Former winners of the renowned category include Lizzo, Beyonce (courtesy AFP)
Strong points
- Grammys has announced a number of changes in the names of its categories
- But the academy has not completely abandoned “urban”
- Former winners of the renowned category include Lizzo, Beyonce
New York:
The organization behind the Grammy Awards announced on Wednesday a number of changes in the names of its categories, including the change from “urban contemporary” to “progressive R&B”.
The move to the Recording Academy comes amid growing criticism in the music industry over the term “urban” which has long generalized genres, including hip-hop and R&B, but which many believe is belittling the black music innovation.
The renamed category “is intended to highlight albums that include the most progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance and electronic music,” said the academy. . “It can also integrate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk and alternative.”
Friday, the label Republic Records, a division of Universal, said it would stop using “urban” in its corporate lexicon.
While the origins of the use of the term in musical jargon were not negative – a colored New York radio DJ coined it in the 1970s – today it is considered an archaic generic term. which marginalizes the work of black music, especially hip hop and R&B is one of the most popular genres in the world.
Former Grammys Urban Contemporary Award Winners Include Lizzo’s Because I love you, Beyonce and Jay-Z Everything is love and Beyonce’s iconic visual album lemonade.
In its renaming announcement, the academy also said it would change the best rap / sung performance to the best melodic rap performance.
But the academy has not completely abandoned “urban”: it remains in the categories including the newly titled “Best Latin or Urban Pop Album”.
“Urban” remains widely accepted as a generic transnational term that includes reggaeton, Latin hip hop, Latin trap and dancehall – all of which have exploded in popularity in recent years.
The academy told Rolling Stone that “we understand that in today’s climate, sentiment may change. We continue to follow the conversation and are determined to make the necessary adjustments.”
The Recording Academy also changed its controversial but prestigious “Best New Artist” award, removing the eligibility requirement that capped a specified number of releases.
And months after the Los Angeles-based organization was troubled by the scandal sparked when its now-sacked CEO laid charges of sexual harassment and voting irregularities, the organization announced changes to its committee review of applications.
The academy has set the limits of the members’ committee mandate and is committed to better analyzing conflicts of interest in the nomination process.
