The Recording Academy, responsible for the prestigious Grammy Awards, has announced the creation of a new category specifically dedicated to music from Africa. This development follows recent reports indicating the Academy’s consideration of establishing a category for Afrobeats, aiming to represent the diverse musical landscape of the continent.
Harvey Manson Jr., the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Recording Academy, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to proper representation of African music during his visit to Ghana in 2022. He emphasized the meticulous efforts made to ensure the inclusion of authentic African sounds in the Grammy Awards.
Among the three new categories added to the 2024 edition of the awards, the Best African Music Performance stands out as a remarkable inclusion. The other two categories are Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.
The Best African Music Performance category encompasses various music genres, including the vibrant sounds of Ghanaian drill and highlife. It recognizes track and singles that employ unique local expressions from across the African continent. The category definition emphasizes the significance of regional melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic traditions. The eligible genres span a wide spectrum, ranging from Afrobeat, Afro-fusion, and Afro Pop to Alte, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, Genge, Kizomba, Chimurenga, High Life, Fuji, Kwassa, Ndombolo, Mapouka, Ghanaian Drill, Afro-House, South African Hip-Hop, and Ethio Jazz.
These category additions and modifications were voted on and approved during the Recording Academy’s most recent semiannual Board of Trustees meeting held in May 2023, as reported on grammy.com.
Expressing pride in these changes, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. stated, “The Recording Academy is proud to announce these latest category changes to our Awards process. These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape.” He further added, “By introducing these three new categories, we are able to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists – and relocating the Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year categories to the General Field ensures that all our voters can participate in recognizing excellence in these fields. We are excited to honor and celebrate the creators and recordings in these categories while also exposing a wider range of music to fans worldwide.”
The introduction of this new category for African music within the Grammy Awards signifies a significant milestone in recognizing and appreciating the rich and diverse musical heritage of the continent. It promises to open doors for African artists to gain global recognition and further contribute to the ever-evolving music industry.
