NEW YORK (AFP) – The organisation behind the Grammy Awards on Wednesday (June 10) announced a number of changes to its category names, including changing "urban contemporary" to "progressive R&B."
The Recording Academy's move comes amid growing criticism in the music industry over the term "urban" that has long generalised genres, including hip-hop and R&B, but which many believe belittles the innovation of black music.
The renamed category "is intended to highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music," the academy said. "It may also incorporate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk, and alternative."
Last Friday, the label Republic Records, a division of Universal, said it would stop using "urban" in its company lexicon.
While the origins of the term's use in music jargon were not negative – a black New York radio DJ coined it in the 1970s – today it is considered an antiquated umbrella term that marginalises the work of black music, especially as hip hop and R&B are among the globe's most popular genres.
Past winners of the Grammys' Urban Contemporary prize include Lizzo's Cuz I Love You, Beyonce and Jay-Z's Everything Is Love and Beyonce's landmark visual album Lemonade.
In its rechristening announcement, the academy also said it would change Best Rap/Sung Performance to Best Melodic Rap Performance.
But the academy did not completely drop "urban" – it remains in categories including the newly titled field Best Latin Pop or Urban Album.
"Urbano" remains widely accepted as a transnational umbrella 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 the current climate, sentimentRead More – Source
NEW YORK (AFP) – The organisation behind the Grammy Awards on Wednesday (June 10) announced a number of changes to its category names, including changing "urban contemporary" to "progressive R&B."
The Recording Academy's move comes amid growing criticism in the music industry over the term "urban" that has long generalised genres, including hip-hop and R&B, but which many believe belittles the innovation of black music.
The renamed category "is intended to highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music," the academy said. "It may also incorporate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk, and alternative."
Last Friday, the label Republic Records, a division of Universal, said it would stop using "urban" in its company lexicon.
While the origins of the term's use in music jargon were not negative – a black New York radio DJ coined it in the 1970s – today it is considered an antiquated umbrella term that marginalises the work of black music, especially as hip hop and R&B are among the globe's most popular genres.
Past winners of the Grammys' Urban Contemporary prize include Lizzo's Cuz I Love You, Beyonce and Jay-Z's Everything Is Love and Beyonce's landmark visual album Lemonade.
In its rechristening announcement, the academy also said it would change Best Rap/Sung Performance to Best Melodic Rap Performance.
But the academy did not completely drop "urban" – it remains in categories including the newly titled field Best Latin Pop or Urban Album.
"Urbano" remains widely accepted as a transnational umbrella 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 the current climate, sentimentRead More – Source
