August 16, 2011

Santana calls Grammys racist

Santana calls cuts racist

Grammys list shortened

By John P. McLaughlin
Mexican-born guitar superstar Carlos Santana has declared the decision by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to slash the number of Grammy Awards it distributes from 109 to 78 to be racially motivated.

Among the 31 categories either collapsed together or eliminated entirely are Hawaiian, Native American and Cajun-Zydeco, which will all merge as regional roots, while contemporary and traditional blues are now just blues. Latin-music categories were especially hard-hit, going from seven categories to four, with Latin jazz dropped entirely.

"Why do they cut only this music? Why not other music?" asked Santana, who performs in Calgary at the Saddledome Aug. 29.

"I think they're racist. Period. I do. First of all, we have so many categories of country and western. Country and western people have seven to nine to 10 (awards) shows a year, and you seldom see Negroes or Latin people. You can't eliminate black gospel music or Hawaiian music or American Indian music or Latin jazz music, because all this music represents what the United States is: a social experiment."
And:"I'm not afraid if they don't invite me again," he says, "but I'm not afraid to say that it's basically racist. Ignorant and racist."Comment:  For more on the subject, see No More Native Grammys.

2 comments:

burnedweenie said...

I agree with Santana completely, but this has been ongoing not only with the Grammys, but with all American Media. Buffy St Marie was blacklisted in the 1970s for her political folk albums by the US government, yet Bob Dylans albums flourished, why? Of course I like Dylan, but Buffy St Marie could be considered the female Bob Dylan.

Why call it the Grammys anymore? Call it what it is, "Corporate Music". Manufactured artists selling consumerism, political and religious ideals. Another offspring of the Aryian agenda?

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget the fact that the first black woman to win an Oscar was in my lifetime.

And of course, the story about two gay cowboys where the Mexican was played by a white guy was "robbed" because it won a plurality of the awards.