There has been much talk about the “Hateful Conduct Policy” that was initiated by Spotify that would remove artists with questionable allegations from their curated playlists. Impacting R.Kelly and XXXTentacion at its inception, some fans were quick to point out other artists while others thought viewed it as a form of censorship. Fan and artist Kendrick Lamar was of the latter who contacted CEO Daniel Ek to provide his opinion regarding the matter.
The Guardian reports, representatives for Kendrick called the CEO and in conversation threatened to remove his music from the streaming service and now XXXTentacion’s music will be placed back on the playlists. The policy, which has been in existence since May 10, also caused an internal rift among staff members, specifically Head of Artist Relations, Troy Carter, who was preparing for his departure until convinced to stay by Ek.
While we will see some amendments on the way for the policy, unfortunately for him, R. Kelly won’t be affected by any of the changes today. There have not been any movements into returning him into playlists but it may not be necessary for the singer as his discography has seen a bump in streaming numbers since his removal. The issues for R. Kelly may be larger than his music. Allegations against the Chicago singer continues to pour in no matter if he thinks that “It’s too late.”
In other Kendrick Lamar news, celebration is due as his Black Panther soundtrack is now officially platinum.