American singer Lizzo (Melissa Viviane Jefferson) recently shed the light on the ‘inherent racist trait’ of the pop music genre.
Lizzo discussed the historical difference between ‘pop music’ and ‘race music’
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the Emmy-winning artist spoke about how there was an intentional difference between ‘pop music’ and ‘race music’ with the sole objective of segregating Black artists. The 34-year-old singer believes this was done as many didn’t want their kids listening to music created by Black and Brown people. This prejudiced mind-set considers music created by Black and Brown people as ‘demonic’.
Pop Music’s ‘Racist Origin’ Ought To Be Acknowledged
She advised audiences to research about ‘pop music’ and ‘race music’ and notice the inherent racism embedded into music genres. Lizzo further added that as a consequence of this demarcation between genres, Black artists rarely became mainstream. The Hollywood Reporter reported Lizzo stating that “pop is a well-oiled machine and that it’s important to know it has a racist origin.”
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The Racist Coding of Music
It is almost poetic that the singer of ‘Truth Hurts’ decided to speak up about the blunt racist truth embedded into the roots of the music industry which many may not want to acknowledge. Lizzo believes that music genres are used as code words. “I think when you think about pop, you think about MTV in the ’80s talking about ‘We can’t play rap music,’ or ‘We can’t put this person on our platform because we’re thinking about what people in the middle of America think’ and we all know what that’s code for,” the singer added.
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Lizzo Recalls Backlash For Her Music Not Being ‘Black Enough’
Lizzo revealed that she has received backlash for her music not being ‘Black enough’. She thinks this is because “anything that’s new, people are going to criticize and feel like it’s not for them.” The singer believes that if these people give the chance to her type of music and “get used to it,” they may realise the music may be for them. She stated, “So for people who don’t like pop music or don’t like Black artists that make pop music, they may eventually like me. You just gotta get used to me because I’m making good sh*t. You’re missing out.”
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Not One Afraid To Speak Out
Lizzo has never shyed away from speaking her mind. In August, Lizzo tearfully spoke about how hurtful daily racist and fat-phobic comments can be. She later told Vanity Fair, “I went to the bathroom to cry about it, then I went online…I know I’m not the only person who experiences extreme negativity thrown at them from the internet – there are people in high school right now who have a whole high school talking about them, and they don’t know how they’re going to get through it. So if they can see me get through it on the level and the scale I’m experiencing it, maybe they’ll think they can get through it too.” Lizzo begged the question if someone’s weight and music ought to be intrinsically connected? The plus-size model powerfully re-iterated her “I don’t care” attitude to such comments. She gained support from fellow artists such as Cardi B.
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