Spotify is committed to uplifting and celebrating Black voices, culture, and creativity year-round, but we always put a special emphasis on this mission during the entirety of February in honor of Black History Month. 

We rolled out Frequency last year as part of our global initiative to bring light to Black artists, entertainment, and community so that listeners could really experience the breadth of Black artistry that can be found on our platform. Since its rollout, an influx of listeners have engaged with Frequency playlists like House Party and Ripple Effect, as well as the Heard You podcast playlist the Spotify team helped to curate. But we wanted to bring more spaces to life. 

Here are a few of the special things that happened at Spotify this year in celebration of Black History Month.

Frequency’s The Free Studio

The Free Studio was a short-term creator studio we put together with the purpose of hosting a number of diverse creators and artists. In this space, we had recording studios, black canvases, green screen areas, and video backdrops that creators could work with to accomplish their work. It’s important to give creators a physical space where they can focus on their outlets, and even collaborate with others if they wanted to.

Scholarship Opportunities

Last year, we partnered with a few organizations to continue our mission of combating racial inequity. Two of these partnerships were with 4A’s Foundation and United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Our scholarship opportunities include The Spotify-UNCF Scholars Program, The Spotify Frequency Scholarship Program, and the Spotify Pulse Fellowship, all of which are dedicated to helping Black creators access and advance their educations and careers.

New Podcasts and Special Episodes

We wanted listeners to be able to find more Black History Month-related content on our platform, so there were a few new podcasts and episodes that came out, including:

  • Abolition X, hosted by Vic Mensa, Indigo Mateo, and Richie Reseda, which is about how to replace vengeful-based thinking in our lives and what society would look like if we abolish police and prisons.
  • The Dope Labs podcast, hosted by Xavier “X” Jernigan, which aired a special episode focused on the Winter Olympics HBCUs.
  • NO SKIPS with Jinx and Shea, which released a new season at the beginning of February.

Spotify Greenroom

This is another opportunity that serves as an entertaining and educational resource for those who want to educate themselves on Black History Month. 

Spotify Greenroom’s original show, The Grapevine Live, hosted by Ashley Akunna and Donovan Thompson, talks about Black culture, the Black perspective, as well as current news and events. Some of the episodes that aired in February included Killing the Stigma of HIV in the Black Community and To Be Young, Gifted and Black. 

Other Spotify Greenroom mentions include Most Necessary Live, hosted by Brian “B.Dot” Miller, and Money Moves, hosted by Lauren Simmons. 

We hope you check out all of these incredible creators and shows, as well as explore more of Spotify’s other music, podcasts, and playlists dedicated to Black voices.