Pop music does not have a solid definition. It is more so the music that is the most mainstream, has a wide appeal and is most accessible. It is made up of elements from different genres like rock, country and rap. For a long time now, the pop genre has been dominated by artists such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber. In the meantime, Black artists have often been mislabeled and left out of the conversation of being pop artists.
There are exceptions to this, with artists such as Beyoncé and Rihanna, seeing that they are some of the biggest and most influential pop artists. If a Black artist makes pop music, sometimes they are labeled “too white” by Black audiences, but in other cases, labels will force artists to make hip hop or R&B music. While white musicians such as Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake are able to toe the line of R&B and pop, non-white musicians are forced into one category.
Music labels often find that pop music made by a non-white person is not marketable. “Because of industry and audience racism, black music has been relegated to a separate and unequal marketing structure.” Radio stations often prioritize white artists compared to people of color, for example, country stations refusing to play Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.”
When a Black person does turn to make pop music, they are often seen to be “selling out” rather than exploring genres. Streaming services do not make it easier by also categorizing Black artists as R&B or hip hop, when arguably their music can be classified as pop music. Giving those artists those labels limits them in their ability to cross genres.
In place of deeming music by Black people pop, they were historically labeled as “urban contemporary.” This term was created in 1974 and was meant to define a mix of different genres. It has since been rebranded into multiple different categories after pushback from fans. Republic labels cited the reason for the change being “over time, the meaning and connotations of 'urban' have shifted and developed into a generalization of Black people.”
Being Black and a musician means being labeled as an R&B or hip hop artist, even if the genre may not represent the artist’s actual sound. SZA herself said, “The only reason I’m defined as an R&B artist is because I’m Black. It’s almost a little reductive because it doesn’t allow space to be anything else or try anything else.”
Some of the most famous and original pop artists are Black, such as Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. Some of the main pop musicians today are Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, while Tyla is often left out of the conversation. The music industry needs to evolve to allow artists to explore genres without the restriction of labels. Black artists are not automatically R&B or hip-hop artists and should also be considered pop artists. Some of my favorite Black pop artists are Rachel Chinouriri, Cat Burns and Leonie Biney.
Cassie is a junior studying communications at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassie? Email her at cb086021@ohio.edu.
