15 #blackgirlmagic songs from 2017 – ft. sza, adia victoria, jamila woods, and more

1. SZA – “Supermodel”

If we were doing a best albums of the year roundup (which we’re not, deal with it) SZA’s CTRL would definitely be causing some major tension around the top spot. A confessional R&B album that transcends genre and more than lives up to the hype, this record cements SZA as a voice of a generation. Nowhere is that more apparent than on single “Supermodel” where stream of consciousness lyrics ride a spare guitar line into a hook that’s worth waiting for.

2. Naomi Pilgrim – “Racist Friend (ft. Sa-Roc and Yugen Blakrok)”

Naomi Pilgrim takes her time putting out music, but when she’s got something to say, she makes it count. Enter “Racist Friend.” Her sole single this year finds the “No Gun” singer updating The Specials’ 2 tone classic with warped synths and guest spots from Sa-Roc and Yugen Blakrok. It’s the song 2017 needed to hear more than just about anything else.

3. Jamila Woods – “LSD (ft. Chance the Rapper)”

With HEAVN, Jamila Woods established herself as one of those artists whose every release is a call to drop whatever you’re doing and just listen. Her latest single “LSD” turns an ode to Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive into a song about self-love, community strength, and resisting gentrification. “You gotta love me like I love the lake.”

4. Melisa Whiskey – “Sweetest Cake”

Listen to this song. Now listen to it again. Is your heart not full of complete joy? No? Listen again. You’ll get there.

5. Jackie Shane – “Any Other Way”

Originally recorded in 1962, Jackie Shane staged an unlikely comeback this year with the release of her box set of the same name. A pioneering trans soul singer, Jackie Shane retired from music in the early 70’s to care for her mother. Though her music had largely vanished from print, Jackie Shane has become something of a legend in Toronto. The new compilation is the first time Jackie has had a hand in releasing her music since 1969, and we can only hope it means she’ll be doing some dates in the near future too.

6. Nova Twins – “Thelma and Louise”

Great list. But where’s the hard shit? Don’t worry. We got you. Drawing a jagged line between punk rock and grime, Nova Twins are one of the true breakout bands of 2017. Their distinctive distorted bass lines and no-fucks-given attitude makes their Mood Swings EP one of the absolute best of the year.

7. Ari Lennox – “Night Drive”

With a voice that calls back to the jazz greats, Ari Lennox has that magic ability to make classic sounds new again. Riding a sampled brass band on a breezy song about driving down I-85 at night, Ari Lennox makes magic with Herbie Hancock on her radio.

8. Estère – “Pro Bono Techno Zone”

The video to Estère’s “Pro Bono Techno Zone” opens with the disclaimer: “If you have exceeded 2 hours of screen time today please stop watching and come back tomorrow.” It’s a techno-phobic electro-funk song that delights in all the contradictions inherent in it. It’s less a call to smash your laptop than it is a reminder that the true costs of digital life will probably only really become clear when the bill finally comes due. “Up the rivers rise / Down the shadows fall / What we thought was free / Isn’t free at all.”

9. Lea Lea – “Chasing Paradise”

With a massive beat and wailing feedback guitars, Lea Lea crafts songs that are celebrations of rebellion. Her Die Pretty EP is a glorious mix of attitude and hooks that you won’t be able to get out of your head anchored by the explosive “Chasing Paradise.” “Woke up and poured myself a bourbon / Let myself out I didn’t need a key / Playing hooky, the day is my mine.”

10. Adia Victoria – “Ugly Brown”

It’s a testament to Adia Victoria’s power as a performer that she could turn a novelty country song from the early 60’s into one of the year’s most powerful musical statements on race and gender in the music industry. But by the time the spoken word coda kicks in, Adia Victoria has so completely re-written the song (without changing a word) that the original authorship doesn’t matter: this is an Adia Victoria song now and forever. That’s some magic.

11. The Suffers – “I Think I Love You”

No, no that “I Think I Love You.” This track by Houston soul collective The Suffers is an ode to learning to love yourself before you can love someone else. Kam Franklin’s contagious joy carries the song from its massive hook to that epic trombone solo.

12. Cipherella – “Dumb Dumb”

From the tape in the boombox that kicks the video off down to Cipherella’s flow, “Dumb Dumb” is a glorious tribute to Golden Age hip-hop built for now. It’s a joyful middle finger to the air that celebrates self-love and all that’s great about late 80’s and early 90’s hip-hop. It’s the rare nostalgia trip that doesn’t pine for a long gone era so much as it seeks to bring the past kicking and screaming into the future.

13. TiKA – “All Day, All Night (ft. HMLT)”

Celebrating the victory of staying free in the face of insurmountable fuckery, TiKA’s “All Day All Night” holds nothing back. “You got my brothers gasping for air in the dark of the night / My sistas may just change the world in a blink of an eye / Our children are dying” she sings before launching into the defiant chorus: “I’m free.”

14. Leikeli47 – “Money”

Behind her trademark mask, Leikely47 is having too much fun on this track not to love it. The classic “fuck the haters” anthem buoys one of the year’s breakout talents. And that “oooh” chorus is just perfection.

15. Renee Dion – “Monday”

Renee Dion’s silken voice floats over this classic ballad. The lush bass nearly steals the show. Rich and emotional, the pairing of Dion and Robert “Pops” Fields is magical on its own. “Mondays don’t exist when I’m with you.”