R&B NEWS: Robin Thicke No Magic to Vibe

Robin Thicke, who brought you The Evolution Of Robin Thicke via Pharrell's Star Trak Records in 2006, recently revealed some of the issues he has faced in the music biz.

Being that he's more R&B than pop, Thicke said crossing the color line has been a lot harder than many think. Via a recent interview with Billboard magazine, the singer told a story about how he was denied the cover of Vibe because of his skin color.

"When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, 'Why can't I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there's one magazine that I'd want to be on the cover of, it'sVibe,' " the singer explained. "Their response was they don't have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they've had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that's what it is, it is what it is. And I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman."

Thicke sights this as one of several obstacles he has faced. "I won't use the word 'racism.' I will say it's a tough ­­- but rewarding - fight," he explained.

His fight continues too. Thicke says while roadblocks get in the way sometimes, all an artist can do is put their all into the music and nobody can stop you.

"You can't always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did," Thicke told the magazine. "His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can't stop you."

Currently, Robin Thicke is preparing the release of his third solo album, titled Something Else.