewish descent.

2. Arlo Parks

Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, professionally known as Arlo Parks, is based in London, England. She is a singer, songwriter, and poet. She released her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, in 2021 to critical acclaim. 

3. The OBGMs

The OBGMs (The oOohh Baby Gimme Mores) are a rock band from Toronto. Their 2020 album, The Ends, was highly acclaimed and made the shortlisted finals for the Polaris Music Prize. 

4. Iann Dior

Influenced by Jay Z and The Fray, Iann Dior released his collaborative single, “Mood”, in 2020. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Later that year, he released a collaboration with Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly. Iann Dior collaborated with Barker again in 2022 for “Obvious”.

5. Meet Me @ The Altar

Meet Me @ The Altar was formed in 2015. At the time, each member lived in different states so they worked together remotely. They’ll perform at When We Were Young music festival in Las Vegas this October.

6. Nuela Charles

Nuela Charles is an Edmonton-based singer-songwriter. She released her most recent EP, Blissful Madness, in 2021.

7. Black Pumas

Black Pumas frontman Eric Burton began his musical career busking on the street. Since then, he and his bandmate Adrian Quesada have been nominated for four Grammys.

8. K-OS

k-os has been based in Toronto since 1993. During that time, he’s solidified his place as a successful Canadian recording artist, winning three Juno awards.

9. Cadence Weapon

Born and raised in Edmonton, Cadence Weapon is now based in Toronto. His fifth studio album, Parellel World, was released in April 2021 and later won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize Award.

10. Jay-Z

Jay-Z is wildly regarded as the most influential hip-hop artist of all time. Since 1999, he has won 23 Grammys, including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Numb/Encore” released with Linkin Park.

 

 

 

 

Filed under: Black History Month