Black History Month serves not only to remind us that Black history is American history, but also to appreciate Black culture.
Lounge Acts presents our Black History Month mixtape, which celebrates some of our favorite performances in recent years from Cincinnati artists such as Triiibe, Lauren Eylise and others.
Watch the five-song video above, then read and hear more from the featured artists below.
Triiibe - "You Can't Stop the Movement"
Recorded March 2019
To listen to Triiibe is to know their causes: love, peace, community, prosperity, faith and self-sustainability. Triiibe, an acronym for True Representation of Intellectual Individuals Invoking Black Excellence, is comprised of three talented members: Pxvce (pronounced “peace”), Siri Imani and Aziza Love.
Together, they create their own brand of “artivism,” combining powerful lyrics, smooth melodies and rhymes, all laced with their principled beliefs. Activism is what brought the three of them together; the music followed naturally.
Watch Triiibe's full performance and interview for WCPO Lounge Acts.
Bla'szé - "Satisfied"
Recorded September 2020
As talented as she is at singing, Bla'szé first pursued a dance career at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in 2013 with her bachelor's degree in fine arts in ballet. When injury sidelined her dance prospects, she turned her focus to singing.
“Being in ballet is really what I need to get the confidence to perform in front of people,” she said.
Bla'szé continued building her confidence on her recent debut album, “Energy.” It’s an album Bla'szé said helped in “realizing the confidence I have to tell my story.”
Watch Bla'szé's full performance and interview for WCPO Lounge Acts.
Lauren Eylise - "Loud Afternoon (Part II)"
Recorded February 2018
Neo-soul artist Lauren Eylise made a big statement with her 2018 debut EP, "Life/Death/Life," by sharing her "unapologetically feminine and soul-stirring vibes."
Using her ability to translate raw emotion into song, "Life/Death/Life" is Lauren Eylise's interpretation of her own healing. Having learned of the unplanned conception of her son while pursuing her music career in New York City, the singer narrates her journey through the perceived death of her dreams, the life of her child, the end of some relationships and the beginning of her career.
Watch Lauren Eylise's full performance and interview for WCPO Lounge Acts.
Patterns of Chaos - "Freunlaven"
Recorded October 2020
As Cincinnati hip-hop duo Patterns of Chaos walked out the door after recording a session with WCPO Lounge Acts, frontman Jay Hill proclaimed, "If I were an anime character, my weapon would be a microphone."
That's a pretty spot-on indicator for Patterns of Chaos' brand of music, which they call "grown kid rap." The duo consists of obvious best friends rapper Jay Hill and producer Alex Stallings (AKA Stallitix).
Watch Patterns of Chaos's full performance and interview for WCPO Lounge Acts.
Freedom Nicole Moore & The Electric Moon - "Everytime"
Recorded June 2018
If you’re looking for tunes to soothe your soul, look no further than Freedom Nicole Moore & The Electric Moon. With clear influences of soul, funk and indie sounds in its music, this Cincinnati-based group will have you singing along in no time.
That said, good luck matching the smooth warmth of frontwoman Moore’s voice. With introspective lyrics that are hard not to relate to, FNMTEM sings truth for the everywoman -- and man.
Watch Freedom Nicole Moore & The Electric Moon's full performance and interview for WCPO Lounge Acts.