Black History Year
Black History Month has come and gone but that is not stopping Detroit emcee and Michigan State University journalism graduate Jashua “JYoung The General” Smith from continuing the celebration. Teaming up with G-Unit’s producer Nick Speed and clothing line sponsor, Dangerous Negro Apparel, JYoung has created Black History Year, a compilation of songs aimed at teaching Black history 365 days a year in a way that is appealing to young people.
“I’ve been studying black history since I was a teenager, and I know firsthand that there’s more than enough information for just 28 days,” said JYoung in a statement to the press. “With Black History Year, I want to educate and entertain for twelve months – and hopefully, even more than that.”
Black History Year, which was named after Dangerous Negro Apparel’s t-shirt campaign, will include a number of installments going in on Black issues such as gentrification, the Black Panthers, the alarming AIDS and HIV epidemic, Haiti, odes to Black comedians and more. The first song on Black History Year’s debut is titled “The Meeting (Malcolm vs. Martin)”, featuring Lansing, Michigan artist, James “P.H.I.L.T.H.Y.” Gardin, which emulates a conversation between the two Black leaders, setting the tone for the tracks that follow.
The project is available for stream and free download on JYoung’s Bandcamp Page (http://jyoungthegeneral.bandcamp.com). Also, follow JYoung on Twitter (http://twitter.com/JYoungS2TS)
