Not Jay-Z! (Wow, just because you are nominated – 8 times – doesn’t mean you will win) …but one time for eating Blue’s snack! I can definitely relate to that one!!! Bruno Mars had a great night and deserved every moment in the spotlight. From the day he dropped “That’s What I Like”, to thrusting all of us back into the days of “In Living Color” with the “Finesse” video featuring CardiB, he has been bringing the funk and reaching the music masses. On January 28, 2018, the New York City night air wasn’t just filled with awards, melodies, harmonies, wicked beats, the scent of brown liquors and pizza slices. The voices of women in the music industry could also be heard and they were not left out, just few in number.
And the Grammy goes to… Alessia Cara, Lisa Loeb, Shakira, CeCe Winans, and Reba McEntire. They all won Grammy’s for their work in 2017. Yet, those names as winners and even their nominations were completely against the odds. According to CBSLA, “only 9.3 percent of the 899 people nominated for Grammy’s between 2013 and 2018 were women.” Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Beyonce are three different women, but each can only be counted once. So…. who really runs this mutha? I’ll tell you, who! The likes of those who had us retweeting #oscarssowhite, two years. Much like that situation, in order to bring about change and diversity in who wins and who is nominated, we have to change and diversify who chooses the nominees and winners.
Not supporting an award system that doesn’t support you as an artist is also an option. In 2001 Black Entertainment Television held its first BET Awards program acknowledging the accomplishments and contributions of minorities in: the arts, sports, politics and community/humanitarian activism. This was also the year that Trick Daddy rapped: “you aint gotta give me my props and nominate me, cause damn it I love this.” Now, while most of Trick’s lyrics perpetuate the sexual exploitation of women everywhere and are in direct contradiction to Janelle Monae’s speech on Grammy night, those specific words are TRUTH! [Women with comparable sales to their male counterpart should receive equal compensation, budgeting and benefits. Women should also not risk being sexually assaulted or have to sleep with executives to receive a deal.] When it comes to making music…your grind and that finished product is the labor of love. Awards and nominations don’t change that!
44 dropped his Top 20 songs of 2017, back in December. One of his favorite songs from last year is performed by people of Barbadian, Palestinian and American descent – “Wild Thoughts”. The song was performed live at the 2018 Grammy’s and was GREAT! The nod to the song by a President and that group of musicians collaborating to create it, speaks to the power of music and its ability to heal, communicate, cross boundaries and unite! If music has that power and we create music, then we can HEAL, COMMUNICATE, CROSS BOUNDARIES and UNITE. Let’s do it!!!
-KingP