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Thank you @applemusic for giving me the opportunity to be in a room with two people I admire very much Last week I got to sit down and chat with @mosesboydexodus about music and alll of that and record a cover with @hakbaker all can be seen and heard over at @applemusic #applemusicforblackhistorymonth

A post shared by Celeste (@celeste) on Oct 3, 2020 at 6:51am PDT

The session was organised by Apple Music, in celebration of Black History Month. Over the course of October, the platform will be promoting Black British musicians both new and established. We can expect to see exclusive playlists, interviews and performances as part of this worthwhile series.

The recordings of Little Runaway and Both Sides of the Moon were seamless and powerful. It was especially nice to see Celeste preform her first ever single, given the amount of success she has achieved since its release. In contrast to the two down-beat soulful songs, her and Baker’s cover of Rudy, A Message To You was a buoyant track, filled with the joy of collaboration. At the end of the recording you can hear the pair laughing in the background.

After the second chorus, Baker diverts from the original to deliver his own verse. He sings: ‘In a London town, where the smiles wore upside down// Such abundant frowns, everywhere I look and turn around// In a town like London, Babylon run around with a truncheon.’

The original version of the song was recorded in 1967 by rocksteady musician Dandy Livingstone. Later in 1979, The Specials covered it. Livingstone song was originally about social unrest amongst the Jamaican community in England, an address to the so called ‘rude-boys’ ska fans of the time to keep calm and stay out of trouble.

In the 70’s, The Specials cover was a commentary on the disaffection and rioting that took place during the Winter of Discontent. By this time, the white community had appropriated the ‘rude-boy’ aesthetic of sharp suits and trilby hats; particularly within the punk subculture.

A key figure in this was Jerry Dammers (The Specials frontman), who set up 2 Tone Records in ’79 in a bid to dismantle racial tensions using music. The idea was to do so through multi-racial ska-revivalist bands such as The Specials, The Selector and The Beat.

Today, Celeste and Baker’s version takes on a new meaning. Baker’s verse about ‘Babylon [running] around with a truncheon’ is a reference to racial violence within the police force, that is all too often targeted at innocent young black men. The importance of this message, especially in light of George Floyd’s murder and the recent re-examination of cases such as Stephen Lawrence’s, is paramount.

so the university I went to did this pic.twitter.com/y4Brn5eby9

— ginny (@GinnySanderson) October 25, 2016

Naturally this sparked a negative reaction, with many taking issue with the fact that the two chosen celebrity representatives are Asian by heritage, rather than black. The reaction was so widespread that Black History Month’s official Twitter page commented on these events.

With Asian Heritage Month being observed by a growing number of countries in May, will Black icons be celebrated by Kent University then?

— Black History Month (@BhmUK) October 25, 2016

Per Kent Union’s Facebook page, Union President Rory Murray wrote a statement regarding the posters and promotions, which have since been taken down.

“Having become aware of the discussions online today regarding an image released for Kent Union’s Black History Month campaign I wanted to respond personally. I was out of the country visiting our students on the Paris campus to discuss important issues with them and so have responded as soon as was practical.

“First of all, I want to apologise on behalf of Kent Union to any individuals who were upset, uncomfortable or offended by the image shared. There was no intent for this to happen and I am very sorry to anybody who felt this way.

“I also feel it is important to explain the context behind how this happened. As a students’ union we are led by our members; over 2,000 volunteers who give up their time to run campaigns and events. This is through a wide range of activity be it sports clubs, societies, campaign groups, elected officers and so forth. The Black History Month calendar of events was led and run by these students and supported by the organisation. The activity for the month was decided by open meetings attended by black and minority ethnic students.

“At Kent Union we always strive to do the very best and include our members to the full extent on our activities. Whilst we made every effort to include black & minority ethnic students on the planning for the month, clearly, we haven’t got it right on this occasion. For that, I again apologise and will ensure we do better.

“Debate and discussion are an important part of any healthy university campus. I welcome people’s right to critique the messages put out; it has given us all a chance to reflect and learn more. I am, however, uncomfortable at the level of some of the criticism aimed at those who made this decision as I believe that those black students have equally valid views on their race and culture. I welcome opportunities for students to debate, discuss and disagree with each other in respectable and safe environments; it helps us all work towards a better community.

“I hope that the passion ignited in many people in the last 12 hours will continue and that students will become further involved in leading our black and minority ethnic work.

“Finally I want to thank the hard working students who have put a huge amount of effort into Black History Month which have gone a long way in highlighting the need for our continuing work to a fairer society.

“In unity,
Rory Murray, Union President.”

Kent Union is a page that can be given a review out of  five stars, with comments to these rating also shown publicly. Following these events it is notable that out of their current 569 reviews on the Union’s page, 520 are them are one star reviews, with former students even returning to slate the Union’s decision making.