Pisces are governed by a duality, a struggle of the spiritual soul within the physical body. Pisces are deeply creative and artistic, with enhanced intuitive abilities. Ruled by Neptune, planet of inspiration and imagination, Pisceans are one of the most creative signs of the Zodiac, making them some of the world’s greatest musicians. Since Pisces begins in February, we are going to celebrate Black History Month and highlight some incredible Pisces artists who have paved, inspired or changed music history.
First up, the ultimate queen herself; Nina Simone. Nina Simone was one of the foremost singer/songwriters and Civil Rights activists of her generation, revolutionizing the music genre, as well as, the African-American voice through her protests and perseverance. She faced many challenges in the industry as a black female artist and she had to overcome many setbacks in her rise to fame. One of her most politically charged songs is “Mississippi Goddam” which was banned in many US southern states….(go figure). She wrote the song after the white supremacist terrorists bombed a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four black girls who had just finished Bible study. In the song, Simone expresses her anger at both the bombing and the assassination of civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, by a Klansman in Mississippi three months before. Her lyrics:
“All I want is equality for my sister, my brother, my people and me…
You don’t have to live next to me,
Just give me my equality!” ….
expressed through her voice and lyrics, we hear a call to protest and a demand for change-
Listen to Nina Simone and become inspired to fight these injustices with us.
Second….queen, Erykah Badu. Badu is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has been hailed as one of the most gifted rhythm and blues singers of the current era. Badu has earned her title as the Queen of neo-soul; a mix of modern soul and R&B with influences from hip-hop, jazz, pop, African music, and beyond. For decades she has been an inspiration; Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe and even Grimes have all, at some point, referenced or collaborated with her (just to name a few).
Through her music she has been dubbed to have coined the term “woke/wokeness” before it resurfaced and became popular like it is today. In 2012, Badu produced a Radio Series on BBC that explored music generated by The Black Power Movement.
“Black Power — with its symbol of a fist clenched in anger and defiance — politicized African American music in ways the Civil Rights movement had not.” – Badu
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