The Grammys’ ‘Urban Contemporary’ Category Is Now ‘Progressive R&B’

Recording Academy chair and interim CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says the show must “reflect the current state of the music industry”

The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, announced Wednesday amid a number of rule changes that it is renaming the “Best Urban Contemporary Album” category.

The category — which was added into the Grammys in 2012 and whose name has been the subject of increasing criticism — will now be called “Best Progressive R&B Album.” The Academy said in a statement that the category should “highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music.”

“We’re constantly evaluating our Awards process and evolving it to ensure the Grammy Awards are inclusive and reflect the current state of the music industry,” Harvey Mason Jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said in remarks accompanying the rule changes. “Each year, we receive a number of rule change proposals from artists, producers and songwriters asking us to reevaluate our process,” Chief Awards Officer Bill Freimuth added, pointing out that they pay close attention to occurrences within the past 12 months.

The rechristening of the “Urban Contemporary” category seems to reflect recent conversations that have arisen within the music industry, as a result of Black Lives Matter-related initiatives Blackout Tuesday and #TheShowMustBePaused. In the last week, several black executives have noted that the word — which appears in marketing as well as employee and department titles as a synonym for “black music” — is antiquated, overarching, and inappropriate, especially at a time when hip-hop and R&B are some of the most dominant genres of music. Previous winners in the “Urban Contemporary” category include Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You in 2019, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Everything Is Love in 2018, The Weeknd’s Starboy in 2017, and Beyoncé’s Lemonade in 2016.

But the word is not being completely removed from Music’s Biggest Night. The Grammys still feature the word “Urban” in other categories — such as in the newly named, Latin-field category “Best Latin Pop Or Urban Album.” (That category, somewhat confusingly, was known as “Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative” in the previous awards show; Latin Pop was also a separate category last year.) “At the time that this category amendment proposal was put forth earlier in the year, use of the word ‘urban’ when classifying certain genres in Latin music was widely accepted,” Mason tells Rolling Stone. “However, we understand that in the current climate, sentiment might be changing. We are continuing to follow the conversation and are committed to making necessary adjustments.”

Other changes in Wednesday’s announcement include the renaming and redefinition of the “Best Rap/Sung Performance” award, which will now be called “Best Melodic Rap Performance.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/recording-academy-grammy-changes-2021-1012347/

I am against racism too but isn't stuff like this taking things just a little too far?