All One Tribe: Family Music Redefined!

Review by Astride Noel, writer, CMA Advisory Board

The killing of George Floyd in May 2020 devastated our nation and even shocked those of us who have known the realities of police brutality and inequality. Everyone grieved in their own way whether it be through protest or prayer. A group of eclectic black artists came together to turn a horrific moment in history into one of hope and inspiration with their album, All One Tribe: A Family Music Collective.

Powerful, bold, honest, motivational, educational, fun, and sway-inducing are all descriptors for this collaboration. The album boasts 25 unique pieces that redefine family music. The variety of sounds will have kids bobbing their heads while wanting to reach for the stars. This album treats children with the utmost respect and dignity that they deserve by addressing tough topics in a safe space, while allowing them to have a good time, and still be introspective and self-aware. When I asked several of the artists the big “why now?” question, they all answered that this album was long overdue. There are very few spaces in children’s media that provide children of color with tools to overcome challenges, process grief, and help them go about their day.

“I believe in joy, magic, soul, chances, dreams, and hope

Working justice for all and staying woke.

I believe in respect, reflection, culture, education, and equity.

I believe in heart, tenacity, leaps of faith and I believe in me.” - I Believe by Shine & the Moonbeams

Shine, who is also one of the producers on the album, expressed that she used the song “I Believe” to build “social, emotional connectivity and conversations.” The backdrop of these powerful lyrics is in a rhythmic go-go beat that will have listeners celebrating their magical selves with dance.

All One Tribe is an inclusive album, but it sends a clear and positive message to children of color, which is often missing from content that aims to educate white audiences while falling short of providing something useful for black children. Amelia Robinson, a co-producer of All One Tribe, expressed that intentionality was always at the forefront of their mission. An example of the album’s clear intentions is with Rissi Palmer’s song “Little Black Boy, Little Black Girl.” The song highlights the beauty and excellence that black children embody. In the words of Rissi Palmer, “Being able to raise up a generation that hears and says Black people with pride, honor, and revelry is alone worth having created this song. I know that impact is being made, one child at a time.”

Robbi Kumalo’s song “Set It Free,” gives children the words to free themselves from the prescribed box that’s been created by society while also encouraging togetherness.

“Wanna make my own decisions, handle life with my precision. Don’t hold me in your prison. Rest your mind at ease. I can use determination. No mental constipation. On the road to emancipation, let nothing trouble me…. We are all closer than you really know.” — Set it Free by Robbi K.

The album is enriched with love for blackness, family, and all people. It offers a little bit of everything for every situation and mood. The song “Family Reunion,” by Fyutch featuring Divinity Roxx has soul and will get everyone bouncing with their parents, siblings, aunts, and uncles. “Clap your Hands, ” by The Magic Jones elevates a classic children’s song to a hip rendition with the lyrics, “We can take it way back, way back, way back in the day.” The song will have the too-cool-for-school tweens, wanting to take it way back and reclaim the joy of clapping their hands and stomping their feet.

One of the handiest songs for parents on the album is “Cootie Shot,” by Pierce Freelon who turns getting a shot into a fun and catchy hip-hop anthem. The lines, “Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot” was inspired by a childhood game that encouraged immunization. Freelon talks about his fear of shots but highlights the importance of staying healthy. Although this song is not only specific to Covid-19, it encapsulates the fear of many who do not want to get the vaccinations, but the on-point lyrics, “we can’t keep it hot if we catch the cold,” makes the options and consequences clear for both children and adults. Freelon explained that the song is not about judging, but about “celebrating how safe it feels to be vaccinated.”

“Call your parents

Your nibblings*

And your next of kin

Call your Grandmama

And your best friend

Ask them

Did you shoot your shot (did you shoot it?)

Did you roll up your sleeves? (shoot your shot)

Trying to slow this disease (shoot your shot)

Those Corona cooties (shoot your shot)

— Cootie Shot by Pierce Freelon (feat. Divinity Roxx)

*Nibbling is a gender-neutral term for a niece or nephew.

A common theme that repeatedly popped up with the artists and producers was “intentionality.” In Freelon’s words, “It’s important that we have diverse voices as a part of that chorus, particularly for kids who are really impressionable and are shaping their ideas of the world. It’s a precious time and a time when kids are sponges and they need exposure to black men, black women, queer folks, and you don’t really see that in children’s and family music on a lot of the big platforms. All One Tribe as an album is revolutionary. It’s a groundbreaking collective of black artists who came together after a crisis in our country when George Floyd was killed last summer.”

Ms. Janis’s song, “Say Their Names” is an emotional song about remembering the victims of police brutality. However, it starts up from the point of view of a cop and then humanizes the circumstances in a way that we rarely see. Ms. Janis’s teacher mindset made her realize that a song that listed the names would help children and families remember and focus on the real people involved. This elevates the song from just a discussion about cops and makes it more about the community.

And the community includes everyone as expressed in Melanie DeMore’s song, “We All Live in the Same House.” It’s a phrase she got from the African American statesman and civil rights activist, John Lewis. DeMore says, “We all live in the same house means that we’re all here together despite ourselves.” The song is a capella in the style of a work song, “In the time of our enslavement and even after that, work songs give you that energy to get through what it is you have to do.” The beats and lyrics are motivating and do inspire one to keep going and lend a hand. “One of the hardest things to do as a righteous heart warrior is to not lose your heart in the middle of all the stuff that people are doing.” And yet, All One Tribe makes it a lot easier to keep a finger on the pulse of connectivity, community, and family ties.

Shine says that George Floyd’s death, “galvanized us in the children’s music community to look inwards at whose playing festivals, whose getting nominated for awards, whose getting press, whose getting access. Rather than begging for a seat at the table, we created our own table, and we prepared a whole sumptuous platter of wonderful children’s music.” Pick up the album and listen with your family, but take it a step further by looking into each artist and discovering their amazing bodies of work. This is a collective of incredibly talented artists who are a part of a movement to empower the future generation and they should have our support.