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Santogold Slams People Who Label Her Music Incorrectly

Posted about 1 year ago
Santogold has lashed out against those who term her music 'hip-hop' as "racist".The was reacting against continual classification of her self-titled album as 'hip-hop', 'rap' or 'R&B', especially on online retail sites."It's racist. It's totally racist. Everyone is just so shocked that I don't like R&B. Why does R&B keep coming into my interviews? It's pissing me off."??Santogold with hip hop star M.I.A.??She added, "I didn't grow up as a big fan of R&B and, like, what is the big shocker? It's stupid. In the beginning I thought that was funny. I'm an 'MC', I'm a 'soul singer', I'm a 'dance hybrid artist'. And some guy said I looked like Kelly Rowland!"Santogold claims her album is "a pop record", saying: "I made sure it was."Check out this track. She's saying it's pure "pop", whatever that is. You be the judge."L.E.S. Artistes" from her self titled album released last month(April 29).
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Comments (20)

  1. Wotmoney Tribe
    Wotmoney Tribe says Its pop or poop. I kept waiting for the horse to drop a load.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  2. Scotch
    Scotch says Well, I liked it. L.E.S. Artistes reminded me a bit of Missing Persons from the first time I heard it. I agree with the notion that she is called an R&B act simply because she's black is pretty racist.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  3. funoka
    funoka says I love this song -- it does sound like Missing Persons, though. My mid-80s roots are showing. I've been cranking this in the car.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  4. yummygatalover
    yummygatalover says yep that new wavish waver in her voice has me thinkin' the same way as Scotch, And i liked this one as well. Not even a bit close with what they've tagged her with... Why would they consider this to be hiphop,rap or r&b is beyond my comprehension. Doesn't look like a woman i'd want to piss off! thanks sturgell ...
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  5. honeyclaws
    honeyclaws says Definitely not R&B, and that is a pretty racist categorization. But she definitely has roots in all three genres...
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  6. Augusts1
    Augusts1 says I think she's justified in her anger & statement. This song is far from rap, hip-hop or r&b & far more interesting.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  7. mollifire
    mollifire says it's hard to say whether she is misclassified because she's black, or not. this is definitely synth-pop in classic 80's style, but not all of her songs are. most music industry people don't know much about music itself, so there is a lot of misclassification. not to mention, i find it harder every day to label any music. so many genres are crossing this year that it's near impossible to classify anything into one single genre. i dunno. maybe it stems from racism. or maybe that's an assumption. either way, it should be corrected because it's just plain wrong.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  8. GarageRock
    GarageRock says Well, since they were brought up....my only fav song by Dale and co.
    Permalink posted 05/19/2008
  9. Jonh Ingham
    Jonh Ingham says She could be generous and call it laziness. Guys in record stores file her under 'rap' because her skin is...oh yes. Her album busts all kinds of genres but 'pop' sounds good to me - "Lights Out" is one of the supreme pure pop moments of the year. This pigeon-holing reminds me of a British band about 10 years ago. Can't remember who anymore, but they had Asian, Afro and English members in the band and played what in Britain was considered a very radio friendly pop groove, resulting in big success. In an interview they talked about going to the US the first time. In the record company some helpful soul said, 'let me introduce you to the black music department' and their reaction was "whaaaaat???" They couldn't believe that music was classified by skin colour and knew at that point they would never get going in the States.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  10. brainofj
    brainofj says no matter what its labeled..sounds like the yeah yeah yeahs to me.this song anyway.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  11. extraordinarypoems
    extraordinarypoems says She has a point. I love the music and the energy, by the way. This is one of my new favorites, thanks to you.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  12. HelenMarie
    HelenMarie says She has a point, but it's interesting she so seriously considers it discrimination. It sounds like pop (and I dig the album) but like Jon Ingham says "Her album busts all kinds of genres". There have to be plenty of people who work in the music industry that are really just ignorant to music and genres in itself. I'd say she's actually being stereotyped, not necessarily discriminated...?
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  13. Scotch
    Scotch says SunshineDaydream says: "I'd say she's actually being stereotyped, not necessarily discriminated...?" The difference in this case being...? GarageRock - Dammit, Terry Bozzio is good.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  14. HelenMarie
    HelenMarie says The difference being the people in the music business having an image or [ignorant] conception of what they hear and see from her and her music. I'm not reading that there is intolerance because of her race. So to me it seems she's being stereotyped, maybe ethnically stereotyped would be a more specific term, if you will.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  15. Lighter Dusk
    Lighter Dusk says It's funny in a sad way. Growing up in white suburbia, and having a taste for old school hip-hop (lemme hear it Newcleus fans!!), I was regularly directed to "Black Music", "Urban Music", "Ethnic Music" and "Soul Music" sections in stores like Oranges...these were actual sections, I guess I just never thought about it in todays context. ...Oh yean, that's if they had such a section, I actually had several clerks tell me "We don't carry that *N-WORD* music here, son". That was actually considered an appropriate thing to say to a ten year old looking for Grandmaster Melle Mel 45's. ...shit I'm old. -Dusk
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  16. Jonh Ingham
    Jonh Ingham says Terry Bozzio is a drumming God.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  17. Charley Rogulewski
    Charley Rogulewski says i get what she is saying. she def. is more pop. i would have never penned her to R&B. but the hip-hop thing i don't get. I consider M.I.A. to be pop/hip-pop too. so taht picture is really fitting.
    Permalink posted 05/20/2008
  18. Scotch
    Scotch says SunshineDaydream - The problem I have with mis-classifying her is that legions of would-be fans might not ever hear because of that. That hurts her ability to make a living. So while it might not be malicious in intent, the effect is still harmful.
    Permalink posted 05/21/2008
  19. mollifire
    mollifire says Scotch - that's a REALLY good point.
    Permalink posted 05/28/2008
  20. christheskins
    christheskins says Sad to see that this has happened to her,it's really stupid.What kind of lame journos would call it "hip hop"? that's just pathetic.Lets set Paul Morley on them! Some interesting thoughts from moggers about the generally poor way that music is marketed,or lets say,"presented".and how we "discover" it... I had not noticed any "racial stereotyping" of the album in the U.K. it's just filed under "S" in "pop/rock" ..i got it on recommendation from the very"mainstream" BBC reviewers "NewsnightReview", "Saturday Review"on radio four . Mention by a girlfriend clinched it....it seems to have been treated, rightly, as a quite an "arty" artefact. I just thought she looked beautiful..if it had been at all pidgeonholed as yet another RnB /Hip Hop outing i would not have even heard of it,let alone bought it...As it is ,i love it , it IS "Pure Pop" as she says...,its ECLECTIC/CROSSOVER, the instrumentation IS sometimes, quite "eighties ",XTC's chugging guitars DEVO even,,dub reggae beats come in from time to time,overall it's like "The Gorillaz" meet "Stereolab" in Jane Weidlin's "Rush Hour" .If anyone did buy it, assuming it to be "RnB" or "Hip Hop" they would be dissapointed,but then ,hopefully, enlightened.
    Permalink posted 06/04/2008

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