The Grammys are considering adding an Afrobeats category
This will be the 21st year that the Grammy Awards have recognized musicians whose music does not match the musical tastes of mainstream America
It certainly will be a big deal at the Grammys next month. If the ratings aren’t bad enough, the category is an easy enough to win.
In its 14-year history, the Grammys have given out 13 of the 23 awards that appear on the list of Grammy winners. This year, a record 54 categories, including album and song of the year, will be vying for two of the four awards for popular album and song of the year as well as the Grammy for best album, album and song of the year.
Some categories are expected to have several finalists and winners. The Grammy Award for best new artist was among those with four participants, with Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams expected to be in the running. Meanwhile, best album was expected to have four contenders.
The Grammy Award for best new artist is a big deal because, in the eyes of music writers and fans, it is the equivalent to a pop- culture icon. It is, in a way, a music award for the artists who, despite mainstream success, are not “mainstream” enough to be able to claim a spot in the Recording Academy’s Hall of Fame.
Other Grammy awards, including best song and best new performer, will be decided on the basis of the artists who are already on the Grammy ballot. So the winner of best new artist in the short list of nominees might not be the same artist who wins in the long list of nominees.
In one of the strangest changes in Grammy history, the show has taken a cue from the Oscars and the Golden Globes by creating a category that combines two existing categories, pop-culture icon and best song. The category, which will begin to be used in the 2013 awards, will be called “Afro-American”