Some of the worlds most prominent musicians and record labels are ditching the music term ‘urban’. It comes after many years of anger from music fans to remove the title.

Google Dictionary describes ‘Urban’ as “denoting or relating to popular dance music associated with black performers”. The music industry is making a point that the term should no longer have any use in any capacity.

Furthermore, Republic Records who has a roster including ‘Drake’ and ‘Taylor Swift’ will be removing the term ‘Urban’ across all of its operations. Speaking about the move, Republic said “Effective immediately, Republic Records will remove ‘URBAN’ from our verbiage across departments, employee titles and music genres. We encourage the rest of the music industry to follow suit as it is essential to shape the future of what we want it to look like, and not adhere to the outdated structures of the past.”

Reaction

The reaction from fans has been very positive with many honouring the change. However, it is not just Republic who are taking a stance on this topic. Some of the other most significant names in the industry are also taking the lead. As a result, Sony, Universal and many more have published a letter to business leaders call for change.

Moreover, in the letter, it states. “The music industry has long profited from the rich and varied culture of black people for many generations. But, overall, we feel it has failed to acknowledge the structural and systematic racism affecting the very same black community and so effectively, enjoying the rhythm and ignoring the blues.”

We all agree here that change needs to happen, and the removal of this term is a good thing. What are your thoughts on this topic? Let us know by letting us know on our social media accounts. We love to hear from you.

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George Millington

Journalist at Contact Me

George Millington is a music journalist and reviewer situated in central London. He does not write about a single genre but rather the commercial music industry as a whole. His first album was by The Beatles, which he purchased secondhand from a charity shop in his neighbourhood.

He discovered the gem when he was 12 years old and still has it now, claiming it to be why he fell in love with music. He likes to play disc golf when he's not writing about music. He is a one-of-a-kind individual who is always the first to bust out his air guitar on the dance-floor.

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