With the Grammys just around the corner, there has been a lot of recent talk about the nominees this year. To be honest, I usually don’t keep up with these types of award shows, so I wasn’t aware of most of the nominations. Every year, the extent of my awards show knowledge usually comes from reading a couple articles here and there or seeing what people post on social media about the previous night’s winners. Despite not being highly involved with awards show news, I was aware that in previous years, the Grammys have been heavily accused of failing to recognize many black artists and performers. That’s why I was extremely surprised and intrigued by a New York Times article I recently came across.
One of the categories this year, contains an all black nominee list. That category is best music video/film. I had actually only watched 2 out of the 5 nominees and those were “Apes***”, by The Carters and “This is America,” by Childish Gambino. Although I had not heard of the other 3 songs, I knew they must be really good if they could hang among the ranks with those two iconic songs. The article included all the music videos with a small analysis about what they trying to convey. After watching each video, I understood why all of them were nominated for a Grammy. Although each song was great on their own, the music videos added a whole new level to the song. One of the videos that stood out to me was “I’m Not Racist,” by Joyner Lucas. The song addresses the issues of racism and highlights the fact that it stems from misunderstanding and being unable to put ourselves in other’s shoes. The song is powerful on its own, but the simple, yet creative, music video is what really drove his message across. I highly recommend you watch this video and all the others, if you have a chance.
I realized that all of these music videos had a common theme. They all try to convey important messages that relate to current social justice problems. Some of the topics may be controversial and hard to talk about, which is why there are people who do not think they deserve a Grammy. However, I believe the artists’ goal was not to completely solve these issues but to start a conversation about them. These music videos were especially effective in starting important conversations about our society, which is why I fully support their Grammy nomination. I’m curious to see which of these videos wins the Grammy award. I’m also excited to see what will be nominated for this category in the future, since the article also stated that “this category should be seen as an opportunity to embrace a whole new breed of musician.” It once again speaks to the fact that music is such a powerful art form that can affect the entire nation, and combining that with visual arts will only increase its ability to move people.
Ashley’s Blog 
I donʻt ususally follow closely with the Grammy nominations either, but I think itʻs interesting how you pointed out that the nominees all focus on a current social justice issue. It’s important that these artists are taking a stance on problems they feel strongly about because they are capable of spreading such a wide influence to their audience. Iʻm also so happy that you mentioned thereʻs an all black nominee list in the best music video, so that things like this are becoming more and more diverse/inclusive!
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