With two months into quarantine, we’ve seen people either die from the coronavirus or by the hands of white supremacists and authorities. Despite there being a pandemic in the mix, people still went out to peacefully protest. Even then, Black and brown demonstrators have been arrested for exercising their rights. This fight didn’t stop in the streets and, as expected, it made its way online where the rest of the world could chime in. New York-based artist, Who Is Ariel, put it best when he Tweeted: “TL fighting a pandemic, a civil war & an identity crisis at the same time.”
A lot of discussions were being held on the timeline on Wednesday, June 3rd, but the one conversation we found most relevant to share was the allyship, or lack thereof, between POC and non-POC in music. For White counterparts, guilt has been setting on their chests, especially now that Black artists’ are making sure their voices are heard.
In response to the protests and #BlackOutTuesday, music site, YourEDM, reacted too quickly to showcase that their support of Black lives by sharing a list titled BLACK ARTISTS YOU CAN SUPPORT RIGHT NOW BY STREAMING THEIR MUSIC.
While a nice gesture, it felt rushed and there were a few hundred other names that could’ve been added to that list but unfortunately, there were only 20.
In music, Black artists are the source of influence with the music they create, but they’re often left out of the conversation and their seats are usually offered to a non-Black person. Club artists everywhere, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey, took to social media to share their “two cents” as Black or non-Black people of color.
For years, there has been this white-washed origin story for club music: that white, foreign men were “pioneers” of the genre. There’s more to club than the music itself, but that’s claimed once it travels overseas. Nappy put it perfectly when he Tweeted, “the thing about edm is it IS the whitewashing of dance music.”
During these unprecedented times, it is encouraged for White allies to show up for their Black counterparts in solidarity, but there’s a way to do it. If you support Black artists, you’re also supporting Black lives too.
Show up for Black people on June 19, as Bandcamp will be waiving their administration fees again in support of Black and brown artists.