The Black & Queer Voice

Archiving the past, present, and future of Black and queer pop music.

a project for the Northeastern University course ‘Black Popular Music’

Once a song’s out there, it’s no longer mine. And that’s the whole purpose of music: to belong to people.

SADE ADU


✦ the album ✦

This visual expression collects and mashes the album cover designs of artists ranging across the playlists of this site. All of these artists are Black and Queer. Utilize these collages to better visualize the ideas and messages each of these artists were trying to evoke in their own unique musical craft.
– Art by Alex Renaud



Take a dive into the playlist exploring sexuality and honoring artists who are pioneering the industry in the Black, Queer movement.

explore sexuality


✦ the video ✦

Artists often take to live motion to capture the essence of their musical expression. This collage collects some of the themes explored by artists included in this site. It is evident there are overlapping themes of hatred, love, confusion, beauty and peace. See this while taking a listen to one of the three playlists and watch some of these video expressions yourself via the links below.
Art by Alex Renaud –



Click the button to access our custom playlist on the theme of gender.

explore gender


✦ pain ✦

This image comes from a photo series by the winner of the Second Annual Illuminations Grant for Black trans women in the visual arts, Lee Laa Ray Guillory. This particular piece is a part of her collection, We Are All The Ways We Survived.

With the title Our Founding Fathers, the message is strong and clear in this image. Nooses made of Black hair hang from the ceiling above a Black body draped in a white veil in a white room. Black suffering is the foundation of the United States and its cultural impact. The establishment of Black and queer pain cannot be simplified as a relic of the past, especially as violence and brutality continues to be perpetuated.

Guillory’s art is a reminder, a warning, and a blood-stained memory that cannot be wiped away. As Queer Art states, she uses “ritual based photographic and performance work to reveal the presence of transgenerational trauma among Black femmes in rural Louisiana” (2021).



Keep exploring the nuances of pain within the Black and queer experience below.

explore pain

Music Videos

Take some time to support these artists and better understand their art:

Sources

Latest updates ⏳

  • Expressions of Black, Queer Pain
    Playlist by Alex Renaud The artists included in this playlist are:✦ Arlo Parks✦ The Internet✦ Choker✦ Victoria Monèt✦ Jamila Woods According to an APA publication,…
  • The Sound of Gender Euphoria
    Playlist by Alex Renaud The artists included in this playlist are:✦ Lotic✦ UMI✦ love-sadKID✦ Often✦ Honey Dijon 2022 has been a very difficult year for…
  • The Art of Sexual Fluidity
    Playlist by Alex Renaud The artists included in this playlist are:✦ Janelle Monáe✦ Frank Ocean✦ Kevin Abstract✦ VINCINT✦ Kehlani Heterosexual monogamy being framed as a…