Freedom Songs
Listen to this collection of exclusively commissioned new songs from Black creatives.
Celebrate Juneteenth with Freedom Songs, a collection of exclusive new songs from a diverse range of Black artists like 6LACK, Bun B, and Koryn Hawthorne.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, takes its name from June 19, 1865, the day General Gordon Granger and Union troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced to slaves in the state that they were free—an entire two-and-a-half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the executive order outlawing slavery in the United States.
Though Juneteenth has been observed by many Black Americans since 1866, often with parades, picnics, and other celebrations, its declaration as a federal holiday in 2021 has highlighted both the continued tragic effects of chattel slavery and the irreplaceable contributions of Black Americans and the descendants of slaves.
In observance of that ideal, Apple Music has released Freedom Songs, a collection of exclusively commissioned new songs from Black creatives like Elena Pinderhughes, Kranium, Lupe Fiasco, Alex Isley, 6LACK, and Brittney Spencer, to name a few. Some have contributed original compositions, while others have chosen to cover existing songs that speak to the spirit of the holiday.
Listen to the stories their selections tell as we celebrate Juneteenth and the invaluable legacy of Black music. Go to apple.co/-FreedomSongs.
