Music stars J Balvin and Daddy Yankee are calling out the Latin Grammys for not nominating reggaeton and Latin trap acts in the top categories this year.
They – along with successful artists like Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam, Maluma and Ozuna – are not among the nominees announced this week for album, song and record of the year.
“Without reggaeton, there’s no Latin Grammy’s,” reads an image Balvin posted on Instagram. He captioned it: “For the culture and movement.”
Balvin was nominated twice in the best urban song category for his collaborations with Rosalía (“Con Altura”) and De La Ghetto (“Caliente”).
Also only nominated in “urban” categories, Daddy Yankee complained on Instagram: “I don’t agree with the way they treated the genre and a lot of my colleagues. Remember one very important thing, your platform was not the one that created this movement. This goes beyond a prize. This is culture, credibility, relevance and RESPECT.”
Maluma came up empty on this year’s list of nominees. “The only thing that stays clear is that the biggest prize is to see your concerts bursting and a public that loves you, and identifies with you,” he shared on Instagram. “I love you my people, but I can’t hide this feeling that hurts me deep inside. Congratulations to all of the nominees from my heart, it gives me a lot of happiness to see a lot of [friends] there.”
The Latin Recording Academy said songs and albums released between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019 were eligible for nominations and that its members vote on which works are worthy of recognition.
Alejandro Sanz leads the way with eight nominations and Rosalía follows with five. Nominees include Camila Cabello (for her collaboration with Sanz, “Mi Persona Favorita”) and Canada’s Alessia Cara (for “Querer Mejor,” her collaboration with Juanes).
The Latin Grammys will be handed out on Nov. 14.