The R&B singer Tyrese is echoing sentiments held by the rapper Azealia Banks.
Why he feels US radio is racist?
Find out below…
His latest album ‘Black Rose’ topped the Billboard 200 with no support from Top 40 radio stations and buzz generated for it by his role in the box office busting ‘Fast & Furious’ movies.
Indeed, after helping the the latest ‘Fast’ movie pull in $1 billion in seven days the entertainer seems to have expected his undeniable commercial pull to have secured the support of radio stations who threw their support behind the song ‘See You Again’, performed by the rapper Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth.
Now, as a version without Khalifa dominates Top 40 and Adult Contemporary formats worldwide Tyrese has stepped out to argue that his success as an artist is ignored by these stations because he is African-American.
Watch the clip below…
The ‘Sweet Lady‘ singer isn’t the only African-American artist to have been ignored by the aforementioned formats. For, fans of the Pop icon Beyonce will know that Top 40 radio has opted not to support any of her singles since the release of 2008’s ‘Single Ladies.’
radio isnt racist, the people listening are racist. Radio plays what it knows its listeners wanna hear, if they wanted to hear black artists then thats what they would play because its keeps their listeners happy and their numbers up
That’s not true. White people will listen to what’s on the radio. Example is John Legends All of Me. That song is r&b and who’re people love it because it was everywhere. Any song can be a hit if its played repeatedly and gets stuck in people’s heads.
all of you are so pathetic i feel sorry for you
madonna, britney and gaga did sh*t music
and no one put them on the radio!
you want to be on the radio?? make HOT and GREAT music
till then shut the f*ck up LOSERS
ALL OF ME IS A HOT&GREAT SONG NOT CUZ OF THE RADIO U DUMB F*CK… ITS JUST A GOOD SONG!
NOW YOU WANT TO KEEP ON CRUING?? DO IT STUPID B*TCH
People don’t want R&B on top 40. Sam smith is more pop and being white helps.
He isn’t lying. Blue-eyed soul music (as opposed to Black soul music) is what’s been dominating American mainstream radio for quite a while now. I’m glad Tyrese hasn’t been afraid to voice his thoughts. Just hope he doesn’t end up doing some sort of a retraction later on.
Let’s look t it like this Tyrese has had ONE good album and that’s his first album and he done well with it been a black artist he has to use the race card as a reason for his album sales and no one wanting to hear his $hit song he releases. If radio was racist you would be hearing Nicki, Wayne or Drake on the radio… And as far as Heyonce he might have 20 albums released it doesn’t mean that it has good quality music on it that people want to listen to…
Dumb dog! Those black artists dominate because they all say the same thing and promote the same image of black people that the media wants the world to see and hear. As far as other black musicians.. They don’t get the air play but I don’t fully agree with tyrese. If white radio don’t play his song they’re not playing the millions of other artists out there too. It’s not fair but it’s the business. Saying that, he had a number one album so you’d think radio would be more inclined to play a single or something.
Well R&B has always been an least favorite genre. Unless of course your Beyonce or Rihanna ( who I think leans more to the pop category ) Maybe he should do a Usher and try pop out, and if that doesn’t work then just be a full time actor and do music on the side as hobby or something.
Refrain from commenting any further.
They don’t play your song tyrese because your music literally sucks .
true
This coming from a Shakira stan… umm ok!
The dude has a nice ass but not much of a brain .
He’s does have a donkey bööty. Id eat it after i give him a hot soapy shower. Don’t got time for no surprises lmfao.
omg
Wait… So it didn’t even occur to him that it could be the quality/marketability of the material? What I’ve heard of his new album is solid (and probably his best body of work to date) but nothing about it screams top 40 radio. I’m not a fan of Sam Smith at all. In fact I can’t stand him. That being said, I don’t care how big a gospel choir you get to sing backgrounds on the track, Stay With Me is a POP ballad.
My question is, has Tyrese music EVER been a staple on CHR/Top 40s radio? I don’t remember hearing “Seeet Lady” and “How You Gonna Act Like That,” on my local pop station growing up. Tyrese’s music isn’t bad but it caters to a more urban demo which is not typically who is listening to CHR. It might be upsetting but it would almost be the same thing as Hard Rock artists complaining when they have number hits in their charts and or album charts. Yes sometimes bein white does help, but most of the white Soul singers music is way more Pop oriented than Tyreses music.
For example, back when Thicke was new, his “When I Get You Alone” “Lost Without U” and “Magic” I never heard on the same radio stations too. Really only Timberlake is a good example and his music could be argued to be Pop up until his 20/20 albums.
I don’t like the argument at all. And I am black myself.
his point is there are white singers, adele, sam smith, justin etc, who make similar music and they getg played on pop stations. why is it ok for rolling in the deep to get heavy rotation, but why is it not ok to play his music. they are virtually the same kinda music.
It’s not the same music. Both might be semi similar. But for example “RITD” had a big catchy sing along hook that fits with Pop radio, “Sweet Lady” and “HYGALT” are the only songs by him that I know to have even remotely similar hook like choruses. And its like saying all of Adele and Robin Thicke’s early music got played heavily on Pop radio, it did not. They had to become a Pop culture artist in order for it to happen.
He needs to use Payola. This is one of the main reasons as to why Mariah (and many other BLACK R&B artist) achieved all those #1’s with R&B based music, on the POP charts. And, you can even go as further back to the 1960s. Berry Gordon was locked DEEP into the PAYOLA deals. Mainstream radio is dominated by WHITE listeners. White people BARELY gave 2 shitts about R&B music back then… So, now that this generation is dominated by a bunch of Madonna clones. Whites definitely don’t want to hear R&B music, period. They want easy breezy catchy music done by YOUNG people (preferably WHITE or LIGHT SKINNED blacks).
.
.
He can forget about getting any radio mainstream support outside of the urban audience. These kids don’t wanna hear a grown man sanging about something. They think that’s “boring”. And, you’re right Tyrese. If, your music was recorded & sung by Sam Smith. It would be played all over America & Europe, period.
————————————-
… So, this what you should do, Tyrese …
–
1.) Get you a CLEAR CHANNEL DEAL for a good 2-4 weeks period.
.
2.) Book shows like: Ellen, Jimmy Fallon etc… Promote, and SANG your HEART out on that stage boo.
Make those middle aged white women fall in love with yo chocolate fine ass. And, they will definitely BUY your music.
.
3.) If those opinions don’t work. Then, do a s** tape … LMAO!
Kii.
I’ll add a number 4.
4) Date a Kardashian
that won’t work…look at tyga, french montana and kanye…it has not done anything for their careers.
He’s 100% right, take Baltimore for example, the black community is killing itself, while the while people in the surburbs sit by and watch and laugh. The white people won’t play your music unless you bleach your skin (rihanna/beyonce) or look white (mariah) and drake.
People just have no common sense. Boycott, stop white america from holding you back, but noooooo while all that is STILL going on == blacks keep killing blacks and waging war on there own.
You sound so f****** stupid.
This s*** old!
Ty is going off!! He is speaking the truth though.Radio stations are prejudice.
Truth??? What you speak is so not true….. Biatch don’t how many black celebs are currently on the top 10/20 he is just pressed cause he is a flop just like SIS-Q****
Somebody wants to lose edges today. First of all, don’t come for sisqo c***.He might be a flop but still is one of the best male R&B vocalist.Sisqo was outsinging everyone in his prime.Those black artist in the top 10 are doing pop.Today,it’s rare to see a black R&B artist at #1 .That’s a fact!
@king please proofread whatever you just typed because your comment makes no sense wtf
all of you are so pathetic i feel sorry for you
madonna, britney and gaga did sh*t music
and no one put them on the radio!
you want to be on the radio?? make HOT and GREAT music
till then shut the f*ck up LOSERS
ALL OF ME IS A HOT&GREAT SONG NOT CUZ OF THE RADIO U DUMB F*CK… ITS JUST A GOOD SONG!
NOW YOU WANT TO KEEP ON CRYING?? DO IT STUPID B*TCH
Right, because everything on the radio is “great.”
**blank stare at you**
Sam Smith’s music is pop though! If tyrese does a song like “All Of Me” (John Legend) then pop radio just might play it.
Imagine Tyrese singing Sam Smith I’m not the only one, would it be considered pop or R&B. What radio would it get. Imagine Tyrese singing blurred lines… same thing. R&B and black people have always lead the music trends, but due to race and politics blacks are shut out of mainstream success with and exception of a few random artist who are support by white radio.
Pop music doesn’t play R&B (I don’t consider Sam Smith or Adele R&B) just like urban doesn’t play pop. When’s the last time you heard Taylor Swift on urban?
But Sam Smith and Adele make R&B music, its just not considered R&B because theyre white, which is what Tyrese is talking about
What is “R&B” about Sam Smith and Adele? Those two make murky Pop/AC for coffee house hipsters. It’s not rhythm & blues, which is what R&B is.
And Sam Smith is being played on black radio, and wins B.E.T awards his music is R&B but because he’s white its labeled pop.The only pop songs he does is with disclosure, his song are R&B.
There is no such thing as a white homosexual making R&B music. To even suggest someone like him Sam Smith is pop, just like Adam Lambert is pop. People like him can’t be R&B because nothing about him fits into the black experience, which inspires R&B. He aligns himself with R&B singers like Mary J. Blige in order to get undeserved “soul” cred for marketing factors.
@daimler Music is not based on race or sexuality dumb dumb, if Jennifer Hudson sang someone like you it’d be considered R&B but when Adele sings it, it’s pop, why because the music industry type cast artist by race like you been brainwashed to do.
Nixga f*** the shut up if u would suck their d**** just like how fagSmith does then you will get what you wan’t
I see zero lies Ty, and these ignorant black people in the comments section better wake up and smell the coffee while it hasn’t been entirely late. Racism is still alive and kicking but y’all turn a blind eye because “that’s the way it is”, don’t settle speak out and I respect Tyrese for speaking.
Tyrese has never been that much of a radio fixture anywhere. Aside from a few sporadic songs here and there, black radio doesn’t even enthusiastically play his music. He’s the type of artist who it would take a REALLY good song to override how uninteresting he is himself. His problem is that – in addition to being boring – he has horrible management/representation. Black/R&B artists need to learn that in order to win at mainstream, they need to get a team of savvy promoters who know how to undermine, undercut, manipulate, barter or threaten on their behalf. Too many of them think its enough to just record a good album and from there they expect the music to be embraced, then get frustrated when it’s not. It’s not enough to just be a good singer, you have to be an even better chess player and learn hot to beat the system — especially when you’re not generally the type it is interested in.
This is THE TRUTH! 100% facts I see here.
To say top 40 hasn’t supported Beyoncé is false!! Drunk in Love was played everywhere. I love me some Bey, but yall stay tryn to bring her up in every post. Let her breathe.
Mainstream radio sucks anyway.
How did this article become about Beyoncé? Smh!
Every article here becomes about Beyoncé, Rihanna, or the both of them. These bobble-headed stans/haters are OCD.
Its true sigh…. Bit thank god they madr an exception for the good sis rihanna…..she plays all over
Tyrese should first blast black radio because I’m not hearing him there either. In order for black R&B singers to eventually make their way back to the mainstream, without having to sell out with some water down pop song, they first need to regain prominence at their own format. Since about 2002-2003, Hip Hop has been more important at Urban radio than R&B. Traditionally, pop radio would only consider adding R&B songs that were A) were dominating at urban and B) selling well. They almost NEVER added R&B songs right away, unless they were by superstar R&B acts like Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston who had a big enough pop following to ensure that it would something their listeners would be take to right away. I’ve hated seeing R&B flounder and shut out of the mainstream too, but what I hate just a little worse is seeing it happen at urban radio. Used to be a time when at urban radio heavier Hip Hop and Rap was largely relegated to 6-10 pm. The rest of the time it was mostly R&B songs (minus the rap cameos) playing, with Hip Hop sprinkled in here and there. Now it’s the opposite. You turn on black radio at 7am, 2pm or 2am and you hear Meek Mill/Drake/Lil Wayne, etc. Fix THAT first.
Tyrese has the #1 Adult R&B song in the country. He is also rising on mainstream r&b radio as well.
I don’t think it’s a matter of race but more so a matter of relevancy, you know who’s new and fresh. Pretty much all the acts from the 90’s are deemed ” irrelevant.” This new generation only knows him from the Fast and Furious series, and that’s about it. I mean come on this is the same generation that thought Missy Elliot was new!
I think people need to either stop assuming that the current generation is totally ignorant to who came before them or stop dismissing that ignorance when they are. When I was a teenager, I was probably am aware (had heard of) of the bulk of the superstar/hitmakers from when my parents were teenagers, even if by that point they were no longer having hits or were commercially relevant. Music lingers and a hit song is a hit forever. How have I always been aware of some of the biggest artists and hits from decades before I was born, but other people are acting like a teenager today wouldn’t know anything from before Lady Gaga and One Direction? It makes no sense that a kid who is at least 10 years old wouldn’t know who Missy Elliott is. Hell, she was having hits during their lifetime and her music is all over the Internet. Seriously, who is oblivious to those artists who were popular when they were in the first and second grade? What kind of bubble would a person have to live in to be that unaware of what happened before a few years ago?
You’re absolutely right. Forgive my grammatical errors. I should have said “most” or “some” to imply that not all are completely blithely unaware.
Mariah is a one of kind artist anyway. So she would have had huge hits regardless. You can use payola all you want. But that won’t guarantee a hit. Sam Smith makes R&b/Pop music. Tyrese wasn’t ever a staple on the pop scene really. But what he’s saying makes sense. Pop radio needs to be diversified. R&b artists don’t get the credit that they deserve. Robin is mainly an R&B artist anyway. Justin makes r&b pop. So that’s that.
Is every flop that happens to be Black going to be using the race card now? News flash honey, acting like a victim isn’t going to make your music suck any less or your mediocre acting any better.
No, they don’t play Tyrese because he is ANCIENT in the music biz. Now, the album is hot, but he’s aged-out of radio. At least Top 40 radio for the most part. Radio is for the “what’s hot right now” music and that’s typically driven by young people. His fanbase doesn’t even listen to the radio so why does he even care?
Thank You! Somebody who gets it! That’s exactly what I said; “it’s not a matter of race but relevancy.” The fan base he captured in the ’90’s have grown up and have bills to pay and have other things to worry about other than Top 20 radio. Every artist has an expiration date.