Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs

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Jeffrey Boakye has created a truly unique and delightful book which he has paired with a matching playlist on Spotify meaning you can listen to the songs he details whilst reading about the context at the same time. The book, when accompanied with the Spotify playlist is a snippet in time, with the text providing the context and history of the period in which each track was released. Playing each of the tracks as Boakye unpacks their lyrics and story through concise and powerful commentary offers a fascinating insight into each song, and would be a wonderful and engaging way to raise discussions in a classroom setting. The book redefines British history, the Empire, and post colonialism, and invites readers to immerse themselves in music and think again about the narratives and key moments in history that they have been taught up to now.

I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic!

One such piece cited from a comment section is from a lady that lived through the 60's/70's counter culture hippy revolution that did not speak highly of her choices made during that time.

Each chapter takes a step forward in time with a new song by a different artist, including Stormzy, Neneh Cherry and Ed Sheeran.Symbols exert a strong hold in the image-saturated 21st century, and have done so for thousands of years.

This is accompanied by illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, drawn by the talented Ngadi Smart. Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster, educator and journalist with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. With its John Barnes rap, it’s ‘cheesy’ (as Boakye says), yes, but the whole zeitgeist of the Nineties is there buoyed up by Boakye’s own enthusiasm.David Olusoga’s latest edition of Black and British has been revised and rewritten especially for secondary school children, and explains and illustrates the much-overlooked history of Black peoples in Britain and beyond. Targeted at upper middle grade to YA, this is a book that will also attract a much wider adult audience.

And what IF super bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors and Led Zeppelin to name a few were manufactured in part to usher in this new era of teen angst, alternative thought and rebellion, remember the phraseology 'turn on, tune in and drop out', nothing sinister with that message I'm sure you will agree! Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do. Boakye’s knowledge and passion shines through as he explains the background, emotional impact, and historical significance of songs that changed British culture forever – from London is the Place for Me by Lord Kitchener to Vossi Bop by Stormzy. We also see moments of radical reinterpretation and change: the transformation of the swastika from an auspicious symbol of hope to one of hate. When you also consider that the same counter culture narrative is still being promoted in modern day life, remember Miley Cyrus twerking and simulating sex on stage to the view of thousands if not millions of impressionable teens and young children?

Beneath the glossy veneer, however, lies the devastating truth of who really controls these institutions, and the deeply malevolent agendas for which they're being used.