A first-of-its-kind album celebrating the power of Black voices in family music.
The "All One Tribe" album is a celebration of all the amazing Black voices in the family music sphere.
(1TribeCollective on Facebook)
Here is my review of the amazing new album, All One Tribe, which is a historic venture brought to you by Family Music Forward founder Aaron Nigel Smith and produced by his label, AYA World Productions.
I first heard of this wonderful album when an early publicity post was made by my good friends, 123 Andres (see post embedded below). I recognized some of the names involved in this project, as I had been working with them and reviewing their works, and felt like that this is another album that I must check out.
But before we get to explore the wonders of this album, let me tell you about how this project got its start and how it came to be.
Of course, most of you in America know that 2020 was a year of social unrest, leading to a state of racial reckoning, which sparked conversations about how BIPOCs and other minorities are being underrepresented and what we can do to make a fair, equitable, equal world where everyone gets the respect they deserve. And that is the case especially in the field of kids and family music, where not many minority voices are seen. This led to the formation of the Family Music Forward (FMF) collective. FMF has been very vocal about the issue and produced the first ever “Kukuza Fest” last September, allowing many BIPOC artists to be heard and have a chance to perform for a very wide audience for the first time. It was so successful that it spawned a sequel highlighting Black women in kids’ music last April, which I was fortunate enough to have been a part of.
Another issue that shook the family media sphere was when the Grammy nominations were released last December. It was filled with many hits like super-popular K-pop group BTS gaining a nomination, but was also marred by controversies and complaints, such as The Weekend, Halsey, and former One Direction member Zayn Malik dropping an f-bomb over the lack of diversity in the show. Children’s music was also not spared from the Grammy controversy as the Best Children’s Album nominations were mostly white -- and one of whom was Joanie Leeds who was the only female act on the ballot. Many artists began to fight back by making great strides toward promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, such as pledging support for organizations such as WEE Nation Radio, a station playing Jazz, Hip-hop, Funk, and Go-go music aimed at younger audiences, and the snubbed kids’ artists have gained the attention of The New York Times, NPR, and many other media organizations.
This led to some of the key names in Family Music Forward’s formation, Amelia Robinson, aka Mil’s Trills, Aaron Nigel Smith, and Shawana Kemp of Shine and the Moonbeams to hatch a secret plan: To create an album that celebrates the experiences of Black children, an album that aims to give Black children a sense of agency and reassurance, and an album that puts together some of the finest Black talents in the kids’ music scene. That plan led to the formation of the One Tribe Collective and to the genesis of this wonderful album, All One Tribe.
This groundbreaking album features 24 of the finest Black voices in kids music, a few of whom I have had the opportunity to collaborate with
(1TribeCollective on Facebook)
All of my favorite Black artists and some of my friends on this album, including Uncle Devin, manager of WEE Nation Radio, The Magic Jones who graced Kukuza Fest last April, Groovy Nate, Rob Moye III, Culture Queen, Shine and the Moonbeams, Alphabet Rockers, SNOOKNUK, Divinity Roxx, Pierce Freelon, and Fyutch, among others. There are 24 songs from 24 amazing Black artists, but I would like to share some thoughts on my favorite songs from this groundbreaking album.
Starting with “Family Reunion” by Fyutch featuring Divinity Roxx. This song here aims to describe the strong familial ties of not only Black families but of all families. As summer is officially underway in the United States, this is so perfect for all these post-pandemic reunions going on. The grooviness and the lyrics of this track are all positive and will make you feel as if you were at that reunion. And as with any other song from Fyutch, this is definitely gonna be fun, danceable, and energetic. I’m definitely playing this song before every family reunion as it sounds so much fun!
Next up, we have “Black Lives Made STEM History” by Rob Moye III. I first heard of Rob’s music on an episode of Radio Active Kids a few months ago and I was caught up in the way he makes music about concepts in STEM, such as skyscrapers and marine ecosystems. Those songs sounded quite interesting to me and when I heard this track for the first time, I immediately recognized the way the song was written. This is at the very least, a beautiful introduction to the many BIPOC names that have shaped modern science as we know it, and inspires the listener to achieve greatness in the same way as the people mentioned in this tune.
We move on to “Playground Day” by kids’ music’s distinguished newcomer Nanny Nikki. Nikki has been making peppy and educational music for kids, and this song here is certainly no exception. I loved the way Nanny Nikki describes the joy and innocence of spending a day at the playground with friends, enjoying the sunny weather and the fun of playing with friends. This is such a wonderful reminder of the innocence and joy of childhood, done with such a superb storytelling style.
Up next, we have “Respect Everybody” by Groovy Nate. I not only like the important message this song carries but also really like the funky style of this song. They don’t call him Groovy Nate for nothing, and this is nothing short of an inspiring pick-me-up anthem.
Next up is “A Go-Go Fun Day” by my good friend and kids’ media titan Uncle Devin who just celebrated his birthday as of the time of this writing. It tells the story of how Black people were excluded from the first White House Egg Roll on Easter Sunday and of how they fought back by making their own celebration on Easter Monday at the National Zoo. This song describes very well how important building community is to building visibility and allows their voices to be heard from, not just to be looked upon. It feels almost the same as Uncle D’s vision for WEE Nation and this album. It’s quite a fun history lesson that also translates to learning from the discriminatory past to help create an inclusive future.
We now have two more of my favorites from the album, “Melanin (Shine Remix)” by Alphabet Rockers, and “There’s Nothing Wrong with the Black Crayon” by DJ WILLY WOW! Both have very fun vibes and will leave you dancing to these affirmative sounds that celebrate the power of individuality and how unique you are.
Another favorite AOT song of mine is called “I Believe” by kindie’s soulful powerhouse, Shine and the Moonbeams. What I like about this song is that it’s very much inspired by 50s/60s soul music and it has many positive messages, affirmations, and reassurances, and it’s also a reminder of the dreams you have for the world and how people can come together to achieve those goals. All those messages wrapped inside a song that will make you want to sing along and have a good time.
Last but not the least, we have the title track “One Tribe” featuring all these amazing artists coming together to spread a message: We are united in one voice for one purpose -- to spread love, good vibes, and to amplify our voices and prove that we are amazing. That’s the whole point of the album and I really love the fact that they put all of this together in despite the pandemic. This is quite a collaborative effort that was born out of such a dark time for the African-American community.
All in all, this is such an adventure I had while listening to some of these songs from the album. It was fun and fascinating to hear all these perspectives that were once ignored by the industry but are now finally making some noise and allowing their voices to be heard. All the songs in this album are positive, upbeat, reassuring and, most of all, something that everyone of all ages can truly enjoy. Its songs will leave you dancing, singing and will turn an ordinary day into a very exciting, happy one.
But don’t just take my word for this. Some of my kids’ music friends have shared their thoughts on this endeavor. Dana of Dana’s Music Playground says it’s “great stuff” and she is “happy to support the effort”. Mista Cookie Jar says that the song is “epic” and likes the fact that there are “so many brilliant spirits coming together” He also adds that “the joy, creativity, and love from the speaker-box is immense”. Paul Stark of radio show/podcast Musical Merry Go Round thinks that “it’s a great project” and Esther Crow says that one of her friends “listened to it on shuffle” and “it’s SOOO GREAT”.
Maybe you can listen to this on repeat and at the same time get some good musical vibes and help these 24 amazing BIPOC artists get some love, equity, and visibility as well as diversifying your definition of kids’ music. I did just that and had the time of my life listening to these amazing jams and hopefully you!
You can find the album on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. Or if you're looking for some of the highlights of this album, you may check out the Album Release Party below:
Also, two of my favorite podcasts and radio shows also have celebrations of this album featuring some of the songs mentioned above including Andrew & Polly's podcast "Ear Snacks" and Kathy O'Connell of Kids Corner on WXPN. America's longest-running kids radio show.
