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
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industry to follow suit as it is important to shape the future of what we want it to look like, and not adhere to the outdated structures of the past'.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.
Other artists such as Calvin Harris, Mabel and Dua Lipa have also shown their support on social media.