american reggae band SOY took home the Grammy for Best Reggae Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, and the Internet is not happy about it.
The Virginia-based band won the award for their “Beauty In The Silence” album, which was released in July 2021 and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The group beat out contemporaries Sean Paul, Spice, Jesse Royal, Etana and Gramps Morgan.
“Starting a reggae band was kind of our dream and the only thing we wanted to do, and then one day people started coming to shows and we’re not really sure what happened,” said lead singer Jacob Hemphill. in the band’s statement. acceptance speechafter acknowledging his first musical influences.
“To the founding fathers of reggae music and to the island of Jamaica, you inspired us all,” said another band member on stage. “Give thanks, love.”
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Formed in 1997, SOJA achieved an international following thanks to “heavy touring and a series of independent releases,” according to All the musicwhich laid the groundwork for his breakthrough album “Strength to Survive”, released in 2012 and peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
The band’s next album, “Amid the Noise and Haste”, assigned them their first Grammy nomination in 2015.
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However, SOJA’s victory at the Grammy was not welcomed by all.
Disappointed music fans took to social media to express their outrage, with many pointing to the racial disparity of a white band winning an award in a reggae music category.
“If most Jamaicans around the world are unaware of your existence, you shouldn’t win a grammy for best reggae album, sorry not sorry,” @nu_tiffany tweeted.
“SOJA (an all-male group from YT) just beat out 4 Jamaican musicians for Best Reggae Album,” @leylandelake tweeted.
Twitter user @getfabnowboss said SOJA’s victory over Spice, a Jamaican artist, reflects the reality that the entertainment industry and the people of Jamaica have “WORK TO DO”.
“The GRAMMY’S, along with THESE CULTURAL VULTURES, are too PRESUMPTIVE,” the user said wrote. “OUR CULTURE IS BEING DISRESPECTED AND BLANKLY STOLEN. We need MUSIC JUSTICE, this is not it.”
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“A #soy white American group won a grammy for best reggae album, wtf. Talk about appropriating culture,” @GeeSharp5. tweeted.
Racial and cultural issues aside, some argued that SOJA did not possess the musical prowess to win the award.
“I would encourage everyone to listen to that SOJA album before rushing to negative judgement,” @geraldlindo he tweeted. “I found it on Tidal a moment ago and I can honestly say I didn’t get past track two because it was hot crap. But now at least I *know* I’m right.”
“The Grammy Awards are literally a competition between artists of the same genre,” @441QueenCaramel he tweeted. “SOJA didn’t even deserve to pass the local bar in Virginia let alone one of music’s highest honors.”
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Reference-www.usatoday.com