This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Order a copy of the magazine here.

In 2026, documentation is more valuable than ever. Contemporary culture is awash with misinformation, AI-generated responses and distorted versions of historical events. When done well, the act of archiving protects culture and preserves people, places and spaces with care and consideration. In a recent interview, Terri Lee Freeman, president of the Reginald F Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, advocated for cultural preservation. “If you don’t have archives, if you don’t have collections, if you don’t have the griots and the storytellers, who is going to tell the truth?” she asked.

The new V&A East in Stratford, London is rising to the occasion, opening its doors this April with The Music Is Black: A British Story, an exhibition helmed by music and culture lecturer, journalist and writer Jacqueline Springer. “Look at what history has done to the African diaspora,” she says. “And how this beautiful array of music exists.” 

Spanning 125 years, the exhibition traces the lineage of Black British music and marks the importance of the wider Black diaspora in its evolution over time. The exhibition begins in 1900 with academic and activist WEB Du Bois’ appearance at the Paris Exposition, where he co-presented his gold-winning exhibit of African American culture. This was followed by a trip to London that year for the inaugural Pan-African Conference, for which British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was commissioned to create music. “We’ve got classical music,” Springer says of the event. “We’ve got the son of a Sierra Leonean father and an English mother. We’ve got Pan-Africanism, the desire to explore global unity and to wrestle national autonomy from colonial powers.” 

With archiving and cultural preservation comes the act of demystifying “truths” and correcting historical inaccuracies. In the exhibit’s second act, “Great” Britain (1900–1969), Springer counters the widespread misconception that youth culture emerged after the second world war. In fact, the youth culture of the mid-20th century has its roots in the pre-war era. “It started with jazz,” Springer asserts. The likes of Duke Ellington’s visits to the UK in the 1930s helped to immerse the country in the genre, catalysing the rise of dedicated jazz clubs and events. In the postwar period, enclaves of Black artists not only earned individual recognition, but also helped bolster the reputation of Black British artistry.

The impact of West Indian migration to the country in the 40s and 50s paved the way for figures like the Trinbagonian ragtime star Winifred Atwell, who became the first Black artist to score a British number one with her 1954 single “Let’s Have Another Party”. “Winifred was classically trained, but performs ragtime music too,” Springer says. “She was inadvertently tackling class, because [people] associated ragtime or jazz with the lower classes, and classical with higher.” Springer looks to celebrate women like Winifred Atwell across the exhibition, correcting their frequent erasure from history. “Winifred is the benchmark, and everybody should know about her and what she achieved.”

Youth culture continued to boom in the postwar years, culminating in the growth of rock’n’roll, with musical pioneers like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard helping to shape the genre in the US. Across the Atlantic, in the years following Atwell’s landmark number one, another ragtime hit arrived with “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles” by Emile Ford and the Checkmates. Reaching the top of the UK singles charts at the end of 1959, the song held its position for over a month. “The band’s name–referring to chess and its black and white pieces–might seem inelegant from today’s per- spective,” Springer acknowledges. “But for the time, calling themselves ‘the checkmates’ was a really rebellious way of making the point that they were a multiracial band.” 

Successive decades would continue to shape and evolve Black British culture. But alongside migration came racial tension, which reached a flashpoint in 1976 when rock guitarist Eric Clapton advocated onstage for a white Britain and endorsed the notoriously racist MP Enoch Powell. Rock Against Racism – a campaign founded partly in opposition to Clapton’s comments - was launched soon after and ran until 1981. “You’ve got Poly Styrene, you’ve got the Clash, Misty in Roots, Steel Pulse, the Specials, the Body Snatchers and bands like the Selecter,” Springer says. “[These groups were] inspired by different musical forms, from ska to rocksteady, reggae, soul and rock. But there’s a political agenda that’s being addressed: anti-racism.” The exhibition situates music within its wider social and political context, illuminating the lived realities surrounding its creation and offering attendees a more nuanced understanding of the conditions that shaped these sounds.

Across the last 25 years, we’ve witnessed the ascension of countless Black British musicians and artists, from Raye to Shirley J Thompson, Stormzy and Little Simz. Genres like garage, grime and UK drill pushed pop culture forward. And, at the time of writing, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving has just spent a fifth week at number one on the UK album charts, while sitting in the top five of US Billboard Top 200. 

The growth of Black British genres across the 2000s and 2010s drew interest from international stars like Drake and Kanye West, with West performing his song “All Day” at the 2015 Brit Awards alongside grime luminaries like Skepta, Stormzy, Novelist and Jammer. Drake’s ongoing fascination with UK rap, R&B and drill has led to collaborations with Headie One, Central Cee, Jorja Smith and Giggs, among others. Today, a new generation – including Ceebo, Jim Legxacy and Natanya – has won fans in SZA and Tyler, the Creator, showing that the global influence of Black British artists is as strong as ever.

The Music Is Black: A British Story illuminates what mainstream visibility means for contemporary Black British talent, using photography, costumes and instruments that highlight their breakthroughs. Sometimes, though, success can come at a cost. “There’s something that happens when [Black] artists become commercially successful,” says Springer. “They’re less ‘one of us’ because they’re perceived to have sold out.” Spotlighting the work of artists who have enjoyed huge cross-over success – Stormzy, Little Simz, Seal – Springer invites us to consider the creative decisions they would have had to grapple with as they hit the big time.

The 2020s so far have provided a wealth of books, documentaries and exhibitions seeking to define and showcase Black British history. For Springer, two aims mattered most: to display the privilege of being able to create music at a professional level, and to celebrate the joy in artistic contributions from Black British creators. “I would like there to be a real sense of humility as to the fact that people have this craft held within them,” she says. “I just think that’s incredible. That’s what art does. It’s these confetti drops of beauty which last forever.”

Below, we chronicle some landmark moments in the history of Black British music. 

1900

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is commissioned to provide music for the first Pan-African Conference. His classical music goes on to achieve commercial success in the US and Europe.

1914

Ragtime and blues accelerate, and jazz begins to enter the public consciousness, with composers like James Reese Europe introducing the genre to the military during WW1.

INTERWAR YEARS (1918-1939)

The popularity of jazz catalyses the first modern youth movement, with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington visiting London.

1950s

Rock’n’roll emerges in the US, led by architects of the sound like Little Richard, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner and Chuck Berry.

1954

Winifred Atwell becomes the first Black artist to score a British number one with “Let’s Have Another Party”.

1957

Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel’s daughter, composes Ceremonial March to celebrate Ghana’s independence from British rule.

1959

Emile Ford and the Checkmates’ “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles” lands at number one in the UK charts.

1960s–70s

Having achieved mainstream success in the late 1950s, Shirley Bassey becomes a national icon by affiliating herself with the James Bond franchise, recording her first theme song, “Goldfinger”, in 1964.

1976

Eric Clapton’s racist comments at a gig in Birmingham lead to the launch of Rock Against Racism, a coalition of musicians across genres like punk, ska and rocksteady.

1979

Janet Kay’s lovers rock anthem “Silly Games” becomes the first single by a Black British artist to hit number two on the singles chart.

1980s

The decade sees the emergence of British-crafted offshoots including Brit-funk, two-tone and acid jazz. Sade becomes the first Black British winner of a best album award at the Brits, for her band’s multi-million seller Diamond Life.

EARLY 1990s

UK hip hop rapidly evolves with London Posse, Cookie Crew, Roots Manuva and other MCs expanding the genre and sound.

1994

DJ EZ lays the groundwork for UK garage (UKG) through his high-BPM remix of Todd Edwards’ house track “The Praise (God in His Hand)”. Shy FX and UK Apache’s UK top 40 hit “Original Nuttah” helps popularise jungle, the forerunner to drum & bass.

2000s

Artists begin to experiment with UKG, fusing it with grime, rap, house, pop and R&B. Craig David, Mis-Teeq and So Solid Crew play a crucial role in widening the genre’s appeal. UK funky also emerges, led by artists like Funky Dee, Donae’o and KIG.

2000–2002

The creation of grime, an evolution of UKG fusing elements from dancehall, garage and rap, with Dizzee Rascal, Skepta and the BBK collective leading the scene.

2011

London DJ Abrantee coins the term “Afrobeats” and launches a dedicated show to the genre on Choice FM. Sneakbo releases “Touch ah Button”, paving the way for the creation of Afroswing, a hybrid genre blending Afrobeats, UK rap and dancehall.

2012–2017

A wave of acts, including 67, 150 and Headie One, popularise UK drill and articulate its sound.

LATE 2010s–PRESENT

Artists like Ezra Collective, cktrl, Venna and Raye spearhead a jazz revival, helping to popularise the sound for contemporary listeners.

2017–PRESENT

UK R&B experiences a revival through the likes of Tiana Major9, Shae Universe, Bellah, Jvck James, FLO and more.

The Music Is Black: A British Story is at the V&A East in London from April 18

This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Order a copy of the magazine here.