In 1992, about Yo-Yo’s sophomore record, Joan Morgan wrote in Spin Magazine “One year later, her outrage continues to provide a voice for those who lack a means of expression, especially when life explodes in their faces and outside their doors.” Because of how much hip-hop has changed, and how quickly, the album “Black Pearl” has been largely lost to history. That’s where Queue Points comes in. We are reminiscing about a Black hip-hop feminist classic, “Black Pearl.”
Also, it’s Pride month, and we are going to be discussing the seminal classic “I Was Born This Way,” the first song to feature lyrics about being an out and proud gay man. Performed, in its original form, by Charles Valentino and made again by Carl Bean, the song has a long and interesting history worth revisiting.