Muni Long Shuts Down Requests to Write Soulful Songs for Non-Black Artists [Video]

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Muni Long is taking a stand against industry requests that she write soulful songs for non-Black artists.

Video

On Instagram, the “Made For Me” star shared her frustration through humor. She posted a video captioned, “Me to the President of Atlantic asking me to write ‘soulful’ songs for non-melanated artists,” featuring her lip-syncing to a Boosie voiceover emphatically responding, “No.”

In her caption, she recounted the exchange in more detail.

“And when I said NO one of ’em gone say, ‘You can reach in that Priscilla Renea [her real name] vault and see what you have in there,’” she wrote, adding, “Boy, do you know what a VAULT is? That’s where you keep the valuables. If you don’t get somewhere, sit down. I wanted to cuss them out so bad, y’all.”

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A post shared by MUH-Knee LONG 💸💰💸💰 (@munilong)

Long’s music journey began in 2009 with her debut album “Jukebox,” which didn’t chart, prompting her to focus on songwriting for other artists. Her credits include hits like Rihanna’s “California King Bed,” Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It,” and much more. In 2021, she found solo success with her viral hit “Hrs and Hrs,” earning her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance and solidifying her as a musical powerhouse.

It’s unclear which non-black artists Long was called upon to write for. However, given her own catalog and songwriting accolades, it’s evident she is also focused on gatekeeping Black musical culture.