--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are - as artists, we are racialized…" description: "\"We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through genre.\" — Kelela" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg" --- # We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and… ![“We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through genre.” quote by Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg) > “We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through genre.” [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists are labeled by genre, which assigns racial identity without explicit naming. **In simple terms:** Genre assigns race implicitly. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge genre-imposed identities. Themes identity genre race representation Mood critical analytical Type commentary reflective When to use this quote - music marketing - media criticism - artist branding - public discourse Key Concepts social labeling cultural constructs Questions to Reflect On - How does genre shape perception of race? - Can artists reclaim genre labels? A Different Perspective Genres can also empower marginalized voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artists Racialized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-racialized-4783398/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-genre-4783400/) [Called Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-black-1340335/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Genre Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre-called-1636821/) [Racialized Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racialized-genre-4783399/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without/) ## Related quotes > [Any genre as it's called, I think can be quite reductive in terms of what a film is, because I think there is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/any-genre-as-it-s-called-i-think-can-be-quite-reductive-in-terms-of/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [There is only one genre in fiction, the genre is called book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/there-is-only-one-genre-in-fiction-the-genre-is-called-book/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [We used to have a genre called Muslim social drama which nobody in the world has. Writers from North India and Bengal came and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/we-used-to-have-a-genre-called-muslim-social-drama-which-nobody-in/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) > [We've always wanted to aim to be the only one and hopefully one day we'll be able to create this new genre called Babymetal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moa-kikuchi/we-ve-always-wanted-to-aim-to-be-the-only-one-and-hopefully-one-day/) [Moa Kikuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moa-kikuchi/) > [There seems to sometimes be an entire genre called 'female-fronted metal.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floor-jansen/there-seems-to-sometimes-be-an-entire-genre-called-female-fronted/) [Floor Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floor-jansen/) > [If someone would tease me about my hair, I would laugh... if someone called me black, I would laugh. I just took things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaba-gupta/if-someone-would-tease-me-about-my-hair-i-would-laugh-if-someone/) [Masaba Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaba-gupta/) > [“We called it the black echo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/we-called-it-the-black-echo/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [ Being called Black in America is the struggle to keep us moving and breathing over bloody water. Being a Nig\*\*r or \[Ni\*\*a\] without the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/being-called-black-in-america-is-the-struggle-to-keep-us-moving-and/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I've never been called the black sheep. Everybody in my family had something weird about them, like, 'What's wrong with you?!' We all were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thundercat/i-ve-never-been-called-the-black-sheep-everybody-in-my-family-had/) [Thundercat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thundercat/) > [A lot of people have called me the black Bette Midler, and I regard that as a compliment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vesta-williams/a-lot-of-people-have-called-me-the-black-bette-midler-and-i-regard/) [Vesta Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vesta-williams/) > [Most so-called 'black' people do not feel themselves at liberty to simply turn off or ignore their allotted racial designation, whether they would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/most-so-called-black-people-do-not-feel-themselves-at-liberty-to/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [“We aren't so called black people. We are black people. Be black and proud!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-nana-adu-boafo-jnr/we-aren-t-so-called-black-people-we-are-black-people-be-black-and/) [Dr.Nana Adu-Boafo Jnr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-nana-adu-boafo-jnr/) > [“I too have read his version of the facts. Like you and millions of others. And everyone got the picture, right from the start:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamel-daoud/i-too-have-read-his-version-of-the-facts-like-you-and-millions-of/) [Kamel Daoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamel-daoud/) > [My book has a pre - civil rights setting with a post - civil rights sensibility. I believe less and less that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/my-book-has-a-pre-civil-rights-setting-with-a-post-civil-rights/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) ## More by Kelela > [Even on my most angry song, I'm also still saying, 'Thank you for helping me to learn.' I've always wanted to give voice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/even-on-my-most-angry-song-i-m-also-still-saying-thank-you-for/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [It's such a challenging time, and in my small way, I will make it so that other younger women, and maybe older women, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/it-s-such-a-challenging-time-and-in-my-small-way-i-will-make-it-so/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I'm definitely seeking to challenge tropes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-m-definitely-seeking-to-challenge-tropes/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Self-care is a requirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/self-care-is-a-requirement/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [For those of us who make music together, I think it's important to realize that generosity on both sides is actually going to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/for-those-of-us-who-make-music-together-i-think-it-s-important-to/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [A lot of white men in the music industry are promoting and participating in black culture in a way that is pretty careless. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/a-lot-of-white-men-in-the-music-industry-are-promoting-and/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [There are no black women geniuses that are being named in canons. I could name a bunch, but it's not part of common knowledge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/there-are-no-black-women-geniuses-that-are-being-named-in-canons-i/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I think my worst enemy was myself. It's like I've been in my own way more than anybody else has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-think-my-worst-enemy-was-myself-it-s-like-i-ve-been-in-my-own-way/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I've always had this commitment to not being in one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-always-had-this-commitment-to-not-being-in-one-thing/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I am your homegirl, at the end of the day, but I also feel very... outside. So if you're finding solace in feeling outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-am-your-homegirl-at-the-end-of-the-day-but-i-also-feel-very-outside/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > ['Take Me Apart' doesn't feel cohesive in a singular way but in a varied way. You can fixate on individual songs, and there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/take-me-apart-doesn-t-feel-cohesive-in-a-singular-way-but-in-a-varied/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > ['Seat at the Table' has expressed real adversity, struggle, and also triumph and joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/seat-at-the-table-has-expressed-real-adversity-struggle-and-also/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Before I collaborate, it's important that I have a conversation about what I care about before we make anything, so that it's very clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/before-i-collaborate-it-s-important-that-i-have-a-conversation-about/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I'm quite scrutinous when it comes to who I put myself in the room with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-m-quite-scrutinous-when-it-comes-to-who-i-put-myself-in-the-room/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Sometimes I learn by someone giving me warnings and giving me advice about what to do next. And other times, a lot of times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/sometimes-i-learn-by-someone-giving-me-warnings-and-giving-me-advice/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) [Explore all 100 Kelela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through genre.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kelela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-through-genre-and-called-black/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-through-genre-and-called-black/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/kelela-5546_art_we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-thro_582181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are - as artists, we are racialized through genre and called black - without being called black - through…” — Kelela", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kelela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are - as artists, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-through-genre-and-called-black/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/we-are-as-artists-we-are-racialized-through-genre-and-called-black/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```