From Coretta Scott King Honor artist and illustrator of Questlove’s The Idea in You, Sean Qualls, comes a captivating introduction on how Black people have influenced music throughout history and what music means to Black culture.

The people sing; the people dance. The people have the music, and the music is the people.

Music has been embedded into the fabric of Black life since the first notes rang out. From the melancholic blues to upbeat disco, from earth-shattering rock ’n’ roll to groundbreaking jazz and hip-hop, music has been the bedrock of Black hope and culture. From its earliest arrival in the Americas, Black music has shaped American music and the world has never been the same because of it.

Coretta Scott King Honor illustrator Sean Qualls brings us the electrifying history of Black music and moves from one ground-breaking era to another, giving his own vibrant and hip spin on the rhythm and blues that will always have the power to comfort, guide, and inspire us all.

1. Makes History Fun: The fun, funky, and lively voice present in The Music Is the People is unlike any other and delivers the history of music genres created, influenced, and loved by Black individuals in a way that is sure to readily engage and enlighten readers as they move through music history.
2. Filled with Important Messages About Music: The Music Is the People infuses its pages with important messages regarding music’s ability to uplift, transcend, break barriers, and lead revolutions. Music feeds the soul, and Qualls gratifyingly depicts that.
3. Features Art Like No Other: Each page of features Qualls’ signature breathtaking art as he moves through each musical era, making for a reading experience that’s as gratifying as it is captivating.

Sean Qualls is a Brooklyn-based artist, illustrator, and author. His work is a mixed-media combination of painting, drawing, and collage. He is the author and illustrator of Fros, Fades, and Braids but has illustrated many picture books, including The Idea in You by Questlove; Before John Was a Jazz Giant, which received a Coretta Scott King Honor; The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon book; Dizzy, an ALA Booklist Notable Book and a Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Child magazine best book as well as a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon book and an ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice; and Emmanuel’s Dream, which was a Schneider Award winner and an Amazon Best Book of the Month. You can find him occasionally DJing in and around New York City. Visit him at seanqualls.com.