Hey guys, gals, & non-binary pals!
I know what you're thinking...
...It IS Tuesday and not my normal Monday posting! I apologize for the day-late post, but I had a change of heart yesterday in what I wanted to post and wanted to give enough time to explore that topic. So, here I am on a rainy Tuesday, rather than an 'equally-as-rainy' Monday!
Today's Hot Takes segment explores a topic that has been both in the back of my mind and the forefront of the news for many years: The Grammys' intentional 'snubbing' of Black artists in musical categories outside of the newly-renamed 'Progressive R&B' (previously, 'Urban Contemporary') category. For decades, Black artists have been nominated for musical categories outside of 'Progressive R&B,' but have rarely won these nominations. Why? How are the Grammys racialized? What is 'Progressive R&B'? How does this category restrict the creativity and undermine the talent of Black artists? How can we do more as a musical community for Black artists?
Let's read and explore these questions together.
The Grammys: 'Music's Biggest Night.' Being nominated for one of these magnificent gramophones is one thing, but winning? That is an entirely different joy.
For the second-ranked female Grammy winner of all time, Beyoncé Knowles, the feeling is all too familiar. With 22 total Grammy wins, Beyoncé is the 8th Top Grammy Winner, and an absolutely incredible musician, producer, and performer. She has received 63 Grammy nominations since her career began and has found wins in the following categories: Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Surround Sound Album, Best Music Video, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Music Film, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Now, why did I list all of those categories out, instead of just telling you what I noticed? Because I want you, as a reader and as a fellow music lover, to really take a closer look. Beyoncé has never won Album or Record of the Year. Never. Not with Lemonade. Not with Beyoncé. And not with I Am...Sasha Fierce. Despite being the ONLY solo artist to have her first six albums hit number one, and debut at number one, on the Billboard Top 100 Charts, she has NEVER won Album or Record of the Year.
Shocked? You're not the only one.
However, what Beyoncé has won are plenty of nominations and wins in the R&B and 'Urban Contemporary' categories, which is certainly something to celebrate, but something deserving of critical attention. Why does the only solo artist to have SIX number one albums continually get snubbed in the Album and Record of the Year categories at the biggest music awards show in the United States? 2016 Album of the Year winner, Adele, asked this question better than I ever could in an interview after her win: "What the f**k does she have to do to win Album of the Year?"
It's not what she needs to do, but rather, what the Grammys need to do differently with monumentally talented Black artists: stop boxing them into R&B categories.
The Grammys' creation of the 'Urban Contemporary' categories was marketed as inclusive, but rather, act as 'consolation prizes' for Black artists. The category, Best Urban Contemporary Album, was first introduced in 2013 by music producer, Ivan Barias, as a way to celebrate "all the diverse genres of urban music," rather than a category exclusively for Black musicians. However, the category's first-ever winner showcased the limitations of its 'diverse' intention.
The winner of the Best Urban Contemporary Album, you ask? Frank Ocean's stylistic masterpiece, Channel Orange. To simply box this tour de force as an Urban Contemporary album is insulting, to say the least. Channel Orange was and continues to be, a defining cultural piece of the decade. It's irrefutable. Other masterful albums, like Rihanna's Unapologetic and both the Weeknd's Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy, won Best Urban Contemporary Album in the years 2014, 2016, and 2018, respectively, but were snubbed for Album of the Year, and lacked nominations in many other categories outside of 'Urban Contemporary.'
This past June, the Grammys altered the term 'Urban Contemporary' to a more 'inclusive' term, "Progressive R&B," after severe backlash from the use of the racially-insensitive term, 'urban.' The original definition of the word refers to city-like characteristics but has been recently been used to describe Black individuals. The term, 'urban,' reinforces the stereotypes that Black individuals are 'unsafe' and 'dirty,' similar to how a city would be described, and build upon the idea that urban areas need to be 'rebuilt' and 'redone' to become 'safer' places to live. Thus, in the words of Sam Taylor, who signed and helped release hit tracks like, "All The Stars" (Kendrick Lamar) and "Goosebumps" (Travis Scott): "When you say urban music...it's letting me know that you think it needs to be rebuilt." However, this term change, though important, was long overdue, and does nothing for the continual 'boxing in' of multi-faceted Black artists who continue to challenge the boundaries of musical genres year after year.
In the words of Frank Ocean in 2011: "If you're a singer and you're Black, you're an R&B artist. Period."
With the 2021 Grammys set to occur March 14th, I, and many others anticipate the inevitable snubs genre-defying Black artists will experience at the televised awards show while watching white artists snag all of the awards for doing the exact same thing, or quite usually, less. The category that we will most likely see the biggest snub? Album of the Year, as many Black artists deserving of this award, will be strategically placed in the Progressive R&B categories.
Jazz artist, Herbie Hancock was the last Black artist to win the Grammys' Album of the Year in 2008. Let that sink in. 2008. Creative genius, Childish Gambino won Record of the Year AND Song of the Year in 2018 but was snubbed for Album of the Year by country music star, Kacey Musgraves. This year, I anticipate similar results in the category given the nominations, which include Taylor Swift's folklore, Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, and Coldplay's Everyday Life. Though these albums are great, they aren't earth-shattering. They will never be earth-shattering. And sadly, they will always win for their radio-friendly presence over albums that hold weight, like those also nominated for Album of the Year by The Black Pumas and Jhené Aiko. Frankly, to win Album of the Year, as put by Vulture, Billboard, The Atlantic, and countless other sources, Black artists must create an 'Album of the Decade.' And that is not the fault of the artists who continue to sweep the Grammys but of the Grammys themselves.
As I present my closing thoughts, I want to mention that each artist is talented, especially those who have been nominated for a Grammy and those who continue their careers without ever being nominated for one. However, it is poignant to showcase the broken system that the Grammys are by mentioning the ways that mainstream white artists, such as Taylor Swift and Adele, benefit from this system and have historically won Grammys for 'good' albums over Black artists, like Beyoncé and Childish Gambino, who have created, crafted, and forged tracks that define their lives but will always be seen by the Academy as 'R&B artists.' The Grammys have failed Black artists time and time again and will continue to ignore their own racist practices until we hold them accountable.
We cannot necessarily change the events in the past, but we can certainly change the future results. With that in mind, as a start, I urge you to listen to my playlist titled, "Listen Up", which features Black artists who are ignored by the mainstream spotlight, and those who break boundaries in their genres, which are heavily white-dominated. These are not at all the only Black artists you should listen to, but certainly, a great place to begin.
Uplift these artists; buy their concert tickets; share their music with your friends, your community, and your social media following. Continue to support your favorite mainstream artists, but hold them accountable for creating spaces for young, up-and-coming Black artists. Challenge their actions and be critical of how they use their platforms. And, as always, hold the Grammys accountable. Examine their actions and be critical of their decisions, even when they benefit your favorite artists. Do not let this trend continue.
Celebrate Black musicians. Celebrate their accomplishments. And keep listening.
Peace.
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