No Surprise “Despacito” Didn’t Get Grammy

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By ignoring “Despacito”, for a Grammy, which was the most popular song in the planet in recent years, it seems that the voters in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) have taken Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mentality to heart.

Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” should have taken the Grammy for Song of the Year or Record of the Year for the record-breaking song that circled the world. Instead the voters look inwardly and voted for the US-based songs by Bruno Mars.

Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi in "Despacito" video
Puerto Ricans Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi went empty-handed from the 2018 Grammy Awards, despite “Despacito” record-braking popularity.

This should not come as a surprise from the organization led by Neil Portnow, the man who would stand there, white rose on lapel, and speak on equality, but act quite oppositely.

I doubt anyone has forgotten that Neil eliminated the Latin Jazz category from the Grammy Awards just a few years ago, only to reinstated a year later due to the avalanche of criticism from all areas of the music community, not just from Latinos. Neil does not dictate who gets a Grammy; the Academy voters do. Yet, its curious how his narrow  mentality seems to permeate those involved in the voting process.

Leila Cobos, the Latin music writer for Billboard Magazine, wrote a great article on the “Despacito snub”. I think you will enjoy it very much! You can enjoy the article in the link below.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8096867/despacito-grammys-loss-song-record-of-the-year-2018-snub-meaning-voters

Enough said!

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