This year, in honor of Black Music Month, we’re exploring the undeniable impact of Black music and musicians around the world. Cantopop, an umbrella term that refers to contemporary music sung in Cantonese, has been influenced by Western popular genres since the late ’70s and early ’80s, incorporating a diverse range of genres like hip-hop, R&B, jazz, disco, and reggae. Notable artist Sandy Lam as well as the early music of Faye Wong bear strong hip-hop and R&B influences, and recently, upcoming hip-hop artists like Young Hysan and Heyo have joined established and iconic Hong Kong rappers like Dough-Boy, MastaMic, Fama, and the legendary LMF to develop a growing hip-hop scene. Other Cantopop veteran artists like Jacky Cheung and Karen Mok have recorded jazz-influenced albums, dubbed Canto-jazz. This collection includes Cantopop (and a few Mandopop songs by Hong Kong-based artists) from the past 12 years and attempts to pay tribute to the influence of Black music on contemporary Hong Kong music. Dive into our Black Music Month playlist, and if you hear something you like, save it to your library.