Republic Records plans to stop using the word ''urban'' to describe music of black origin.

The company - which is one of the most influential record labels in the US and is home to the likes of Drake and Ariana Grande - has announced it will no longer use the contentious word to describe ''departments, employee titles and music genres''.

In a statement, Republic explained: '''Urban' is rooted in the historical evolution of terms that sought to define black music.

''As with a lot of our history, the original connotation of the term urban was not deemed negative. However, over time the meaning and connotations of 'urban' have shifted and it developed into a generalisation of black people in many sectors of the music industry, including employees and music by black artists.

''While this change will not and does not affect any of our staff structurally, it will remove the use of this antiquated term.

''We encourage the rest of the music industry to consider following suit as it is important to shape the future of what we want it to look like, as to not adhere to the outdated structures of the past.''

Elsewhere, Milk & Honey - a well-known management company - has also announced it will ''formally eliminate the term 'urban' at our company''.

The company said in a statement: ''We will no longer be using the term as we believe it's an important step forward, and an outdated word, which has no place in 2020 onwards.''

The decision to stop using the word follows anti-racism protests across the world following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.