Music vets Bryan Edwards and Kelsey Warren curate powerful Juneteenth mixtape to benefit BLM and SisterSong

Here’s an effervescent playlist created “to celebrate and uphold Black culture with financially contributing to organisations that directly benefit the Black community.”

Photo: Courtesy of Bryan Edwards and Kelsey Warren

Late last night, music industry veterans Bryan Edwards and Kelsey Warren of Blak Emoji released their mixtape, which will benefit Black Lives Matter and reproductive and birth justice organisation, SisterSong. The twenty-song compilation features predominantly unreleased recordings by GRAMMY Award-winning artists like Fantastic Negrito and Van Hunt, Nova Twins, The Veldt, Marcus Macahdo, and Blak Emoji.

Many people have curated playlists for this moment on the web, but there’s nothing quite like this decorated tracklist featuring explosive independent Black voices in the Rock realm. My top picks are the first four songs, and Marcus Machado’s ‘When Will It End’, and Starr Busby’s ‘Jenny (Lil Red)’. If you’re young, Black, and you aren’t in tune, Rock music is ours. We created popularised the genre. Read about Little Richard, the Rock music pioneer, who died last month.

If you’re in the position to donate, please do. Every dollar counts. Without further ado, stream the playlist ‘Juneteenth: Mixtape 2020’ below. It’s available for download. Additionally, yesterday a collective of Black musicians gathered at 300 Ashland Place in Brooklyn to celebrate a Juneteenth Jam, in coordination with Six Nineteen: Defend Black Lives. Visit this link to see the coverage.

Written by Richardine Bartee

Her unprejudiced love for people, the arts, and business have taken her this far. Join Richardine on her journey as she writes history into existence, one article at a time. Richardine is a member of the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, and a GRAMMY U Mentor. She is the North American Press Agent and US Business Manager for Oxlade; Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

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