I was busy fighting for my life, in case anybody was interested. I was home slathered in Vicks and sipping on some sizzurp (don’t worry guys! I’m not going to link it but I know that y’all are singing along with my faves, OSCAR WINNING Three 6 Mafia. Also my sizzurp was prescribed by a medical doctor because I was falling apart).
Being sick was not awesome, but I gotta be honest, being hopped up on Sudafed was surprisingly good for my productivity once I started feeling like a person! After spending so many days feeling like somebody was holding a pillow over my face, I used the little bit of energy that I had to clean. Because also being cooped up in the house was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. So I opened the doors and windows, turned on some gospel and cleaned, it WAS Sunday after all, and I *am* Black (shut up. you know who you are). Anyway, gospel music and cleaning the house are a THING because cleanliness is next to godliness but also black people and music and gospel and here I am still not getting to the point but reminding y’all that gospel music historically helped enslaved people escape to freedom by wading in the water using codes and spiritual hymns as a guide AND ALSO provided theme music errmm…unity for the Black community during the civil rights era. Hymns would often be turned into chants for marches. Because Jesus walks with them on the right side of history – yes. Another missed opportunity to link a song but Ye is persona non grata in this b*tch, so here we are. Talking about marching. And Jesus.
And Marching Bands? YES. AND MARCHING BANDS. Because even though I did NOT watch the Grammy’s, I *DID* see TSU Aristocrat of Bands (Tennessee State University Marching band) is the FIRST Marching band to win a Grammy. See, look at me bringing it back around (honestly this is a live look at what it looks like when I write these facts) to the whole point of this email.
Tennessee State University’s (TSU) band Aristocrat of Bands is now the first collegiate band to not just the one, but two Grammys! TSU’s Aristocrat of Bands’ gospel album “The Urban Hymnal” won Best Roots Gospel Album. The band’s feature on poet J. Ivy’s spoken word album “The Poet Who Sat By The Door” made for its second win for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.
And then of course, I did some digging and did you know (you didn’t. because I didn’t until right now) that TSU was the first HBCU band to appear on national TV during a Chicago Bears NFL game in 1955, the first HBCU band to perform for an inauguration of the president of the US in 1961 for JFK. And it 2002, they were the first HBCU band to be named as an Official Band™ for an NFL Team (Tennessee Titans)?
WELL YOU DO NOW. I’m so glad my sissie went to TSU. (Because this means I get to brag about her and her school and go to an HBCU Homecoming. Be jealous!)
Oh yeah. I heard that Beyonce broke the record for most grammy wins. See. Look at me. Knowing sh*t about the grammys without watching one single minute. You’re welcome!
Yeah I said it 