The Black Panther Party's legacy can reignite your passion for popular music.
Are you intrigued? Let me explain what I mean.
Have you felt bored or frustrated by how many songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart have stayed in the top 10 for more than 6 months in the past decade (nearly a dozen)?
In addition to this stagnation, what if the fact that one in three Americans lives in a 'civic desert'—an area lacking independently owned and operated public spaces outside home and work where people can gather—signals deeper trouble for hip-hop and punk, vital movements that keep music evolving?
Rather than get discouraged by these trends, we might look instead to some of America’s foundational, sustainably revolutionary cities—like Oakland, California—to find inspiration for pop music’s future.
Currently, Oakland’s economy struggles with a severe mix of a structural budget deficit, a collapsing real estate market, and major public safety concerns. Yet, for the past two years, Oakland Rising, a collective of nearly a dozen emerging artists, has been committed to honoring the city's legendary cultural legacy.
This group is supported by Follow the Music, an organization founded by Bay Area-based artist managers Mike Kappus, Phil Green, and Drew Dunlevie. Their goal is to create opportunities for young musicians and to uplift the Bay Area music scene, with curatorial support from the Oakland School for the Arts, SFJAZZ, and GLIDE Memorial Church.
Recent performances by collective members have included supporting acts for renowned artists such as MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and bluegrass favorite Rhiannon Giddens and legendary percussionist Sheila E.
“The Bay has an incredible cultural legacy, but Oakland has always been at the forefront of developing artists. We hear about all the challenges Oakland is facing, but there’s also a lot of hope and pride,” said Sheila E. in a 2024 interview.
The first weekend of June featured two collaborative members—teenage multi-instrumentalist NAIMA and soulful singer-songwriter August Lee Stevens—headlining at the four-year-old Connect Beyond Festival at Asheville, North Carolina's legendary Orange Peel venue.
Connect Beyond's purpose? "Engaging in conversations to promote community connection and positive social change.”
Watching the duo perform Nina Simone's classic jazz ballad "Feelin' Good" was a highlight of the weekend. Stevens captivated the audience with her keyboard playing and soulful interpretation. NAIMA, inspired to pick up her violin for an impromptu collaboration, embraced the event's purpose.
In a few words, but with many musical points and counterpoints, a multigenerational conversation was unfolding among three generations of talented musicians.
The duo onstage might not have realized just how deep the legacy they recalled truly runs: Nina Simone, a native of Western North Carolina, attended Asheville's Allen High School for Girls (then a private, all-Black boarding school) from 1945 to 1950.
Showing exceptional intellectual and musical promise, she skipped two grades and graduated as class valedictorian. Afterward, she received a scholarship to study music at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.
With this rich history in mind, one of Oakland Rising's many rising stars could have a similar story.
