Follow Us
Add These Iconic Albums by Black Women to Your Playlist Now
As a follow-up to the Zora literary canon, in celebration of Black Music Month, the online digital magazine Zora, created by and for women of color, launched the Zora Music Canon Monday (June 15), to honor “the 100 most iconic albums by African American women,” according to the Medium site.
Developed by Zora editors and a cadre of women music experts, the canon includes music that has long lasting cultural and emotional impact and that spans all musical genres over seven decades. \Zora editors wrote:
The albums that get us hype and mark significant periods in our worlds. The timeless works that help us process the anguish and anger brought upon by racism and the absence of justice. The groundbreaking records that speak of our heartaches and give us healing energies. And even the records that served as soundtracks to all of the housecleaning we did as kids on Saturday mornings with our families.
From “Ella Sings Gershwin” by Ella Fitzgerald (1950) to “Transfiguration” by Alice Coltrane (1978) and “Hot, Cool & Vicious” by Salt-N-Pepa (1986), the 100 highlighted records are considered masterworks that either changed culture, history or its listeners.
In addition to the list, the canon includes an introductory essay from editor and journalist Danyel Smith, 15 groundbreaking albums from Black women in the diaspora—from Celia Cruz to Rihanna—and a list that highlights emerging Black women artists whom everyone should check out.
Along with Smith, the panel of experts include legendary rapper MC Lyte; music and culture writer Naima Cochrane; music journalist and lecturer Jordannah Elizabeth; Yale University professor Daphne Brooks; University of Michigan professor Naomi André and DJ and recording artist Olivia Dope.
As Zora’s editors wrote: “Canons have historically been reserved for the works of white men. These lists are meant to go beyond that—to give proper due to Black American women whose monumental influence not only shapes music but is foundational to its past, present, and future.”
To check out the iconic 100 albums and all other accompanying assets, see below: