Friday, August 29, 2008

"Vibe Won't Put Me On Their Cover Because I'm White" - Robin Thicke

Even though Robin Thicke has been coined a "blue-eyed-soul artist," joining the ranks of Jon B and Justin Timberlake, his blue-eyed soulness wasn't enough to get on the cover of Vibe Magazine. According Robin Thicke, the magazine has a strict policy against having "white" artists on the cover !

While promoting his forthcoming album earlier this summer, an interview with Vibe went wrong according to the "Magic" singer. During the interview Thicke reportedly asked why he could not cover an issue of the magazine --- their response "We don't put white artists on our covers.."

Since the release of his breakthrough album "The Evolution of Robin Thicke" featuring the hit singles "Lost Without You" and "Can You Believe," which both charted well on the R&B and pop charts, Thicke has garnered quite a following amongst R&B and Soul music fans. So what's up with the cold shoulder from Vibe ?

Recalling the situation with Vibe Thicke says "This is a magazine I love. If there's one magazine that I'd want to be on the cover of, it's Vibe. The only white artist they've had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that's what it is, it is what it is."

Even though he got the cold shoulder from the magazine when it came down to the cover, Thicke says "I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman. I won't use the word racism. I will say it's a tough -- but rewarding -- fight. I look at Mary J. Blige, somebody who has had only a few pop hits and yet has changed culture, generated new sounds and inspired leagues of artists. She's now a worldwide phenomenon. And it's because of what she stood for; she never gave up."

With the upcoming release of "Something Else," Thicke's new album, the singer plans to focus on issuing quality music. "You can't always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did. His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can't stop you."

In related news, Robin Thicke's feature in Billboard Magazine titled "White Like Me" has been placed in this week's issue of the popular magazine.

Robin Thicke's "Something Else" is due for release September 30th.

Vibe Magazine is now officially trash to me and I speak as a black reader of 10 years or more. It's disgusting to find this out and I'm sorry to hear Quincy Jones feels that way but even sorrier that humans act this ugly on a daily basis. I'm sorry for VIBE, even if they aren't.


Also make sure you go pick up his new album at the end of the month. I know I will.

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