Like so many industries, the music business is one which feels stacked against Black creatives, with big record labels profiting off Black talent to benefit companies which are owned by, and largely made up of, white people.
While seismic change needs to happen in order for a real difference to be seen, there are small things you can do in order to start redressing this imbalance and help boost the Black economy. Black Pound Day, which falls on the first Saturday of every month, is about shining a light on these businesses and supporting companies which have been sidelined.
Here are seven Black-owned music labels which you can support and celebrate now.
Mahogani Music
Kenny Dixon Jr, the DJ known as Moodymann, is the pioneer behind this innovative label which celebrates classic house, thumping techno, rousing disco and dance-inflected R&B, releasing records by iconic Detroit artists like Rick Wilhite, Andres and Amp Fiddler, as well as musicians from beyond the Motor City. The label's Bandcamp page is also the only place you can listen to the latest Moodymann album, Taken Away, which details his experience of being held at gunpoint by police and samples Al Green's 'Love and Happiness' in its soulful opening and closing tracks.
Deep Medi Musik
A British dubstep label founded in 2006 by artist Mala and his Digital Mystikz collaborator Coki, Deep Medi Musik focuses on “music that you can feel”. Here, that means the synth-heavy Silkie, drum and bass producer Calibre and up and comers Von D, Somah and Kaiju. Deep Medi is a label that has been at the forefront of the evolution of the genre.
BBE
Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly, BBE is named after the Universal Robot Band's 1982 track "Barely Breaking Even", and is the name under which the duo used to run a club night. The label is divided into two subdivisions: Deep Funk, and Urban Theory, and has released the records of artists including J Dilla, Roy Ayers, David Rodigan and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales.
2000 Black
This London-based label and music collective celebrates music from the African diaspora, deftly moving between genres that includes hip-hop, funk and electronic music. This is explored through artists such as Birmingham multi-instrumentalist and producer Kaidi Tatham, and the genre-spanning Dego, whose music incorporates soul, jazz, boogie, jungle, drum and bass, breakbeat, techno, hip-hop and broken beat.
SUPPORT
Apron Records
Run by Julien Steven, the London DJ previously known as FunkinEven, Apron Records has a well curated roster of artists, releasing the trippy techno of Shanti Celeste and the rhythmic astral house music of Space Ghost. Steven is also a host on NTS Radio where he has presented The Apron Show since 2012.
SUPPORT
Top Dawg Entertainment
One of the most successful independent labels around, with a roster that includes Kendrick Lamar and SZA, TDE was founded by record producer Anthony Tiffith who made his name producing for the likes of The Game. The label now has ten artists signed to it including the aforementioned founding members, as well as artists such as Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Isaiah Rashad.
Madhouse
Started by DJ Kerri Chandler and Mel Medalie's Champion Records, after the pair met in Brooklyn in 1992, Madhouse specialises in "putting out straight up badass shit". For nearly three decades the label has nailed that brief, releasing deep and soulful house from Dennis Ferrer, Josh Butler and many more. They've also released plenty of compilations of their faithful artists, all remixed by Chandler himself.
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