Neneh Cherry Is Forever Always Ahead of the Curve
DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray round our Women's History Month by honoring the career of Neneh Cherry, and discuss why she’s one Black music’s forever-cool icons.
“Her flow was ridiculous. Her flow was immaculate… This is definitely from across the pond.”
- DJ Sir Daniel
Neneh Cherry, the MC and singer, who’s too often left out of the story, but whose path from punk London to MTV was a game changer. DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray unpack her nomadic roots, and why she still feels an artist ahead of her time.
Picture a kid in a VW bus touring Europe with her mother, brother and stepfather, jazz legend Don Cherry, who casually recalls meeting James Baldwin in Istanbul as a child, then hitting London’s punk scene as a teen with The Slits. That’s Neneh’s origin. There was art in her blood, blending ska, punk, pop, and hip hop before “Buffalo Stance” even dropped.
“Art was at every point in her life… It was in her blood from the very beginning.”
- Jay Ray
Jay Ray lights up remembering the Raw Like Sushi long box, wet hair and biker shorts on the cover, and how “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” made HIV activism feel possible and important. Then the 90s hit and we got the album Homebrew that featured Guru and Premier, and that Jeep remix of “Buddy X” with an up-and-coming Notorious B.I.G. with boom bap under Neneh’s voice.
“Hearing somebody sing over boom bap beats is just a treat… Biggie’s verse is quintessential Biggie.”
- DJ Sir Daniel
Neneh’s career, from punk to The Cherry Thing and beyond, proves Black women can bend genres and stay cool forever. Enjoy this full episode as we honor Neneh’s contributions.
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