Online critics roast white band for reggae award win


Online critics roast white band for reggae award win

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American reggae band SOJA 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 album “Beauty In The Silence,” which was released in July 2021 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s 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 the shows and we’re not really sure what happened,” lead singer Jacob Hemphill said in the band’s acceptance speech, after thanking their early musical influences.

“To the founding fathers of reggae music and to the island of Jamaica, you inspired us all,” another member of the band said onstage. “Give thanks, one love.”

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Formed in 1997, SOJA built up an international following thanks to “heavy touring and a series of independent releases,” according to Allmusic, which laid the groundwork for their breakout album “Strength to Survive,” released in 2012 and peaking at No. 1 on Billboard’s reggae albums chart.

The band’s follow-up album “Amid the Noise and Haste” scored them their first Grammy nomination in 2015.

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However, SOJA’s Grammy win wasn’t embraced by everyone.

Disappointed music fans took to social media to voice their outrage, with many pointing out the racial disparity of a white band winning an award in a reggae music category.

“If majority of Jamaicans across the world are unaware of your existence, you should not be winning a grammy for best Reggae album, sorry not sorry,” @nu_tiffany tweeted.

“SOJA (a group of YT men) just beat 4 Jamaican musicians for Best Reggae Album,” @leylandelake tweeted.

Twitter user @getfabnowboss said SOJA’s win 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 Way Too PRESUMPTUOUS,” the user wrote. “OUR CULTURE Is Being DISRESPECTED & Blatantly ROBBED. We Need MUSICAL JUSTICE, This Ain’t It.”

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“A white American group #soja won a grammy for best reggae album wtf Talk about culture appropriation,” @GeeSharp5 tweeted.

Racial and cultural issues aside, some argued that SOJA didn’t possess the musical prowess to earn the award.

“I’d encourage everyone to listen to that SOJA album before rushing to negative judgement,” @geraldlindo tweeted. “I cued it up on Tidal just now and I can honestly say I didn’t make it past track two, because it was hot garbage. But now at least I *know* I’m right.”

“The grammy awards are literally a competition between artists of the same genre,” @441QueenCaramel tweeted. “SOJA didn’t even deserve to make it past the local bar in Virginia let alone one of music’s highest honors.”

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