From hip-hop and funk to jazz and Americana, these African American musicians from North Carolina created some of the most celebrated music in history.  

It’s common knowledge that June marks the start of summer, festival season, Pride, and Juneteenth. However, June is also African American Music Appreciation Month. To honor the occasion, we curated a roundup of 13 incredibly talented African American musicians from North Carolina, along with some suggested songs to keep the good times rolling. 

1. John Coltrane, Hamlet 

Widely considered the world’s greatest jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane was born in Hamlet in 1926 and grew up in High Point, where he began playing saxophone in high school. In 1943, he moved to Philadelphia, where he launched his music career after serving in the Navy. There, he went on to perform with other jazz titans like Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.

While he enjoyed success in life, Coltrane has been awarded multiple posthumous awards of prestige, including a Pulitzer Prize and several Grammy Awards. An eight-foot bronze statue of Coltrane was unveiled in downtown High Point in 2006. In honor of the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth, in September 2026, his estate will launch Coltrane 100, a year-long celebration of his influence, which includes never-before-released tapes and more. 

Suggested listening: Coltrane’s cover of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” is the song that made me a Coltrane fan. For his original compositions, check out “Mr. P.C.” 

2. Thelonious Monk, Rocky Mount 

Known for his unique, improvisational style, North Carolina native Thelonious Monk is widely considered one of jazz’s most important composers. Born in 1917 in Rocky Mount (about 60 miles away from Raleigh), Monk’s family moved to New York City in 1922, where he taught himself to play piano. His use of dissonant harmonies catapulted him to fame, earning him the distinction as one of the founders of bebop. 

Monk is one of jazz’s most covered composers in history.

Suggested listening: One of Monk’s most beloved standards, the 1944 song “Well, You Needn’t,” was also covered in 1967 by fellow jazz powerhouse Miles Davis. 

3. K-Ci and JoJo, Monroe 

Born Cedric “K-Ci” Hailey and Joel “JoJo” Hailey, these brothers became known as half of the iconic R&B group Jodeci that dominated the early 90s with five number-one hits on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After the group disbanded in 1996, the North Carolina natives began performing as K-Ci and JoJo. As a duo, they famously appeared on Tupac Shakur’s final single, “How Do U Want It,” which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. 

Suggested listening: Arguably the brothers’ biggest success, the 1998 song “All My Life” is a globally beloved classic. As for Jodeci the quartet, don’t miss their truly masterful cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Lately.” 

4. Nina Simone, Tryon 

Born in Tryon in 1933, Eunice Kathleen Waymon was a musical prodigy who came to be known by her stage name, Nina Simone. Known as the “High Priestess of Soul,” the singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist created 40+ original albums whose music has been called “the Black Lives Matter message of the ‘60s.”

Her childhood home in Tryon has been designated a National Treasure, and in 2010, a bronze statue of Simone was dedicated in downtown Tryon to honor her legacy.

Suggested listening: Simone’s hypnotic 1964 cover of the song “See-Line Woman” was recorded as the B-side of her fiery protest song, “Mississippi Goddam.”

5. Roberta Flack, Black Mountain

Legendary vocalist, classically trained pianist, and multi-Grammy award winner Roberta Flack was born in the charming mountain town of Black Mountain in 1937. She lived there until age nine, when her parents moved to the Washington, DC, area.

Upon graduating from Howard University, Flack taught and also played piano in nightclubs. In 1968, she signed with Atlantic Records, where she recorded some of soul’s most beloved ballads, including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” With singles from those two albums, she became—and remains—the only solo artist to win the Grammy for Record of the Year two consecutive years.

Suggested listening: Flack frequently partnered with fellow singer Donny Hathaway, and their Grammy-nominated ballad, “The Closer I Get to You,” helped define an era.

6. J. Cole, Fayetteville

Though technically born in Germany, rapper J. Cole was raised in Fayetteville, where he began rapping as a tween and later began making music with local hip hop duo Bomm Sheltuh. He moved to New York City in the hopes of getting a record deal, which he snagged with his mixtape in 2009 after graduating magna cum laude from St. John’s University in 2007. He’s since founded the popular annual two-day hip hop event, Dreamville Festival, released seven albums, and won two Grammy Awards.

Suggested listening: Not only is “Wet Dreamz” a great song, it has the best music video of all time. 

7. Maceo Parker, Kinston

Master saxophonist Maceo Parker was born to a family of musicians in Kinston in 1943. He left in 1964 for a spot in James Brown’s band alongside his brother, becoming a prominent soloist on some of The Godfather of Soul’s biggest hits, including “I Feel Good” and “Cold Sweat.” During the 70s, he joined Parliament-Funkadelic and Prince in early aughts, lending his horns to help establish iconic sounds of legendary artists. 

Suggested listening:  “Make it Funky” is somehow made even funkier with Brown yelling out to Parker. 

8. Jermaine Dupri, Asheville

Jermaine Dupri’s name is synonymous with Atlanta, which makes the fact that the Grammy Award-winning music producer, rapper, and songwriter was born in Asheville a delightful surprise. The mogul has worked with countless artists, including Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Usher, and Janet Jackson, and signed artists including Jagged Edge, Xscape, and fellow Tar Heel Anthony Hamilton to So So Def, the record label he founded in 1993. 

Suggested listening: Dupri’s song “Welcome to Atlanta” is widely—and rightfully—considered one of history’s best regional hip-hop anthems.

9. Anthony Hamilton, Charlotte 

Before moving to New York City and securing a record deal in 1992, R&B singer Anthony Hamilton was born and raised in the Queen City, where, as a teen, he began writing his own songs and sang in South Mecklenburg High School’s award-winning choir.

Although his debut album was ultimately shelved, Hamilton earned mainstream recognition with his guest vocals on Nappy Roots‘ 2002 single “Po’ Folks.” Since then, he’s released 10 studio albums and won a Grammy Award. 

Suggested listening: The autobiographical title track to his sophomore album, “Coming From Where I’m From,” perfectly showcases Hamilton’s rugged vocals, which one fan aptly described as a “gloriously weathered chain gang voice.”

10. Rhiannon Giddens, Greensboro 

Born and raised in and around Greensboro, Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy Award-winning folk musician. She rose to fame as a founding member of the African American old time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she sang and played banjo and fiddle.

In addition to her work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, she’s also released five solo albums and been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Music for her debut opera, “Omar,” and a MacArthur “Genius Grant” for her work exploring the largely uncredited influence of African Americans on folk and Americana music.  

Suggested listening: Giddens’ powerful “At the Purchaser’s Option” was inspired by a 1830s newspaper ad for an enslaved woman. 

11. George Clinton, Kannapolis

One of the foremost pioneers of funk, George Clinton was born July 22, 1941, in a Kannapolis outhouse. He grew up in New Jersey, where he discovered and pursued his love of music. While he began his career as a songwriter for Motown, he went on to front two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic, before becoming a solo artist. In 2025, a mural of the “Prime Minister of Funk” was unveiled in downtown Kannapolis.

Fun fact? He is one of the most heavily sampled artists in music history. 

Suggested listening: The impossibly catchy “Flash Light” was the first No. 1 R&B hit on the US Billboard chart by any of the P-Funk groups. 

12. Fantasia, High Point

Fantasia Barrino became a household name upon winning season three of American Idol in 2004 at age 19. Since then, she’s released seven albums, a New York Times best-selling memoir, and broken into acting with television, film, and theater productions—most notably for the Broadway and film adaptations of Alice Walker’s novel, “The Color Purple.”

Fun fact? Barrino is a cousin of R&B singers K-Ci and JoJo. 

Suggested listening: In addition to being a blast to belt out, “When I See You” hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 2007, and spent a whopping 58 months on the chart. 

13. 9th Wonder, Winston-Salem 

Patrick Denard Douthit, aka 9th Wonder, is a Grammy-winning music producer who’s worked with hip hop and R&B greats including Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. He began his career producing for Durham rap trio Little Brother and has since gone on to teach classes at institutions including Harvard, Duke, and North Carolina Central University. In addition to his production work, 9th Wonder has also released several solo albums and collaborative projects.

In 2023, a mural of him was unveiled in downtown Winston-Salem. His impact on hip hop is still going strong today. 

Suggested listening: “The Get Up,” from Little Brother’s 2003 debut album, made me a believer from the second I heard it.