Ghanaian singer Amaarae lights up Spotify’s Time Square billboard and takes over Black to the Future Playlist
This Black History Month, Spotify is launching a full slate of guest-curated playlist takeovers, brand new podcasts, and more to highlight Black culture, Black music and Black excellence. As the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, Spotify continues to highlight and amplify Black voices through curating top audio destinations for Black music and Black culture with playlists like RapCaviar and Feelin’ Myself.
As part of the playlist takeovers for Black History Month, Ghanaian Afro-fusion, R&B singer and songwriter Amaarae will be guest curating the Black to the Future playlist, which features and supports up-and-coming Black artists. As part of her takeover, Amaarae will help capture Afrofuturism—in all its wild, otherworldly musical dimensions. Amaarae will also be featured on Spotify’s Time Square billboard starting from today.
Additional takeovers and activities are listed below and you can also check out the Black History Is Now Hub for all of this month’s BHM content.
Playlist Cover Art: To showcase the wide spectrum of Black talent that pervades not just music, but visual art, Spotify will be licensing photography from 7 Black photographers to curate cover art for 8 playlists – all on a weekly rotation through the month of February.
- Black History Salute – Shawn Theodore
- Black Love Mixtape – Adreinne Waheed
- Power to the People – Doug Segars
- Soul Coffee – Adrian Octavious Walker
- The Cook(in) – Black Archives
- Spread the Gospel – Andre Wagner
Playlists Takeovers: Many of Spotify’s playlists, which can be found in the Black History Is Now hub, will be guest curated by influential Black curators, celebrities, creatives and more:
- Black Lives Matter: American Jazz artist, Keyon Harrold Sr. and his son, Keyon Harrold Jr., who are no strangers to speaking out against injustice are now using the power of music to further the conversation by taking over this playlist in partnership with the organization, Color of Change.
- I Love My HBCU: Celebrate the institutions that educate and uplift as 2Chainz guest curates the popular playlist complete with homecoming anthems.
- Queen – Keke Palmer
- Black Love Mixtape: Launching on February 12th, ahead of Valentine’s Day, artists Lucky Daye and Ari Lennox will co-curate the new playlist dedicated to celebrating Black love.
New and Refreshed Hip Hop Playlists
Spotify’s four just-launched hip-hop playlists include:
- New Joints: Simply put, these are the newest rap songs our editors think fans should know.
- Door Knockers: A playlist celebrating trailblazing women in hip-hop history. Trophy Room: This mood-based playlist is for anyone who’s feeling celebratory.
- City To City: This playlist features songs from the Drill scenes of New York, London, and Chicago.
- Three Spotify playlists will be displaying their new looks and sounds today:
- Westside Story: Formerly of the moniker “Cali Fire,” this playlist has expanded its scope beyond California to cover the entirety of the West Coast.
- No Cap: Previously called “The Realest Down South,” this mix features Southern artists, old and new.
- Out The Mud: “Off The Strength” fans can now find street artists on this refreshed playlist.
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