A Grammy by Any Other Name, is it Just as Sweet?

Written by Alejandro Mejia

It has been a couple of months now, and the discussion surrounding the 2023 Grammys has de-escalated from an explosive digital brawl to a highly spirited discussion on the equitable treatment of Artists of Color on the Grammy main stage. Although it was a monumental year for many artists, this conversation stemmed from the widespread sentiment that an Artist of Color was snubbed from the most important category: Album of the Year. The two artists at the center of this discourse, Bad Bunny and Beyoncé, released fan and critically acclaimed albums that defined the soundtrack of 2022. 

For some, the Grammys represent the musical tastes of the western powers; it is an institution unwavering and unquestionable in its cultural impact. To receive a Grammy award is the validation of the art, and it defines the canon of genres and music. For others, the Grammys represent the oppressive power structures set up by the music business elite to codify culture and exploit artists. An award means little more than temporary, symbolic recognition for the longstanding tradition and history of a genre. No matter the side, both parties pay extremely close attention to each Grammy cycle for who gets recognition and who gets snubbed. 

This Grammy cycle was significant because it featured potentially record-breaking and precedent-shifting nominations and wins. For Beyoncé, winning three of her eight nominations tied her with Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins, and winning a fateful fourth made her the most-awarded artist in Grammy History. For Bad Bunny, after another exceptionally successful year, Un Verano Sin Ti was the first Spanish-Language album to be nominated for Album of the Year. 

Since 2020, Bad Bunny has consecutively topped the most-streamed artist list on Spotify. Last year he headlined a sold-out stadium tour, and Un Verano Sin Ti amassed over four billion streams. The year 2022 was arguably Bad Bunny’s most successful in his rapidly growing career. It was less a thought of whether he would be nominated for a Grammy, and more wondering which awards they would be. Bad Bunny was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Música Urbana Album for Un Verano Sin Ti, and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Moscow Mule.”

For Beyoncé, at the inkling of an album, the world and - most importantly - her fans are ready. She took the world by storm and reached the summit of the Hot 100 with “Break My Soul.” She released Renaissance to fan acclaim and has been busy at work preparing for The Renaissance World Tour. Beyoncé was nominated for eight categories; Best R&B Song, Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best Song Written for Visual Media. These eight nominations tied Beyoncé with her husband Jay-Z for most Grammy nominations in history. 

Both Bad Bunny and Beyoncé won in their respective “Best Album” categories. Since this was a historic win for Beyoncé as the first Black woman to ever win in this category, it pushed her over the edge into the most awarded artist in Grammy history. However, when it came to the Album of the Year, neither artist ultimately won the award. This marked Bad Bunny’s first loss and Beyoncé’s fourth loss in this category. Fans of both artists flocked to the internet to express their displeasure with the results of the show, and part of the discussion dealt with the exploitation of Artists of Color for views before snubbing them in the most important categories. 

Album of the Year hasn’t been won by a Woman of Color since 2003 with Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me and hasn’t been won by a Black woman since 1999, with Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. This is an award that has only been won by eleven Black people, one Latinx person, one East Asian person, one person of Indigenous Hawaiian descent, and two South Asian people. Album of the year has never been won by a non-English album. 

An issue fans have rightfully acknowledged is that Artists of Color are often nominated for awards within highly racialized categories and occasionally the main categories, but will win within the racialized categories and go home with nothing in the main categories. There are times when the categories artists are nominated for have very little to nothing to do with the substance of the record itself. Out of Beyoncé’s historical 32 award-winnings, only 1 is from a major category, that being “Single Ladies.” Bad Bunny had over 4 billion streams on his album and is the first all-Spanish album to ever reach the top of the Billboard 200 Year-End Chart, and the first album ever to spend six months in the top two. However, he only won Best Música Urbana Album. 

Even when faced with institutions that may not recognize the cultural significance of their work, the greatest recognition any artist can achieve is support and longevity. In the case of the Grammy Awards, where many fans feel the voting committee missed the mark, Bad Bunny and Beyoncé are two artists of color with careers many can only dream of. Beyoncé is still one of the most successful artists in the history of recorded music, Bad Bunny has made the global Latinx community so proud, and they will continue to be great with or without a Grammy.

Artists of Color and Music of Color are valid on the principle of humanity, not the word of a voting committee. It is the job of listeners, artists, and the general public to continue supporting marginalized voices in the music business. It is a joint effort to continue advocating for these voices to be heard across all avenues. 

Sometimes though, fans can forget that the focus of music should not be on the acquisition of awards and accolades, but rather on how a body of work makes the creators and listeners feel. Music has the potential to be a deeply personal expression of self, and listeners should question if public reception of the work dictates their enjoyment of the piece.