Brotha

When I first heard this song, it immediately struck me as a love letter to me and others like me. Angie Stone was proclaiming a serious love for Black Men in her beautiful song Brotha and as simple as it sounds musically (just a repeated loop of a guitar lick over a simple bassline and percussion), it's profound in it's lyrics.

She gives a shout out to all kinds of Black men doing their things trying to make it in this world and that even includes those men currently incarcerated. Off of her Mahogany Soul CD released in 2001, Brotha was a stand out as far as I'm concerned because there weren't a lot of songs like this (and still aren't), showing Black men love, appreciation, and respect. Brotha really didn't do much damage on the charts but it was heard, praised, and admired by this man for talking about our worth instead of singing about us at our worst.

In the midst of the cries for justice for Trayvon Martin I thought this was a song worth blogging about. I don't know if Trayvon ever heard Angie's love letter to him and those like him but he was a Brotha and I dedicate it to him. Enjoy.