BlueEyed Soul — Another Way To Smudge US Out Of History…
K Michelle “Mindful” Video Here
K. Michelle has been very vocal lately about the racism she faces in the industry, particularly with radio. Artist like Jazmine Sullivan, Tyrese, Tank, Azealia Banks, and Monica have been open about their disdain for the industry’s lack of equality and fairness. A known fact in the music industry, especially amongst radio stations and DJ’s is that B.L.A.C.K artist will not be played on radio stations geared towards white audiences.
In 1959 Leonard Evans Jr founded the National Negro Network, which was black-oriented radio programming. The reason he created it was because Afrikan Americans were having an extremely difficult time, what with segregation, jim crow, and worst happening in the US, to get air-play if they were an artist. There were even some ‘Negro Stations’, as they called them, owned by white men who’d target Afrikan American music to Afrikan American audiences.
My point is, what K.Michelle and her peers are voicing is not new. For many years Afrikan Americans could not be played on popular radio stations, not because their music was bad, but because it was another way to oppress people of colour in a controlled society of white supremacist. There were many instances where a song would be popular on a “negro station” and re-recorded, and sung by a white artist and played on a popular white station and would become a hit! “Hound-Dog” anyone?
In 2016, fairness is still unequal and R&B and SOUL artist are sick of it. Since the 1960s this idea of “BlueEyed Soul” was marketed to listeners. B.E.S artist are white people who sing B.L.A.C.K music, and the way B.L.A.C.K artist, extending all the way back to the Jubilee singers, would sing it. Artist today like, Adele, Justin Timberlake, Joss Stone, Robin Thicke etc. have all been sited stating their expression is largely based on B.L.A.C.K artist who’ve inspired them. It’s ok to be inspired, it’s ok for white artist to sing like B.L.A.C.K artist, and even do B.L.A.C.K music (Country, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Rap, Neo-Soul, Funk, Gospel, House, Quiet Storm, & Trap), but it’s not ok for record executives, label owners, radio station owners, and tv station owners, to culturally smudge Afrikan Americans out of History to fit their agenda.
K Michelle speaks about a very small part of a huge problem in the US that centers around skin colour and race. She makes a very good point, “at this point it’s disrespectful..” and she is absolutely correct. They steal from us, and they act like we don’t exist…WATCH:
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