Source: Live Nation
We’ll be celebrating Black Music Month all June long, bringing you weekly stories on the pioneers who paved the way for Black musicians to rise up the charts in addition to profiling the many currently pushing the culture forward.
When a collective of musicians know how to play well together, it can create lasting memories on all levels for fans — we get high-energy remixes on the charts, joint interviews that always make for good viewing and even collaborative concerts if their schedules link up. In short, many of our faves have come to the realization that it’s easy to dominate the industry when you clique up.
RELATED: 20 Greatest Black Duets Over The Past 20 Years
Speaking of collaborative concerts by crew members, R&B queen Erykah Badu will be hitting the road this summer with her fellow Soulquarian brother Yasiin Bey, formerly Mos Def. As the flyer also teases “more extraordinary guests,” we’ll definitely be holding out hope that we see an on-stage reunion with all the group members at their upcoming Unfollow Me Tour.
Fingers crossed!
It got us thinking about a few other music collectives throughout Black music history that rocked the Billboard charts and beyond as a solid unit. Who could forget the joint effort of Timbaland’s production and Missy Elliott’s songwriting turning both Aaliyah and Ginuwine into modern day R&B icons? Imagine trying to choose between the members of Wu-Tang Clan when you have Liquid Swords, Tical and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… to choose from — that’s not even including their debut group LP, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)! What Diddy formed with Bad Boy, even with the many mishaps that’ve gone down over the past few decades, still continues to prove that he knows how to market a superstar or two.
Members:
Jungle Brothers (Mike Gee / Sammy B / Afrika Baby Bam)
De La Soul (Posdnuos / Maseo / Trugoy the Dove)
A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip / Phife Dawg / Ali Shaheed Muhammad / Jarobi White)
Monie Love
Queen Latifah
Black Sheep (Dres / Mista Lawnge)
Chi-Ali
Members:
RZA
GZA
Inspectah Deck
U-God
Ghostface Killah
Method Man
Raekwon
Masta Killa
Cappadonna
Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Members:
Timbaland
Magoo
Missy Elliott
Aaliyah
Ginuwine
Tweet
Nicole Wray
Playa (Smoke E. Digglera / Digital Black / Static Major)
Members:
The Notorious B.I.G.
Craig Mack
Faith Evans
Total (Kima Raynor / Keisha Spivey / Pamela Long)
112 (Marvin “Slim” Scandrick / Michael “Mike” Keith / Quinnes “Q” Parker / Daron Jones)
Mase
Mario Winans
The Lox (Jadakiss / Styles P / Sheek Louch)
Black Rob
Carl Thomas
Shyne
Dream (Holly Blake-Arnstein / Diana Ortiz / Ashley Poole / Melissa Schuman / Kasey Sheridan / Alex Chester)
G. Dep
Loon
Da Band (Sara Rivers / Dylan Dilinjah / Chopper “Young City” / Babs / Ness / Freddy P)
8Ball & MJG
Boyz n da Hood (Young Jeezy / Big Duke / Big Gee / Jody Breeze / Gorilla Zoe)
Cheri Dennis
New Edition
Red Café
B5
Yung Joc
Dirty Money (Kalenna Harper / Dawn Richard)
Danity Kane (Aundrea Fimbres / D. Woods / Shannon Bex / Dawn Richard / Aubrey O’Day)
Day26 (Robert Curry / Willie Taylor / Michael “Big Mike” McCluney / Qwanell “Que” Mosley / Brian Angel)
Donnie Klang
Cassie
Members:
Jay-Z
Memphis Bleek
Amil
State Property (Beanie Sigel / Freeway / Peedi Crakk / Young Chris / Neef Buck / Omillio Sparks / Oschino Vasquez)
Christión
The Diplomats (Cam’ron / Jim Jones / Juelz Santana / Freekey Zekey)
DJ Clue
Héctor el Father
Just Blaze
Kanye West
Teairra Mari
Rell
Members:
Erykah Badu
Bilal
Common
D’Angelo
Roy Hargrove
Talib Kweli
Yasiin Bey (Mos Def)
Pino Palladino
James Poyser
Q-Tip
Questlove
J Dilla
Members:
Big Stan
Cassidy
DMX
Drag-On
Swizz Beatz
Eve
Fiend
Infa-Red & Cross
The Lox (Jadakiss / Sheek Louch / Styles P)
MC Jin
Yung Wun
Loose
Parlè
Members:
The D.O.C.
Dr. Dre
2Pac
Michel’le
Jewell
The Lady of Rage
Nate Dogg
RBX
Sam Sneed
Danny Boy
J-Flexx
O.F.T.B.
Johnny J
LBC Crew
Prince Ital Joe
Butch Cassidy
Members:
Cam’ron
Freekey Zekey
Jimmy Jones
Juelz Santana
40 Cal.
J.R. Writer
Hell Rell
Members:
50 Cent
Tony Yayo
Lloyd Banks
Young Buck
The Game
Mobb Deep
Lil Scrappy
Kidd Kidd
Olivia
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