Jazz, blues, rock, soul, and hip-hop, all have one incredibly valuable aspect in common. From early to modern day, the influence of black artistry has shaped the evolution of American music and culture. Over time black music has inspired various new genres loved by many such as: Neo -soul, R&B, and pop. Black artistry is a gateway to expression and community often being used as a way to document history and experience. However, there are prevalent stereotypes and systemic racism in the music industry and culture. The lack of representation in media of artists of color in genres that are now dominated by white artists limits the expression and enforces harmful stereotypes that reinforce the idea that artists of color can only make music in specific genres.
In the 1950s radio shows and mainstream media were heavily segregated, however, white artists would frequently produce covers of music originally created by black artists which ultimately denied the original creator’s full credit and any financial benefit according to an article from Brainly and History.com. A study in 2022 by Brooke Bierman found that while 44% of talent ranked on musical charts such as the Billboard Hot 100, there are still 50.6% who are unrepresented from ethnic groups. These are just some of many artists who diminish the barriers of systemic racism and showed that black music can fit into any genre.
Doechii: American rapper and songwriter, Jaylah Ji’mya Hickman (Doechii) was born on August 14th, 1998 in Tampa Florida. She first began her journey to stardom in 2016, releasing her debut single ‘Girls’ on SoundCloud under the name Iamdoechii. Later in 2020 Doechii released her first EP “Oh the places you’ll go.” Which she self funded. By 2021 a song from her only EP “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” went viral on the infamous social media platform TikTok, a year after the ep was released. This lead to her being the first black
female artist to be signed by Top Dog Entertainment alongside Capitol Records. Later in 2023 Doechii’s single “What is it (block boy)featuring Kodak Black, lead her to her first entry in the Billboard Hot 100. This year at the 2025 67th Annual Grammy Awards,Doechii’s third mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal” released in 2024, won Best Rap Album, making her the third woman to win in the category. In an interview with radio show “The Breakfast Club”, Doechii says this about the album: “It’s about this never ending cycle of life, of you always have a series of truths that you have to constantly come to within yourself…over and over again. It’s about patterns essentially.”
Ravyen Lanea: American alternative r&b and neo soul singer Ravyen Lanea was born January 22,1999 in Chicago Illinois. She self funded the production and release of her first single “ Greetings” in 2014 when she was just a sophomore in high school. By 2016 Ravyen was officially signed by Atlantic Records. In March of 2017, after touring with band Noname as a featured performer she released her second EP, “ Midnight Moonlight.” And was later named in Rolling Stone’s “Top 10 New Artist You Need to Know.” In 2012 she collaborated with indie alternative artist, Steve Lacey in a single called “Skin Tight.” Which would be featured as the first track on her debut album “ Hypnos.” In 2024 Ravyn released a new album, “Birds Eye” in which one song in particular (Love Me Not) would go viral on Tiktok in 2025 for its relatable lyrics and catchy melody.
Blood Orange: English singer/songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer, Devonté Hynes also known as solo artist Blood Orange was born on December 23, 1985 in Essex, England. Devonté was also apart of less known bands ; “Test Icicles” 2004-2006 and “NRS Crew.” Afterwards in 2007 he went on to release two solo studio debut albums under the alias LightSpeed Champion which lead him to a series of collaborations and tours with bands such as Florence and the machine, Curive, and Tilly and the Wall. After two years of consistent touring Davontè suffered severe damage to his throat forcing him to undergo surgery as well as take a two year hiatus . He later in 2009 returned under the name “Blood Orange” perform on MTV. In January of 2011 Devonté released his first debut album, “Dinner” as Blood Orange. An article from Pitchfork describes the album as “melodramatic but oddly realistic…painful breakups can make people say terrible stuff…there’s a breakup song behind that R&B thump.” Devonté later released five more albums 2008-2019.
Umi: American singer-songwriter Tierra Umi Wilson was born February 9, 1999. Tierra first began writing songs at 4 years old, heavily influenced by her pianist mother and drummer father. During high school through a discovery of YouTube beats she started creating tracks and would record her songs on her computer with a USB mic, which would later be uploaded to popular small music artist streaming app, SoundCloud as well as YouTube. In 2018, a year after releasing five singles and an EP, Tierra released her most streamed song, “Remember Me”, a devastatingly heartbreaking tribute to the feeling of heartbreak and moving on as well as a corresponding equally heartbreaking music video which shined a spotlight on diversity in romantic relationships. In the music video, Tierra featured couples of different races, sexual orientation, and class. In an interview with Coup De Main Magazine, Tierra said “I wanted to write about heartbreak from a different angle, one that was both sad and uplifting. I was trying to capture the nostalgia that comes from remembering a past relationship and the mixed feelings you get when you want someone to be happy, but know that it might not be with you.”
Comments