Beyonce's father, Matthew Knowles, has written a book on the experiences of race in his life in America. The book is described as “A personal reflection on racism in America through a childhood lived through the country’s most separate past” and is said to trace the Knowles family’s southern roots; post-slavery from the 1800’s, up through the civil rights protests and on into the present racial climate. Knowles, a music mogul in his own right, has long been outspoken about race in the music industry and on the press tour for his new book he’s weighed in on his daughter’s success.
The former Destiny's Child manager was interviewed by Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, and admitted that as a younger man he only dated white or very light-skinned women because he was struggling with ingrained colourism. "I had been conditioned from childhood. With eroticised rage, there was actual rage in me as a black man, and I saw the white female as a way, subconsciously, of getting even or getting back. There are a lot of black men of my era that are not aware of this thing."
Knowles went on to speak about this colourism running into the music industry, arguing that dark-skinned musicians don’t receive the same level of attention and success as light-skinned ones - "When it comes to black females, who are the people who get their music played on pop radio. Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, my kids [Beyonce and Solange], and what do they all have in common?". Though it might be controversial, Matthew Knowles is raising important points that the entire industry needs to sit up to take notice of.
