After the police killing of George Floyd, Morning Show host Jill Riley has been inviting community members onto her show in order to share their perspectives on the events that have since unfolded. On Wednesday morning she connected with Melvin Carter, the current mayor of St. Paul and also the first African American mayor of…

Temp check! For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, is there a song that represents the way you feel today?

If you have a music video you would like to be featured, send it my way at fridayfive [at] thecurrent.org! Lewiee Blaze – “Freedom Fighter” “Freedom Fighter” is rapper Lewiee Blaze’s ode to black activists, from protest footage from Minneapolis this past week to historical figures like Fred Hampton. The artist’s candid recording of events…

Yesterday, Morning Show host Jill Riley spoke with Tim Wilson, the owner and operator of Urban Lights, the only black-owned record store in the Twin Cities, which has been around for nearly three decades now. The two discussed the history of Urban Lights, the rebuilding of the Midway neighborhood following the events of the last…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what "witness" songs do you want to hear?

History is being made in Minnesota, across the country, and all of the world in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. What songs do you want to hear for today's 9:30 Coffee Break that pay tribute to history being made?

From Laurie Anderson to Frank Zappa, Robert Dimery writes about 50 challenging artists who've made singular music entirely on their own terms.

The Twin Cities community has been impacted deeply by the killing of George Floyd. In the wake of tragedy, many forms of neighborly support have surfaced. We’ve compiled a list of ongoing efforts that are seeking and offering aid locally. Donation and Distribution Sites Interactive map of sites in the Twin Cities taking donations and…

Jeffrey Bissoy is a former MPR News producer, a contributor at The Current, freelance reporter at the Sahan Journal, and founder of an app called Plugged. Bissoy spoke to Jill Riley about his experiences growing up as a black man in the Twin Cities, as well as the impact his app, Plugged, could potentially have on black communities nationwide.

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs about "growth" do you want to hear? Ranging from backyard gardens to personal growth to systemic change, let's put together a set of music this morning for all of the growth happening (or that needs to happen) around us.