Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-07-22

Writer Jeffrey Boakye talks to music writer Jenessa Williams about his new ‘history book you can dance to’. Both personal and universal, it explores modern Britain and the Black experience – and the music that has soundtracked key moments and shifts in society. From Lord Kitchener and Winifred Atwell to Craig David and Stormzy, this is music for the heart, the home, for the dancefloor and the protest.

The last selection of 28 songs is the beautiful but angry Black and Ready, by songwriter, rapper and activist Jords, created at the height of Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020. Jords joins the conversation to talk about the origin of the song and his belief in taking action for a positive future.

Jeffrey Boakye is a writer, teacher and music enthusiast originally from Brixton, London. His books include Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime and Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored. He is also the co-author of What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Questions.

Jenessa Williams is a Leeds based academic specialising in the intersection of music and socio-political and personal identity, and a writer on music cultures for the Guardian, NME, Readers Digest, DIY, Gal-Dem and the BBC, amongst others.

Jords, or Jordan Edwards-Wilks, is a Croydon songwriter and activist known for combining clever lyrics with raw emotion and thought-provoking concepts - and a hybrid of smooth hip-hop, R&B and poetry. His debut album and film, Almost An Adult (AAA) appeared in May 2020 and his latest single is “Enemies” alongside rapper kadiata and Masego