In 2013, the Grammys introduced a new award category called “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” That same year, albums by artists Frank Ocean, Chris Brown, and Miguel were nominated under the title. While the Grammys already has categories in Traditional R&B and R&B, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences defined this new award as “albums containing at least 51 percent playing time of newly recorded contemporary vocal tracks derivative of R&B” (June 2012). A few years later the category would face scrutiny for alleged erasure of black artists from more popular categories. On a similar note, the British Fashion Awards received backlash for awarding luxury fashion brand Fenty with the best “Urban Luxe” award, a title that leads many to wonder if labeling artistic expression as “urban” is due to their ties to the black community and, if so, why do these award shows feel that a separate category is necessary?
Concerns such as these can be seen in 2017 when the Grammys was accused of snubbing Beyoncé’s Lemonade. Although she received widespread recognition for her eclectic and groundbreaking visual album that seamlessly combined almost a dozen genres of music, Lemonade left the 2017 Grammys with the Best Urban Contemporary award. While Lemonade was also nominated for Album of the Year, she lost to Adele’s 25, another highly praised album but one that did not challenge Adele’s traditional sound like Beyoncé’s did. Backstage of the 2017 Grammys Adele herself was baffled by Beyoncee’s loss; she said, “My Album of the Year is Lemonade. So, a piece of me did die inside, as a Beyoncé stan—not going to lie. I was completely rooting for her, I voted for her. I felt like it was her time to win. What the fuck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?” While her nine nominations and three wins that year did translate into clear acknowledgement of Beyoncé’s musical achievements, the Album of the Year category is the magnum opus of the Grammys—the part of the night that everyone anticipates and talks about for years to come. For Lemonade to get the recognition that it truly deserved from the Grammys, it would have had to win a popular and well-known category instead of the Best Urban Contemporary album, one that most people don’t know exists. Her highly acclaimed album was reduced to a category that seems to not only label certain genres as being for exclusively for black people without explicitly stating so but also creating a separation between black genres and genres popular in white communities.
The label Urban Contemporary finds its roots in radio stations that catered to listeners in cities during the ‘80s and ‘90s. The term was first coined in the 1970s by Frankie Crocker, who is often credited for popularizing the Urban Contemporary format through WBLS-FM, which became one of the most listened to stations in New York City during that time. The station primarily played music popular in the inner city black community but as the decade went on, the station appealed to listeners regardless of their race because of the gaining popularity of the disco genre. Stations like these often served as outlets for black artists who were denied radio play because of advertisers’ fear that they did not have “universal appeal,” or, essentially, the ability to attract a white audience. However, once advertisers took notice that urban contemporary stations received engagement from both black and white communities, they invested in advertisements, largely only appealing to a white audience. The success of the Urban Contemporary format in New York City soon led to a diffusion of the format to cities around the country. Decades later, Urban Contemporary stations continue to exist today, broadcasting music as broad as R&B, soul, gospel, hip-hop, rap, and more. Just like the initial marketing for Urban Contemporary stations, these genres are predominantly occupied by black artists and black listeners. However, just as disco slowly become a popular genre in both black and white communities, genres labeled as Urban Contemporary have widespread popularity outside of the racial category.
A 2017 Forbes report shows that R&B and hip-hop are the most popular music genres in the USA: “R&B/hip-hop is almost as popular on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music than the next two genres (rock and pop) combined.” While Urban Contemporary stations initially served as outlets for artists who were seen as only being able to appeal to the black community, for the Grammys to introduce this category as recently as 2013 raises a few concerns. The category treats black music genres with the assumption that they only do or should appeal to black audiences. While Beyoncé made Lemonade primarily for black women, it was widely enjoyed by listeners of different backgrounds. Lemonade grabbed the appraisal of almost every demographic, except perhaps the majority of those that voted for Album of the Year, who are largely white or of an older generation. Because they were unable to look past Beyoncé’s intended audience, they turned to 25. By some accounts, Adele’s 25 could be in the Urban Contemporary category due to its derivation of soul and R&B. However, it misses one thing—a black artist and primary audience. For this reason, Urban Contemporary isn’t about genre, it is about giving black audiences a separate musical category while album of the year is for the Grammys’ majority white voting base and audience.
Using the label “urban” as a more discreet way of labeling something as being created by black artists can also be observed in the world of fashion. During the 2019 British Fashion Awards, Rihanna’s Fenty line won the Urban Luxe award. According to Vogue, the category “was created by the British Fashion Council to honor contemporary labels that elevate the concept of casual.” Other nominated brands in the category included Martine Rose, which takes its influence from rave and hip-hop culture, and Alyx, a brand popularly sold in outlets such as JCPenny. What is odd about the new category is that, typically, casual attire and clothing meant for everyday use is labeled as streetwear. However, Fenty is by all accounts a luxury brand, as it was launched by LVMH, a luxury goods conglomerate based in France. The label Urban Luxe is even more futile due to the common trend of luxury brands blurring the lines between streetwear and luxury products. Brands such as Gucci and Prada, although they were nominated for Brand of the Year, have increasingly sold casual attire that could fit into what the British Fashion Awards call “Urban Luxe,” under their designer name. Once again, what constitutes as urban is unclear, but perhaps it is not a coincidence that the first black head of an LVMH brand has had her brand labeled as “urban.”
For the British Fashion Awards, around 2,500 members in the “global fashion community” vote for the winner of each category, who are no doubt come from the traditionally largely white and upper class elite fashion community who may not be used to seeing black women in luxury fashion spaces. Just as the Oscars made dramatic changes to their academy members to give voice to a wider demographic of movie watchers and goers by adding 800 new members, The Recording Academy and the British Fashion Council may benefit from similar changes to accurately represent what music listeners and fashion consumers believe deserve recognition, including what type. Having an Urban Contemporary and Urban Luxe category themselves aren’t inherently bad. Whether this be intentional or coincidental, when award ceremonies stereotype artists as only being for certain racial demographics they are downplaying their ability to make art to be appreciated for both their own community and others’.
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