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Milestones

Milestones: Dirty Mind by Prince
On Dirty Mind, Prince discovered the formula that would define his genius: complete artistic freedom, embrace controversy, and an uncanny ability to…
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Imani Raven
 and 
Shatter the Standards
Milestones: Kurtis Blow (Self-Titled) by Kurtis Blow
By spinning Kurtis Blow’s self-titled debut LP, you get to witness hip-hop inventing the album format in real time. You hear the first footsteps of an…
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Brandon O'Sullivan
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Shatter the Standards
Milestones: Hotter Than July by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder delivered an album that may not have been hotter than every July that came before, but certainly one that still burns bright in the…
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Imani Raven
 and 
Shatter the Standards
1
Milestones: Daydream by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey was at the height of her fame—a superstar seemingly on top of the world. Daydream represented a confident artistic declaration that she was…
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Tai Lawson
 and 
Shatter the Standards
Milestones: Abraxas by Santana
Abraxas exists as a monument and a challenge. It is the door through which countless entered the kingdom of Santana’s music, a kingdom filled with the…
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Tabia N. Mullings
Milestones: Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Mama Said Knock You Out captures a determined artist refusing to stay down, and it keeps inspiring comebacks from anyone ready to find that inner fire…
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Reginald Marcel
Milestones: The Minstrel Show by Little Brother
As their magnum opus, The Minstrel Show is proof that Little Brother kept faith in their audience and in their artistry, even when the industry around…
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Harry Brown
Milestones: Curtis by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis opened up a new world for soul music, and for that we’re all the better—or as Mayfield might say, we’re moving on up.
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Imani Raven
Milestones: Sex Machine by James Brown
The revolution he unleashed on that Apollo stage in 1970 still reverberates—a live document that remains a gold standard of funk, sending shivers down…
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Reginald Marcel
Milestones: Late Registration by Kanye West
Kanye West once asked, “Can I talk my shit again?," on Late Registration, he did just that. It’s the sound of an artist registering late for class yet…
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Randy
Milestones: Love to Love You Baby by Donna Summer
Donna Summer showed that a disco LP could be as thematically rich as any rock concept album, and that a Black woman’s voice could carry an entire…
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Jill Wannasa
Milestones: Spirit in the Dark by Aretha Franklin
Spirit in the Dark earns its place not just as a great Aretha Franklin album, but as an American soul masterpiece that continues to testify to the unity…
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Imani Raven
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