Observe Black History Month with The Current February 1, 2021 Black History Month on The Current. (MPR graphic) Each weekday in February, we're paying tribute to a different musical icon in honor of Black History Month. We'll feature tons of music, and we'll hear Musicheads Essentials features that explore the lives and careers of artists like James Brown, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Lizzo, as well as tracks from their catalogs. Schedule WEEK 1 Monday, February 1 - Marvin Gaye Tuesday, February 2 - Janelle Monáe Wednesday, February 3 - Public Enemy Thursday, February 4 - Janet Jackson Friday, February 5 - Sam Cooke WEEK 2 Monday, February 8 - Charley Pride Tuesday, February 9 - Lizzo Wednesday, February 10 - Prince Thursday, February 11 - James Brown Friday, February 12 - Brittany Howard WEEK 3 Monday, February 15 - Otis Redding Tuesday, February 16 - Sharon Jones Wednesday, February 17 - Kendrick Lamar Thursday, February 18 - The Time Friday, February 19 - Nina Simone WEEK 4 Monday, February 22 - Charles Bradley Tuesday, February 23 - Lauryn Hill Wednesday, February 24 - Childish Gambino Thursday, February 25 - Ma Rainey Friday, February 26 - Stevie Wonder Black History Month on The Current is sponsored by YWCA Minneapolis. 20 Photos Released April 2, 2019, the U.S. Postal Service honored Marvin Gaye, one of the most influential musicians of his generation, with a commemorative stamp featuring original art by Kadir Nelson. (U.S. Postal Service; artwork by Kadir Nelson) Janelle Monae speaking onstage during the 51st NAACP Image Awards, Presented by BET, at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 22, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images) Flavor Flav (L) and Chuck D pose in the portrait studio during AFI FEST 2007 at ArcLight Cinemas on November 7, 2007, in Hollywood, California. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images for AFI) Janet Jackson performing at the MTV VMAs in 2009. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images) Sam Cooke seated on a couch, 1960s. (Wally Seawell) Charley Pride is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. (courtesy the artist) Lizzo, portrait at The Current. (MPR Photo | Nate Ryan) Prince performing at halftime during Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears at Dolphins Stadium in Miami on February 4, 2007. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images) James Brown performing in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2005. (MJ Kim/Getty Images) Brittany Howard performing on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on CBS on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS) Soul legend Otis Redding. (Courtesy of the Estate of Otis Redding) Sharon Jones performing at Madison Square Garden in New York in February 2016. (Jacob Blickenstaff) Kendrick Lamar performing on 'Austin City Limits' on PBS in 2015. (courtesy KLRU-TV/Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton) Morris Day, Jerome Benton and Jellybean Johnson of The Time performing onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards' Salute To Prince on January 28, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and activist Nina Simone (1933 - 2003), photographed in the U.K., Sept. 14, 1979. (Mike Lawn/Getty Images) Singer Charles Bradley performing on the Sycamore stage during Arroyo Seco Weekend at the Brookside Golf Course at on June 24, 2017, in Pasadena, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for Arroyo Seco Weekend) Lauryn Hill performing onstage during day three of the Glastonbury Festival on June 28, 2019, in Glastonbury, England. (Ian Gavan/Getty Images) Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) performing in Las Vegas, 2018. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) Ma Rainey (third from right) with her band members, left to right: Ed Pollack, Albert Wynn, Thomas A. Dorsey, Dave Nelson and Gabriel Washington, in 1923. (Wikimedia Commons/public domain) Stevie Wonder performing at Target Center, Minneapolis, in 2015. (Nate Ryan/MPR) View 19 more photos Tweet