Unfiltered with…Tuma Basa – YouTube Blog

Can you describe what you do at YouTube?

I support and lead the efforts of anything that touches Black music, which in itself is a broad range of genres (Hip Hop, R&B, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, UK Rap… etc). I work with all of the different departments from marketing, to artist and label relations, ad sales, government and public policy, trust and safety, communications – not just figuring out a way to add value, whether to an idea or concept or activation, but also making sure we are doing it with cultural accuracy, involving the right people and going about it the right way. It sometimes feels like consultancy, talking through the best route to make the most impact. I look at my role in two ways, internal and external. Internally, I represent “The Culture” at YouTube and then externally I represent YouTube to “The Culture.”

How do you define “The Culture”?

“The Culture” to me is the whole music ecosystem — not just the labels, managers, and the artists. It includes the fans, the media, the clubs, the festivals, even the people in the streets who hear a song playing from a car and don’t know who sings it but they just like what they hear. The music industry is just the commerce part. The holistic music community is “The Culture.”