Black History Month 2022 Playlist

Independent creators have been making noise in the music industry from North Carolina for decades. The Tarheel State is home to an eclectic mix of Black independent artists and musicians. From the mountains to the coast, this Spotify playlist features some up and coming and established Black indie artists in a variety of genres including R&B, hip hop, country, bluegrass, gospel, spoken word, jazz, and gospel.  We invite you to take a listen!          

About the Playlist Curator

Shameika Rhymes is a journalist and former television news producer (WJHL, WLOS, Time Warner Cable News, Spectrum News) that has written cover stories for Studio Gannett’s USA Today Magazines and SouthPark Magazine. She has also contributed to Charlotte Magazine, ET Online, ESSENCE, EBONY Magazine, INSIDER, InHerSight, the National Museum of African American Music, Shondaland, Soul Train, Parade Magazine, Vanity Fair, Woman's Day Magazine, Studio Gannett’s USA Today Magazines, WEtv.com, and Zola.com. She created and continues to write posts for her own blog, TheMofochronicles.com, which is a part of the SHE Media Partner Network.

She is an advisory board member for the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame and also the voice and pen behind the inductee videos since 2018. She is also a member of East Tennessee State University’s Media/ Communication Executive Advisory Board and the Talent Client Advisory Board for Talent Boulevard.

Shameika has also taken a dive into reality television as a cast member on the CMT show, "I Want to Look Like a High School Cheerleader Again" in 2007.  She is the creator and host of the entertainment show "Check the Rhymes " and interviews influential people on thought provoking topics. The content provides an intimate perspective on her guest. Often described as “where GenX meets pop culture” the discussions take an exclusive look into the lives of media personalities and celebrities. The show currently airs on the streaming OTT app Zone-ify, YouTube, and Suite929.tv. Shameika has also appeared as a guest co-host on ET Canada Live!