Meet Bianca Brown | Music Journalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bianca Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bianca, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Music journalism as a whole tends to be a much more male dominated & saturated industry, & that saturation is even more present in genres like Hip-Hop & Rap. Womxn in this industry are expected to perform at higher skill-levels & workloads only to receive less opportunities, less payment, & to go virtually unseen within the digital journalism sphere despite publications & efforts. On it’s face, this “glass ceiling” is not much of a surprise, however I feel due to the lack of womxn, especially POC & Black womxn, in this industry, it is not brought to light enough.

In Hip-Hop music, womxn are held to a specific standard that they must abide by in order to even qualify for acceptance as a “good” artist in the minds of listeners and music moguls alike. It’s the reason womxn rappers’ & artists’ effervescent talents are often discounted & become reduced to their looks, their lyrics, or their dating life–criteria often overlooked for their male counterparts. (Ex: Megan Thee Stallion’s flows being diminished for critique of her sexualized lyrics).

This same election of misogyny exists within music journalism, an industry where male thoughts & opinions tend to be valued & respected a little more than womxn’s do due to music and journalism being viewed as “male” subjects. In a 2021 study by the News Guild – Communications Workers of America that was conducted on the pay disparities of womxn & POC in the journalism field, it was found that womxn made $10,000 less than their male counterparts with the same job and title, while womxn of colour earned a little over $15,000 less. In addition, the womxn who showcase their written skills and work to become “Faces” of music talk shows are expected to present a specific way so as to maximize their viewership. Of the many womxn that apply for these positions, the ones elected tend to be of a specific appearance archetype, which is the femme-presenting individual–eyelashes and nails done with form fitting clothes, etc. This is done to attract the attention of male audiences to the video or channel, validating the host/interviewer not by the content of her questions or responses, but simply by her appearance.

Although this industry can be and is very rewarding in and of itself, I believe it is still important for people to know that there are disparages that still exist in these otherwise “progressive” seeming spaces. As a Black queer and masculine presenting womxn in this industry, I am aware this industry was not built for people who look like me. However, through my continued efforts & absolute love for both music & uplifting artists & their stories alike, I plan on altering the world’s perception on what exactly a “music journalist” looks like.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a writer. I write a bunch of things, but primarily I am a music journalist. I essentially take artists’ songs/albums & overall their stories & I share them with the world. When I listen to an artists’ music, I make sure that I’m listening with every part of me- my mind, my heart, my body. As corny as that sounds, I do it to genuinely connect with the artist through their music because I feel that is the best way to help represent the story they are telling. On writing days, I can easily be stuck in the same position, looping the same song with my eyes closed for about two hours–making notes about what comes up in me during that time. Whether it be a color, a feeling, a memory, anything and everything that the song elicits I will write down to help formulate the message or story the song and artist are trying to share. Obviously not all music was written to be digested in this fashion haha, but it is one of my most authentic ways of ensuring I do both the artist and their story justice.

Funny enough, I always tell people that I kind of stumbled into this field. I used to be apart of my college’s radio station, and there they had us infrequently complete write-ups on new, up-coming releases for the website. It was so infrequent, I maybe wrote 3 or 4 my entire time there haha. In college, I knew I wanted to do something creative and dealing with music despite going in for like…Physiological Science and graduating with a degree in Philosophy haha. So I was applying to music jobs every-day and getting rejected every day until I saw an internship with Live Nation where I would essentially be writing on music. I didn’t know that it was something I wanted to do, let alone something I’d end up loving to do.

From there, I’ve had to network and create my own opportunities and my own ideas/pitches in order to get the publications that I have such as my ones with Lyrical Lemonade, Condé Nast, & Alt Press. Writing for the publications that I have and attempting to branch into something more fulltime is an ongoing uphill battle, especially for womxn in this industry, and even more-so for me as a womxn who is more Hip-Hop & Alternative R&B oriented. I wasn’t ever really told how to do this, or even taught how to do it so a lot of my journey has been full of falling and getting right back up and learning. Which has been a sort of fun necessary evil. However, I won’t lie, when you have to build your own opportunities & “prove” yourself through your own means, sometimes it can be really frustrating to see people around you get opportunities simply because they’re the son of so-and-so or they’re friends with this influencer or that music mogul, etc. In spite of that, I continue to let my love of music and writing guide me and accept that what’s mine will not miss me.

I currently have my own LLC centered on my written work, BB Editorial LLC and am looking to start my own publication that favours rising artists. That’s currently in the works and I’m excited to start that new venture.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I definitely frequent Leimert Park, especially on Sundays for the African Marketplace and drum circles, so I would most definitely take friends there. They also have a dope Black owned art gallery there, as well as Black owned book shops, clothing stores, and coffee shops so Leimert Park is definitely my go-to. If I have a friend who is as avid a coffee drinker as I and doesn’t want to go down to Leimert, I always recommend the Black owned and ran coffee shop Sip and Sonder in Inglewood. 10/10 coffee, vibes, and comfort in working or just being in a space surrounded by other Black folks!

And if we were trying to go out, I’d always recommend going wherever DJ Rose Gawd is because she’s a spectacular Black womxn DJ. Usually on Thursdays she performs at the Blind Barber in Highland Park which is this chill speakeasy bar behind a barber shop.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Personally, I have to shoutout my friends and family. They push me to keep going and believe in me when I often struggle believing in myself. I wouldn’t be here without them.

Outside of myself, I believe big shout outs should go to platforms that exist to highlight Black womxn in creative spaces such as Rememory Directory (https://www.rememory.directory) and Hire Black Female Creatives (https://www.hireblackfemalecreatives.com). Both are websites that showcases Black womxn creatives of all backgrounds for hire.

Website: https://www.bianca-brown.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokebackbianca/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bianca-brown/

Image Credits
Jarrett Lampley