(February 19, 2021) For Black History Month 2021, This Is Certified, Sony Music’s Hip Hop and R&B catalog division, has partnered with BET Digital in the launch of “My Black Is,” a thematic series commemorating Black artists–past, present and future–and their abiding essential influence on popular culture, from the underground to the mainstream. The series includes theme-based programming will present newly-curated playlists showcasing classic tracks from timeless artists alongside the fresh sounds of contemporary Black musicians who’re making history here and now.
The series this week premiered a new animated video for “Everyday People,” Sly & the Family Stone‘s anthemic celebration of human diversity. An irresistible call for peace and understanding, the universal message of “Everyday People” — “We got to live together” — still rings true everyday, now more than ever. Recorded and released in 1968, “Everyday People,” a psychedelic pop/soul classic written and produced by Sly Stone, became a crossover phenomenon, the first single by Sly & the Family Stone to hit #1 on the Soul chart and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a position it held for four solid weeks in February-March 1969.
One of the most popular songs of the 1960s, “Everyday People” has a timeless easy groove that still makes people happy and gets them on the dance-floor. The first major American pop-rock group with a racially-integrated lineup of male and female musicians, Sly & the Family Stone broke down multiple barriers with their melodic hook-filled radio-friendly sound, a groundbreaking amalgamation of pop, rock, soul, funk, R&B and straight-up stardust magic. Active from 1966-1983, Sly & the Family Stone, a pioneering ensemble ahead of its time, made records that will always sound new.
Check out the brand new video below, along with the This Is Certified Black History Month Spotify Playlist.