Black (Dave song)

Last updated
"Black"
Single by Dave
from the album Psychodrama
Released21 February 2019
Length3:48
Label Neighbourhood
Songwriters
Producer Fraser T. Smith
Dave singles chronology
"Funky Friday"
(2018)		"Black"
(2019)		"Streatham"
(2019)
Music video
"Black" on YouTube

"Black" is a song by British rapper Dave, released on 21 February 2019 by Neighbourhood Recordings as the lead single from Dave's debut studio album, Psychodrama . [1] The song was produced by Dave's mentor, Fraser T. Smith. [2]

Contents

After winning the Album of the Year at the Brit Awards 2020, Dave performed the song live at the event, to major controversy after labelling, Boris Johnson, the then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as a "racist". [3] [4]

Controversy

Upon the release of "Black", many listeners called Dave "racist" against white people after BBC Radio 1 played the song. In response, BBC Radio 1 DJs, Greg James and Annie Mac came to its defence, with the latter posting online that those complaining about the song are scared of the word "black". [5] Following Dave's live performence at the 2020 BRIT Awards, over 300 complaints were made to Ofcom due to the added third verse of the song, however, the complaints were rejected. [6] [7] Furthermore, Priti Patel, the then-Home Secretary, came to the then-Prime Minister Borris Johnson's defence on BBC Breakfast, stating that "I know Boris Johnson very well, no way is he a racist, so I think that is a completely wrong comment [...] he is absolutely not a racist, and I’m afraid that is very much a generalisation that has been made by rapper Dave, and I just disagree with it,". [6] [7]

Composition and content

"Black" is a British, political hip-hop track. In the song, Dave covers many of the problems and factors black people have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. He covers topics of institutional racism within the Metropolitan Police, slavery, and how the coasts in Africa are labelled, in particular, the Slave Coast of West Africa. [1] [2] In the BRITs live version, Dave labelled Boris Johnson, the then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as a "racist", he spoke about the Windrush scandal, the differenece in how the news would treat Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex based on their race, the lack of rehabilitation for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, and the death of Jack Merritt. [3] [4]

Critical reception

Writing for Complex , Natty Kasambala wrote that on the song, "Dave takes it upon himself to verbalise the breadth and intricacies of blackness in all its beauty and all its pain", continuing that, he's "detailing the effects of colonialism and slavery and the issues within black communities, as well as the pride of our heritage and the royalty of our ancestors". [8] Evening Standard 's Andre Paine wrote that the song "is a disquieting exploration of his identity". [9] Alexis Petridis for The Guardian wrote that the song is "a complex, intelligent examination of racial identity that puzzles at the blanket use of the word 'black' to describe a multitude of different ethnicities". Petridis continued that it "rails against institutionalised racism and cultural appropriation but doesn’t shy away from pointing out failings within the rapper’s own community". [10] The Independent 's Roisin O'Connor and Elisa Bray wrote that the song "considers what that word means to different people around the world, as well as to Dave". [11] Carl Anak for NME described the song as a "standout" track on Psychodrama, noting that "every piano key serves to emphasise the defiant and dexterous wordplay". [12] Dan Hancox for The Observer describes the song as "a powerful reflection on the black British experience – spanning African diasporic pride and the weight of post-colonial pain and racism". [13]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Black"
OrganizationYearCategoryResultRef.
UK Music Video Awards 2019 Best Urban Video - UKNominated [14]

Music video

The official Nathan James Tettey, Edem Wornoo, and Dave-directed music video was released alongside the song. [15] The video was filmed in Manchester and Lagos, which critics have described as a "powerful exploration of black identity". [2] The video features cameos of several prominent black-British figures in the 21st Century, such as fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, footballer Raheem Sterling, sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, radio presenter and DJ Tiffany Calver, computer scientist Anne-Marie Imafidon, rapper Stormzy, and actor Damson Idris. [16]

Personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from Tidal. [17]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for "Black"
Chart (2019)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [18] 80
UK Singles (OCC) [19] 40
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [20] 10

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [21] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Alemoru, Kemi (27 February 2019). "Dave's 'Black' is the race history lesson the UK needs". Dazed . Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Moore, Sam (22 February 2019). "Watch Dave's powerful new video for 'Black' as he announces debut album 'Psychodrama'". NME . Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 Savage, Mark (19 February 2020). "Brits 2020: Dave wins album of the year and calls PM 'racist'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 Lunny, Oisin (19 February 2020). "BRIT Award Winner Dave's Controversial Performance Ignites A National Conversation On Racism". Forbes . Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Murray, Robin (27 February 2019). "Radio 1 DJs Defend Dave's 'Black'". Clash . Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 White, Adam (10 March 2020). "Ofcom rejects 309 complaints that Dave's Brit Awards performance was 'racist'". The Independent . ISSN   1741-9743. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Brit Awards 2020: Ofcom rejects racism complaints over Dave performance". BBC News. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Kasambala, Natty (11 March 2019). "Review: Dave's 'Psychodrama' Is A Brutally Impressive Examination Of Society". Complex . Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Paine, Andre (8 March 2019). "Dave – Psychodrama (Neighbourhood)". Evening Standard . ISSN   2041-4404. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2019). "Dave: Psychodrama review – the boldest and best British rap album in a generation". The Guardian . ISSN   1756-3224. Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  11. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (8 March 2019). "Album reviews: Dave – Psychodrama, and Dido – Still on My Mind". The Independent . ISSN   1741-9743. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  12. ↑ Anka, Carl (11 March 2019). "Dave – 'Psychodrama' review". NME . Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Hancox, Dan (10 March 2019). "Dave: Psychodrama review – debut long-player doesn't disappoint". The Observer . ISSN   0029-7712. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "UK Music Video Awards 2019: all the nominations!". Promo News. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Renshaw, David (22 February 2019). "Dave shares new song "Black" and confirms debut album details". The Fader . Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  16. ↑ Wallace, Megan (22 February 2019). "A list of all the cameos in Dave's powerful new video "Black"". Crack . Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "Psychodrama / Dave on TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  18. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  20. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "British single certifications – Dave – Black". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 January 2026.
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