Monday, 3 February 2025

The 2025 Grammys: A Good Year for People Like Us

The GRAMMY Award
Image by the Recording Academy

Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards happened on February 2, 2025, and as usual, it was a night of glitz, glamor, and a celebration of some of the most talented music creators in the world.

For years, I have not been in tune with the Grammys because it has been inundated with multiple controversies, chief of which was the #GrammysSoWhite outrage in 2017. The question was, ‘Does the Recording Academy only consider talent if it wears white skin?’ This raged on for a while, with many people boycotting the event. I wouldn’t necessarily say I boycotted the awards but I became jaded towards what is usually the biggest night in the music industry. I was tired of black people often having to do the most work and barely getting recognition. And this came from someone who used to stay up late at night to follow everything about the awards show.

Now, do not get me wrong: I believe everyone who gets nominated for the Grammys is deserving of the spot. They work hard to get where they are. My problem was with the voting process that, despite touting the idea of fairness, always somehow managed to fall on white. If something consistently looks, sounds, and acts problematic, it just might be problematic.

Also, the fans are not stupid. There was a time when it seemed that the Grammys were deliberately teasing the fandom of multiple artists to watch the awards show every time they seemed to have dwindling viewership. It has happened with multiple global artists like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, BTS, and African artists like WizKid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Tyla, Black Coffee, Burna Boy’: and a host of others. What was funny was that even if African artists were nominated and won the awards, they wouldn’t receive the much-coveted plaque in the main event.

It wasn’t until 2023 that African music had its category, with the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. saying, “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.”

We are glad that some changes are happening, but they could be better.

As we navigate the changing global dynamics that seek to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must stand firm on the belief that talent is aplenty, everywhere. It is not synonymous with any race, tribe, culture, sex, identity, religion, or history. Humans everywhere have the incredible ability to make music in beautiful tones and notes and we should continue to promote and celebrate the individuals and organizations who do this well.

So, for the first time in a long while, I followed the Grammys and was delighted to see that, out of 94 categories, Africans and people of African descent won 37 categories in the 2025 Grammys. It is such a moment for people who look like us and we are incredibly proud at Shades of Us. We belong in all spaces and we cannot wait to see us in even more spaces and categories.

Cheers to all the nominees and winners of the 2025 GRAMMY Awards. These include the artists, producers, composers, engineers, record labels, distribution companies, film studios, managers, assistants, and most importantly, the fans who receive and love their favorite artists, producers, composers, etc. It took multiple villages to get these winners their flowers and they deserve to bask in it.

Here is a list of the winners we are proud of this year!

Record Of The Year

"Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar


Album Of The Year

COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé 


Song Of The Year

"Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)


Best R&B Performance

"Made For Me (Live On BET)" — Muni Long 


Best Traditional R&B Performance

"That's You" — Lucky Daye


Best R&B Song

"Saturn" — Rob Bisel, Cian Ducrot, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA) 


Best Progressive R&B Album

So Glad to Know You — Avery*Sunshine 

Why Lawd? — NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) 


Best R&B Album

11:11 (Deluxe) — Chris Brown 


Best Rap Performance

"Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar 


Best Melodic Rap Performance

"3" — Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu 


Best Rap Song

"Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar) 


Best Rap Album

Alligator Bites Never Heal — Doechii 


Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

The Heart, The Mind, The Soul — Tank and The Bangas 


Best Jazz Performance

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Me" — Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner


Best Jazz Vocal Album

A Joyful Holiday — Samara Joy


Best Alternative Jazz Album

No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin — Meshell Ndegeocello


Best Musical Theater Album

Hell’s Kitchen — Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis & Maleah Joi Moon, principal vocalists; Adam Blackstone, Alicia Keys & Tom Kitt, producers (Alicia Keys, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast) 


Best Country Duo/Group Performance

"II MOST WANTED" — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus 


Best Country Album

COWBOY CARTER — Beyoncé 


Best Traditional Blues Album

Swingin' Live at The Church in Tulsa — The Taj Mahal Sextet


Best Contemporary Blues Album

Mileage — Ruthie Foster 


Best Gospel Performance/Song

"One Hallelujah" — Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell & Israel Houghton Featuring Jonathan McReynolds & Jekalyn Carr; G. Morris Coleman, Israel Houghton, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters 


Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

"That's My King" — CeCe Winans; Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, Llyod Nicks & Jess Russ, songwriters 


Best Gospel Album

More Than This — CeCe Winans 


Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Heart Of A Human — DOE


Best Roots Gospel Album

Church — Cory Henry


Best African Music Performance

"Love Me JeJe" — Tems 


Best Global Music Album

ALKEBULAN II — Matt B Featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 


Best Reggae Album

Bob Marley: One Love - Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) — (Various Artists) 


Best Comedy Album

The Dreamer — Dave Chappelle 


Best Song Written For Visual Media

It Never Went Away [From “American Symphony”] — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste) 


Best Music Video

"Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar


Best Music Film

"American Symphony" — Jon Batiste

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" — Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly) 


Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

"Alma" — Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje Featuring Regina Carter) 


Best Opera Recording

"Saariaho: Adriana Mater" — Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan & Christopher Purves; Jason O’Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas)


Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Beyond The Years - Unpublished Songs Of Florence Price — Karen Slack, soloist; Michelle Cann, pianist 

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