Kenny Lattimore believes his biggest hit was labeled R&B for one reason: He's Black.

During an appearance on Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman's On That Note podcast , released Oct. 21, the Grammy-nominated singer challenged the music industry's longstanding practice of categorizing Black artists by race rather than sound, arguing that his 1997 wedding staple, "For You," never belonged exclusively to R&B.

"The music industry was racist, too," Lattimore said while reflecting on the 1990s. "There was nothing R&B about 'For You.'" He added that the only thing connecting the record to the genre was that a Black man was singing it.

Lattimore also recalled resisting the industry's attempts to associate him with neo-soul artists such as D'Angelo. "The category thing used to kill me," he explained.

Stockman later expanded on the conversation in an Instagram comment , arguing that "For You" could have become a mainstream pop smash if a non-Black artist had recorded it.…