At only 26 years old, Shreveport, Louisiana-hailing singer-songwriter Willie Jones is already a pioneer. The video clip for Jones’ “American Dream”, a song about reconciling his love for the United States with the country’s storied history of racism, became the first to premiere jointly on both the CMT and BET networks. “American Dream”, which appears on Jones’ debut album Right Now, is exemplary of the space Jones occupies as a young Black man just as enamoured with country music as he is with hip-hop. For his Black History Month playlist, Jones chose songs by artists like Tyler, The Creator, Beyoncé, Tracy Chapman, Luther Vandross and Al Green, all steeped in hope and exemplified by selections like The O’Jays “Family Reunion” and Kirk Franklin’s “Brighter Day”. “Family is the most important thing we’re blessed with,” Jones says. “Every time I link up with a big group of my family, I find myself humming ‘Family Reunion’ by The O’Jays at some point. I chose this one to remind people that family is everything. ‘Brighter Day’ is just one of those songs you can’t help but feel good when it comes on. When I was younger I remember jamming this one on the daily. I chose this one because of the music and the message.”