Ariana Grande, Drake and Liam Payne's record label drop the term 'urban'

Republic Records have released a statement amid the Black Lives Matter protests

Author: Alex RossPublished 8th Jun 2020
Last updated 23rd Sep 2020

Republic Records have some of the biggest artists in the world on their books, with the likes of Ariana Grande, Drake, Liam Payne, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Hailee Steinfeld and many more releasing music through the label.

But now, as Black Lives Matter protests take place across the world, one of America's biggest labels have announced they are dropping the word 'urban' when describing music genres and titles.

Releasing a statement on their social media accounts, Republic Records said, 'Effective immediately, Republic Records will remove "URBAN" from our verbiage in describing departments, employee titles and music genres.

'We encourage the rest of the music industry to follow suit as it is important to shape the future of what we want it to look like, and not adhere to the outdated structures of the past'.

The post attracted a lot of positive attention from music fans across the world, with many applauding the label for their decision.

One user wrote, 'Republic Records - STANDING OVATION for this. This could potentially ensure ‘professionals’ are hired for their ability and expertise rather than a profitable, but marginalized genre internally. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿'. (sic)

Another wrote, 'This is massive', with a third writing, 'A great step in the right direction!'. (sic)

The bold decision comes as thousands of people across the world have been protesting over the tragic death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed after a white police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes, as he continually said he couldn't breathe.

Many famous faces joined the protests in London over the weekend, with Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall, Star Wars actor John Boyega and professional boxer Anthony Joshua all voicing their opinions for Black Lives Matter.

Check out what the KISS presenters have said about #BlackLivesMatter:

Daisy Maskell

Follow Daisy on Instagram: daisylmaskell
Follow Daisy on Twitter: DaisyMaskell

Alex Mansuroglu

Follow Alex on Instagram: alexmansuroglu
Follow Alex on Twitter: AlexPresents

Andrea Zara

Follow Andrea on Instagram: andrizara
Follow Andrea on Twitter: AndriZara

Tyler West

Follow Tyler on Instagram: tylerwestt
Follow Tyler on Twitter: TylerWestt

Tyler West


Ben Malone

Follow Ben on Instagram: benmalonedj
Follow Ben on Twitter: BenMaloneDJ

Ben Malone


Ben Malone


Ben Malone


Dixon Brothers

Follow the Dixon Brothers on Instagram: thedixonbros
Follow the Dixon Brothers on Twitter: DIXONBROS

Dixon Brothers


Dixon Brothers


Jordan Banjo

Follow Jordan on Instagram: jordbanjo
Follow Jordan on Twitter: Jordan_Banjo

Jordan Banjo


Jordan Banjo


Jordan Banjo


Jordan Banjo


Tinea Taylor

Follow Tinea on Instagram: tineataylor
Follow Tinea on Twitter: TineaTaylor

Justin Wilkes

Follow Justin on Instagram: justinwilkes
Follow Justin on Twitter: justinwilkes

Justin Wilkes


TCTS

Follow TCTS on Instagram: tctsofficial
Follow TCTS on Twitter: TCTS

Sam Darlaston

Follow Sam on Instagram: samd_official
Follow Sam on Twitter: samd_official

Omah Howard

Follow Omah on Instagram: omahhoward


Follow Omah on Twitter: @HowardOmah

Other artists such as Calvin Harris, Mabel and Dua Lipa have also shown their support on social media.

Listen to KISS and all of the KISS Network stations on our free Rayo app, by hitting the play button on the bottom of your screen and on your smart speaker (‘Play KISS FM’). Plus KISSTORY R&B is now available on DAB nationally and KISS Fresh, KISS Dance via DAB+ in London.