Did Colour help Joss?
LAST Tuesday, Billboard Magazine named British soul singer Joss Stone as its ‘Reggae Artist of the Year’, an announcement that triggered widespread protest by reggae fans on social media.
On Wednesday the influential Dailybeast.com website weighed in on the issue. Writer Stereo Williams’ story, captioned ‘Why Did Joss Stone Sell More Reggae Albums Than Any Black Artist In 2015?’, touched on its colour aspect.
He wrote: “It would be a mistake to reduce this conversation to simply criticism of a frivolous year-end title.
Billboard‘s accolades are sales-based—Stone’s reggae debut, Water for Your Soul, sold 29,000 copies—but that’s what should be scrutinised. When white artistes are routinely outselling black artistes in virtually every genre, it seems fair to believe that white consumers are more inclined to buy albums by white artistes—aside from Drake’sIf You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late, most of the best-selling albums of the past 18 months have come from white pop acts like Taylor Swift and One Direction. Stone’s Water for Your Soul parked atop the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for eight weeks this year—and it’s also Stone’s seventh album to chart on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, debuting and peaking at number six.
“The mainstream tends to ignore the variety of Black music until a white face dabbles in it.”
The consistent presence of white American bands on the Billboard reggae table in the past three years supports Williams’ argument. Rebelution, SOJA and Groundation are in the chart regularly with albums selling over 30,000 units.
Even albums by the Marley brothers struggle to reach those figures.
The 28-year-old Stone said Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, who appears on Water for Your Soul, encouraged her to record a reggae album.
However, it is not her first crack at reggae. On her second album, 2004’s Mind Body & Soul, she worked with bass player Chris Meredith and guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith (both former musicians of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers) on the songLess Is More.
Williams noted that Stone’s Billboard recognition does not mean whites are taking over black music.
“The lack of recognition for black contemporary talents and black musical icons of the ’80s and ’90s proves that Black music is either invisible or disposable to too many white consumers. So Billboard can announce whomever as the whatever of 2015—it doesn’t mean much in and of itself. But those numbers—those consistently troubling numbers—should give everyone pause. Black art does not need white approval or validation—it has been great and will always be great. But with so many white artistes leveraging black culture for visibility and acclaim and so much contemporary black culture demanding to be heard; don’t be surprised if a few famous black faces stop agreeing to appear at shows where they are routinely sent home empty-handed. We are more than capable of celebrating ourselves.”
— Howard Campbell