Music Business

Ed Sheeran Voted Most Important Artist In Black & Urban Music (WTF?)

image from cdn.funkidslive.comA  panel of industry experts and BBC 1Xtra DJs has named Ed Sheeran the most important artist in black and urban music. 1 Xtra bills itself as leading black music station in the UK.  #2 on the chart was twice as white as Sheeran, if that's possible. Disclosure – two white brothers named Guy and Howard Lawrence, and the equally Caucasian Sam Smith was in fourth place.

Rapper Tinie Tempah was the highest rated black artist at #3. 

image from djatwar.comArtists were considered on a number of variables such as sales statistics, plus more subjective areas like the quality of music and impact across the wider industry.

The explanation?

"Artists were considered on variables such as sales statistics, quality of music and impact across the wider industry – it is not about the colour of someone’s skin,: said a BBC spokesperson. 

The full list via Buzzfeed:

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Disclosure
3. Tinie Tempah
4. Sam Smith
5. Rudimental
6. Emeli Sande
7. Naughty Boy
8. Katy B
9. Krept & Konan
10. Fuse ODG
11. Boy Better Know
12. Rita Ora
13. Lethal Bizzle
14. DJ Fresh
15. Jessie J
16. Wiley
17. Giggs
18. Laura Mvula
19. Wretch 32
20. Dizzee Rascal

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3 Comments

  1. Wtf? Trust, very few Black folks, or anybody in the urban demo, are listening to Ed Sheeran in the US. Maybe this should be qualified as British Black and urban culture – if it wasn’t already. The headline suggests that it is broader than that.
    Dp

  2. Why even have a “black” category? Aint that a little 70’s? Urban Music should be fine for explaining the genre.

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