― klwfood, Tuesday, 9 September 2003 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)
"urban" is a euphemism for black in other contexts too, which also doesn't answer the question. there is "urban" hair product and "urban" fashion. but again i get the feeling that black marketers and businessmen were behind the shift.
why did this term start to gain popularity in this (musical) context? what was wrong with "r&b"...was it the emergence of hip-hop, and the resulting need for a more pluralistic/encompassing term? or did "r&b" seem to hark back to another era thus a source of embarrassment?
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)
no, i don't think it's racist, but its strangeness (urban = black WTF) has always seemed evident to me. i remember asking about this back in grammar school.
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)
― Orange, Tuesday, 9 September 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)
― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious has been denied (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)
*It's the blantant usage of the racial other for marketing purposes that I can't get used to; oiled-up beautiful people of all races are always welcome in my cd rack.
― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)
― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:11 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)
um...
― gabbo giftington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:14 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)
wait wait are there really people who identify the type of music they listen to as "urban"?
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)
WELCOME TO AMERICA.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)
I personally would now be compelled to answer the question "What does the stomach do?" thus: "It gets bigger, even if you subject yourself to insanely restrictive diets in a vain effort to defy time & regain your once-proud young-Peter-Murphy figure," but that's neither here nor there, I guess
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:25 (twenty-two years ago)
― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)
MY ENTIRE LIFE TO THREAD ARGH
I like the idea of R&B hair products.
"Just let your sooooooooul glow!"
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)
*if "racist" is misspelled, double projected-post count
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)
my experience of this term is tied to growing up in chicago. seeing as chicago is the 2nd-largest black city in america, i think it's probably a decent background for understanding, although as jess suggested i am indeed lily-white.
dan OTM. the whole "soul glow" riff in that eddie murphy film is kind of burlesque on the commercial mindset hinted at in my first paragraph.
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)
"black music" is a term that's never had much currency in america, while a great blues magazine had that name in the UK and in general it is acceptable t/o europe. why?
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)
Directing product specifically at a black, or indeed white, audience IS a form of cultural separatism/segregation.
― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)
it's like "states' rights" albeit 1,000x less pernicious.
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)
p.s. 75% of america lives in cities/suburbs so what music is *not* urban these days?!
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)
― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)
― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 9 September 2003 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)
― carmen, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 12:35 (twenty-two years ago)
????
There's 94.5 (which is top-40 chart-oriented) and 97.7 (which I'm guessing is the station you were talking about).
The college station is WERS, right? I love that station.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)
― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)
― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)
Just the other day I was talking to an 18-year old girl, she is African-American, & she described her personal style to me as "Urban" and didn't feel the need to explain further. Kids growing up with these words just internalize them, there is no confusion.
― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)
― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)
We have one and a half decent campus stations (Emerson and Boston College half of the time; DO NOT GET ME STARTED on the wrong-thinking mess that is WHRB).
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)
UK Garage is now #80power metal is #110retro surf-rock is #240rap is #60
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)
― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)
― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)
sadly.
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)
― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)
Robyn Hitchcock andXTC's entire oeuvre!that's how I survived
― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)
― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)
Almost all popular music of the past 50 years (possibly even more) has been at least partly based on black culture.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 21:50 (twenty-two years ago)
― youn, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 22:32 (twenty-two years ago)
― youn, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)
― youn, Wednesday, 10 September 2003 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 23:07 (twenty-two years ago)
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 23:08 (twenty-two years ago)
(I realized that about Dylan just after hitting "submit." whoops, and thanks for the correction.)
― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 11 September 2003 01:06 (twenty-two years ago)
(i programmed my car radio in a fit when i first moved and thats been it.)
― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 11 September 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)
― michael l lingefelt, Tuesday, 27 January 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)
― Huck Everlasting (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)
― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 27 January 2004 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)
― Huck Everlasting (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)
― g--ff (gcannon), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 22:23 (twenty-two years ago)
― Huck Everlasting (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 28 January 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)
― Will not provide, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)
Republic Records removing the term "Urban" across all contexts: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBD5HfyFnD0/
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Friday, 5 June 2020 21:58 (six years ago)
interesting decision but they're still going to be promoting records to a broadcast media landscape that is about as structured around race as it has ever been
― dyl, Saturday, 6 June 2020 02:54 (six years ago)
Grammys too, now: https://variety.com/2020/music/news/grammy-awards-drop-urban-recording-academy-1234629747/
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Wednesday, 10 June 2020 16:26 (five years ago)
meanwhile three-chord, truth-based Country Music™ remains the exclusive domain of land-owning, denim-wearing Country People™
― the burrito that defined a generation, Wednesday, 10 June 2020 16:54 (five years ago)
Keith Progressive R&B (sorry)
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Wednesday, 10 June 2020 17:04 (five years ago)
excellent article from elias leight on republic's supposed rejection of 'urban'
― dyl, Thursday, 18 June 2020 04:14 (five years ago)
This may be a good place to track any efforts that labels do make in the near future to actually change business practices, organizational structure, etc. -- like this one: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/12/bmg-to-review-historic-record-contracts-due-to-shameful-treatment-of-black-artists
― Charging for Brewskis™ (morrisp), Thursday, 18 June 2020 04:46 (five years ago)
sorry to stan elias leight so much but an addendum to the article posted above is just as essential
― dyl, Saturday, 20 June 2020 07:15 (five years ago)
I believe his name is just Elias Leight.
― peace, man, Saturday, 20 June 2020 09:38 (five years ago)
Melanie Parrish: "Is Jon aware that this is an 11.30 show and he just told us that he booked the Wu-Tang Clan?"
Artie: "Yes! Staten Island's streetwise troubadours . . . okay, hit it! What about 'em?"
Kenny Mitchell: "Well, we think they might be a little too . . . urban."
Artie: "Urban? Well, I can call my good friend, Lenny Kravitz. He's only half-urban!"
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Saturday, 20 June 2020 12:44 (five years ago)