“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.”-Nina Simone Nina Simone is truth. Her music, her activism, her words, her blackness. These integral aspects of her identity all reveal a truth that America hid for far too long. I hope that this blog allows you to understand what that truth is and what…

Over fifty years following Simone’s peak career success, her legacy is more prominent than ever. Though the cause isn’t entirely clear, the world’s new found appreciation for her alludes to the fact that society is now ready to accept the harrowing truth Simone’s music revealed about America’s roots in racism, sexism, and hatred. You’ve probably…

The power of “Mississippi Goddam” is that it’s message can be internalized without any knowledge of it’s political implications. There are no references to the exact events that led to the song. However once the proverbial seal is broken, there is endless mourning and truth behind its message. Raw, angry, helpless truth. “Mississippi, Goddamn” is…

The commemoration of blackness, of both surviving brutality and transcending it. By writing this song, Simone stops becoming a victim, and starts becoming a victor. One whose agony and triumph still prevail today. “When you’re young, gifted and black, your soul’s intact!” We all know Nina Simone as the world famous singer/songwriter and classically trained…

Is Nina Simone’s voice “good”? Not really. Does it matter? Absolutely not. It’s the truth woven into her songs that captivate the world. The anger, disturbance, and injustice experienced by a wide nosed, dark skinned, nappy haired black woman living in America. The very first time I heard Nina Simone’s voice I…was not a fan….

If I haven’t made it clear enough thus far, the High Priestess of Soul’s music is legendary because of it’s dynamic, sultry, and unapologetically honest tone. However, her life experiences reveal a wisdom that transcended even her music. So here are 10 of the wisest, most badass Nina Simone quotes I could find to empower…

A problematic/genius icon whose defiance and distinctive voice has impacted generations, there has never been another Nina Simone. Her music revealed a message about the black female experience–a message of triumph and overwhelming grief. While questing to learn every aspect about every aspect of Nina Simone’s life in preparation for this project, I found that…

Maybe even more than being known for her music, Simone was renowned as being inherently offensive. She was loud, mean, unstable, and impulsive. But if rudeness is a personification of musicians genius, then Nina Simone was the brightest of them all. I remember watching ‘Amadeus’ as a kid and telling my mom how annoying I…

“Nina reveals Ms. Saldana as Nina brandishing a gun, being strapped down in a hospital and throwing champagne bottles. Where there wasn’t truth, they invented it–dark-skinned people are still passed over, even for the role of a woman whose story is defined by her proud blackness. A young Nina Simone would have a hard time being cast…