Republic Records Will No Longer Use "Urban" to Describe Artists
The label will also donate $25 million USD to anti-racism efforts.
Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group, has announced that it will cease to use the term “urban” to describe its artists, musical genres, departments and employee titles. A memo issued by the record label, as reported by Variety, explains the decision:
“By way of background, ‘urban’ is rooted in the historical evolution of terms that sought to define Black music. As with a lot of our history, the original connotation of the term urban was not deemed negative…However, 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.”
Home to acts including Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd and Drake, Republic Records is also working with Universal Music Group to donate $25 million USD to organizations fighting systemic racism including Black Lives Matter, Color Of Change and The Bail Project.
Head to Republic Records’ Instagram to check out their statement on the term “urban.”
