Have you heard of Arthur Ashe? After years of being turned away, Ashe became the first Black person to play in the nation’s national championships. He won both the NCAA Division I singles and doubles championships in 1965. He became the first African American to win the U.S. Open in 1968. And went on to win various other tournaments, including the 1970 Australian Open. He also became the first African American man to win Wimbledon in 1975. He also while playing took a strong stance against South Africa’s system of Apartheid. In 1979 he had his first heart attack, but after surgery he returned to the court, but ended up retiring in 1980. In 1983, Ashe co-founded Athletes Against Apartheid. That same year, he had another surgery on his heart. He was hospitalized again five years later in 1988. That’s when he was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). And in 1993 he died of pneumonia related to AIDS. He may have gotten AIDS from a blood transfusion during his 1983 surgery.
Black History 365 | #19 - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Did you know DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince were the first Hip-Hop acts to win a Grammy? In 1989 their song “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was nominated for Best Rap Performance. But the Grammys did not televise their presentation. Hip-Hop United together to boycott the Grammys. Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, Kid N’ Play, Russell Simmons…a good amount of Hip-Hop acts except Kool Moe Dee who presented the award for best R&B male vocal. J.J Fad also still went too. Maybe Kool Moe Dee let his beef with LL Cool J override his will to unite for the greater cause. Maybe J.J Fad knew Supersonic was going to be their last chance to make an impression on Hip-Hop let alone the Grammy stage, I don't know. I think we put too much weight on these outside sources for validation. I also think, forget all that, get your bread! The following year they televised the rap category, and the rest they say is history.
Black History 365 | #16 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Have you heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe? She is known as the Godmother of Rock N’ Roll. She was known for her distinctive voice and going crazy on the guitar. She wove secular and gospel music into her play. Little Richard and Chuck Berry gave her props on being an influence on their music. So we’re giving her her props too.
Black History 365 | #32 - Prince
Did you know that Prince’s song “Darling Nikki” was the catalyst for the parental advisory sticker? Yes, Tipper Gore, wife of then-Senator Al Gore, purchased the album Purple Rain a gift for her 11-year old daughter. She was quoted as saying in her book, “When we brought the album home, put it on our stereo, and listened to it together, we heard the words to “Darling Nikki”: 'I knew a girl named Nikki/Guess (you) could say she was a sex fiend/I met her in a hotel lobby/Masturbating with a magazine," she recounted. "The vulgar lyrics embarrassed both of us. At first, I was stunned, but then I got mad! Millions of Americans were buying Purple Rain with no idea what to expect. Thousands of parents were giving the album to their children — many even younger than my daughter.”
Black History 365 | #14 - Grandmaster Flash
Shoutout to Grandmaster Flash! Another reputable founding father of Hip-Hop. He and his group Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five are the first Hip-Hop act to be inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. He created a DJ technique that provided a seamless loop of the drum breaks on records. This technique also gave birth to cutting and scratching. It’s called the Grandmaster Flash Quick Mix Theory. This is where you use two turntables with identical records and rapidly switch between them to extend the rhythmic break.