iHeartRadio Presents Black Excellence John Legend

02/01/21 • 2 min

As we continue to celebrate Black History month during February, we’ve been showcasing and highlighting artists that have shaped popular culture and made an impact far beyond their respected craft. For this episode of #BlackExcellence iHeartRadio’s Jamar McNeil highlights just some of the reasons why John Legend is and example of #BlackExcellence.

Legend started playing piano at age four and sang in his church choir at seven. His mother sang and directed the church choir, his Grandmother played the organ, his father was a drummer. John Legend WAS DESTINED to be a musical man. He was homeschooled but was so smart academically that he skipped 2 grades! As a young kid in Ohio he earned some awesome opportunities. He got into Georgetown, Harvard and eventually went to U Penn where he was a member of the popular a cappella group The Counterparts. Where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in English and African American Lit. Once he started getting recognized as an artist to look out for, he was introduced to Lauryn Hill by a friend, and that's exactly who you hear playing the piano on her classic song Everything is Everything.

Another key Intro would send John Legend to the next level. Kanye West, who hired him to sing some hooks on some of Kanye’s early songs. It was at that time that the crew gave John his stage name LEGEND because of his voice. For such a new artist he had a distinct old school swag and sound. Like he was already a legend....John Legend. I clearly remember Kanye and John Legend coming to do small shows on the college circuit when I was in School in DC. I thought that the combination of Kanyes old school samples and Legends Old Soul Sound was INCREDIBLE and so authentic. It was amazing. That relationship became solidified when Kanye signed him as one of the founding members of his new Label GOOD Music.

The world now knew of the power of the voice of John Legend. In 2008 you may remember when he Sang for former President Obama’s campaign song produced by Wil I Am - Yes We Can. He did a pop produced by Andre 3000 of OutKast, Green Light which joined Ordinary People as his one of his highest charting singles but then he really expanded.
He is one of 16 people, and the first Black man, to achieve EGOT status – winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards.

In addition to numerous acts of service through philanthropic work, Legend has been outspoken on a number of social justice issues. HIV AIDS/AntiRacism/Women's Education Heath and Justice

He has spent five seasons as a coach on The Voice, where he had the Season 16 winning singer, in 2019.

And his No. 1 hit was 2013’s “All of Me,” a ballad about his wife Chrissy Teigen is a radio and WEDDING CLASSIC HIT or LEGENDARY track. Black History has truly been enrich by the legendary career of John Legend, Black Excellence.

Check back for more #BlackExcellence episodes throughout #BlackHistoryMonth

CREDITS:
Research By Jamar McNeil, John R. Kennedy

In addition to numerous acts of service through philanthropic work, Legend has been outspoken on a number of social justice issues. HIV AIDS/AntiRacism/Women's Education Heath and Justice

He has spent five seasons as a coach on The Voice, where he had the Season 16 winning singer, in 2019.

Check back for more #BlackExcellence episodes throughout #BlackHistoryMonth

CREDITS:
Research By Jamar McNeil, John R. Kennedy

Previous Episode

iHeartRadio Presents Black Excellence Alicia Keys

iHeartRadio’s Jamar McNeil highlights just some of the reasons why Alicia Keys is #BlackExcellence.

Keys started playing piano at age six and studied classical music and jazz. Her exposure to the music of Billie Holiday Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonius Monk as well as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin explain her signature style of fusing the classical sound with Black Swag. She wrote her first song at the age of 12 on the piano and shortly after She signed a record deal at 15.

She had a rough start in her professional career. Creative disputes about her songs her look, her hair and her overall presentation made things difficult for her during her relationship with record label. She was able to get attention from the one and only Clive Davis who brought her over to his new label J Records where he allowed her to have creative control of her music and her likeness. Without that support, we might not have gotten the Alicia Keys with her urban wear and her signature Corn rows that let us know that this classic piano virtuoso was keeping it ALL THE WAY REAL

At 20, she released her debut album Songs in A Minor. It's one of my fav albums. A combo of Soul, Classical Piano, Neo Soul and BoomBap east coast hip hop. She’d been working on it since she was only 14. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned Keys five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for “Fallin’

Keys co-founded Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that supports families with HIV and AIDS in Africa and India. In 2017, she was named by Amnesty International, an award that also went to Canadian Indigenous rights activists.

Alicia Keys over came her rough environment of Hell’s Kitchen Manhattan and the tough pressures of the corporate recording industry to be given titles like, Artist of the decade, one of the 100 Greatest Women in Music, 100 most influential people in the world to name a few.

CREDITS:
Research By Jamar McNeil, John R. Kennedy

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Next Episode

Black Excellence Roundtable: What are the Black Music Influences that have Impacted our Lives?

CHUM 104.5's Azalea Hart is joined by Jamar McNeil (CHUM 104.5's Marilyn & Jamar), Leah Abrahams (Virgin Radio's Virgin Mornings with Adam Wylde TJ & Jax), and Dames Nellas (Virgin Radio Weekender) to discuss how Black Music and culture influenced their lives growing up, and their careers moving forward.

Each member gives us a look in to their upbringings, their passion for music, and what it means to them.

The roundtable panel discusses and debates the history of hip hop, and other Black-led genres, and the influence it has had on all of music past, present, and future.

The panel gets honest about how Black culture can often be misunderstood, misrepresented or mismanaged in mainstream media, and they discuss the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show, and if the predominantly black performers will make a political statement while the world is watching.

Don't forget to review and subscribe to this podcast on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.