Some of these events have been results of the Black Lives Matter movement, meant to raise awareness of social injustices amongst African Americans. One positive of these events is some of the reform we are seeing across the board in America, even the music industry. Republic Records announced they will remove the term “Urban” from their vocabulary. According to an article by Variety, Republic had this to say:

“over time the meaning and connotations of “urban” have shifted and it developed into a generalization of Black people in many sectors of the music industry, including employees and music by Black artists. While this change will not and does not affect any of our staff structurally, it will remove the use of this antiquated term.”

This may seem like a little thing to most people, but the term has been used for years. The term is used as an umbrella to which African American works of many different types and origins are thrown under for no reason, other than having been created by a person of color. This decision comes after a powerful speech at the Grammy Awards by Tyler the Creator after winning Rap Album of The Year for his album, IGOR.

In Tyler’s speech, he notes that he doesn’t like that all creations by black people are listed as “rap” or “urban.” He goes on to say that he thinks these terms are a more discrete way for people to say the N word.

The point that Tyler is trying to make is definitely there to be made and he is a good example of it at work. As a person who has followed Tyler every step of his music career, I can tell you that IGOR was different from any album Tyler has ever made. Although Tyler has the ability to rap and does it on occasion, he is much bigger than that as an artist. He is a great producer and maker of music in general.

Odd Future’s sound always flirted with the “other” or alternative parts of music. Tyler especially was always tittering the line of a lot of different genres. This is to be expected of a group of African Americans who are influenced by their own culture and the cultures of Rock & Roll and skateboarding. Over time, Tyler has developed to his sound into almost involving no rap at all and that was on display this last album.

He took a lot of creative leaps in sound and production and went a route that many did not expect from him. In fact, one of the hit songs from the album, “Earthquake,” is a ballad. He showed his versatility from beginning to end on this album and was rewarded by being jammed into a category that he did not belong in. This was a crime against music because it didn’t acknowledge Tyler’s growth as an artist, and it also denied a person who belonged in that category their recognition.

This would be like giving Eminem a Grammy for Country album of the year for “The Slim Shady EP,” knowing full well it was a rap album and continuing to do so because most Country music artists are Caucasian. That is racially motivated behavior and I’m excited that Republic Records is taking steps to correct that.

The post Removing the Term ‘Urban’ appeared first on Red Roll.

Tankian’s Take

On Sunday, Tankian made a mocking post about Trump’s reaction to the protests in Washington, D.C. writing, “Run Donny run into your bunker. You may be the first US President to do so out of fear of your own citizens. A real leader would address the nation properly and a real man would go face the protesters on the streets in person.” Tankian then demanded that Trump resign from his position as president.

Dolmayan’s Take

Just two days later, Dolmayan began posting pro-Trump rhetoric, praising Trump for doing more for the black community since President Abraham Lincoln.

Dolmayan’s Video

Both posts caused an uproar for the fans which cause Dolmayan to come back and make a second post. Dolmayan stated that they are four individuals that cannot always be like-minded. He did assure fans that despite differing opinions, he and Tankian are civil and often learn from each other. He then further expanded on his views.

Dolmayan stated that he agrees with peaceful protesting as it is the American right, but that he does not agree with the generalizations being made about all cops. Almost, contradictory, he criticized Colin Kaepernick for peacefully kneeling during the anthem but, he admitted it’s his right to do so. He also stated that he does not agree with defunding the police, the looting, and stated he believes we no longer need affirmative action. Despite making very controversial statements, he said he has many civil conversations with fans with opposing political beliefs.

Tankian’s response to the opposing side

Tankian, on the other hand, was confused by some of the outrages he received from the fan base who did not align with his views and asked him “not to be political. ” On the Side Jams with Bryan Reesman podcast, Takian said, “But what I don’t understand, and a lot of people that follow the music say the same thing. They’re like, ‘Have you not listened to the fu*king words in 20 years? He’s been saying all this stuff through his music all this time. What are you, just dancing to it because it’s groovy? You’re not really getting the message.”

Many fans speculated that these differing opinions could be the reason for the lack of new albums, despite still touring together. Their last album, Hypnotize was released in 2005. We all would love another album and hope that one day it can come to be.

The post System Of A Down Divided Over Political Beliefs appeared first on Red Roll.

Through our dismantled society, the music industry has stepped up to show their support for the movement. Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two black women working in music marketing, originally proposed Tuesday as #TheShowMustBePaused a day of reflection for the music industry. Their efforts quickly spread to become #BlackOutTuesday. Musicians, creatives, and everyday humans posted a black box on Instagram and other social media platforms as a display of solidarity. Although the message became convoluted when the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag used under some of the posts muffled important information, the visual was jarring and the posts well-intentioned.

“Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people accountable. To that end, it is the obligation of these entities to protect and empower the Black communities that have made them disproportionately wealthy in ways that are measurable and transparent.” Thomas and Agyemang issued in their statement.

But the industry didn’t stop with a post. IGA, a group of record companies, has announced they will cancel all releases for the week to reflect and implement change. Apple music removed all of its online content. The Apollo Theater rescheduled its fundraiser, while Warner Music Group also used the day for reflection and donation. Spotify matched employee donations to social justice campaigns, and Universal Music Group created a task force to improve equality within the company.

While some labels are reflecting, others in the music industry are demanding action. Bandcamp vowed to donate its full cut of sales to the NAACP on every Juneteenth, an annual commemoration of the end of slavery. Jon Platt, CEO of Sony/ATV and the only black leader of a major global music company, wrote an op-ed pushing the industry to follow their promise with action.

“My dream is for our companies to be an orchestra of races, creeds and colors.” Platt wrote. So once you reflect, remember to turn the music back on and sing out against injustice.

The post The Music Industry: Vows, Pledges, Reflection, and Action appeared first on Red Roll.

For journalistic objectivity reasons, these are not suggestions.

Sign

Beyoncé posted a video explaining her outrage and urging followers to sign any of the petitions linked below. The petitions demand immediate prosecution of officers involved in the murder of George Floyd, more rigorous scrutiny of historically racist police departments, and sweeping police reform.

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/justiceforfloyd_george_floyd_minneapolis

https://www.wecantbreathenational.org/#1

(You can also sign by texting “FLOYD” to 55156, according to Beyoncé’s post).

Donate

Noname shared a thread of bail funds in cities across the country. These organizations raise money to bail out people arrested at protests.

Minnesota: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate (note: MFF has reported that they are overwhelmed with donations and encourage people to donate to George Floyd’s family and other Black/BIPOC led organizations that aim to lift up communities and end police brutality).

Chicago: https://chicagobond.org/donate/

Philly: https://www.phillybailout.com/

NYC: https://www.libertyfund.nyc/

Louisville: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/

Atlanta: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-justiceforgeorgefloyd-protesters-in-atlanta/

Link to complete list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1ZIvDZpHqvNZkf8dGFXVjfk-Wq0Y9FTG410NJbH_8K8M/htmlview

Magic City Hippies also chimed in with a link that will automatically divide your donation evenly among 37 bail funds nationwide.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bail_funds_george_floyd

Organize

Killer Mike gave a speech on CBS News encouraging people to “plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize,” and “beat up prosecutors you don’t like at the voting booths.”

Speak Up

Numerous celebrity musicians also joined protests across the country. J. Cole, Lil Yachty, Nick Cannon, Chika, and Shawn Mendez were all spotted participating in protests. Singer song-writer, Tinashe, shared photos of herself, encouraging fans to “Show Up.”

The post How Artists Are Helping appeared first on Red Roll.

This deluxe included an extra 14 songs to add to the original 14. The making of a deluxe album isn’t a new practice. In fact, it is an often used tool of the artist because it can help generate more streams or sell for the album. The thing that makes G Herbo’s deluxe stand out from the others is that the new songs actually lend to the overall message of the album.

G Herbo’s PTSD is an album that tells the unsavory, yet realistic, coming of age story of a Chicago kid. Being one of the city’s native sons seems to give all of G Herbo’s music a feeling of authenticity. He talks about getting into the troubles that come with gang life and other aspects of citywide corruption that ultimately hurt minorities in Chicago.

The original album carries with it a very regret-filled tone. The songs are mostly “lessons learned” and guides to a better life from a person that is clearly evolving. This was met with some backlash from his fans used to his more “trap” related songs. This is something that happens with a lot of artists, but I have always admired G Herbo for being able to tell both sides of a story.

The songs on the deluxe album seem to be of a completely different style and tone than the original album. The songs are much closer to the realm of “trap Music” and follow a much faster tempo. There are a lot of great songs on both versions of the album, but I truly feel that these two parts are working together as a whole. I think that both sides of this album provide an introspective look at the problems in Chicago. A great listen, especially given the circumstances we are currently facing country-wide following the murder of George Floyd.

The post PTSD in Chicago appeared first on Red Roll.