The Latin Grammy award nominees are in, and reggaetoneros are not happy. 

The Latin Recording Academy revealed the nominees for their 2019 award show. The lack of reggaeton and urban artists nominated in the show’s main categories such as; Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year, stirred controversy. 

Some of the biggest Latin artists of the likes of J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Maluma, have publicly spoken out. They’ve taken to social media to call out the Latin Grammy Awards for excluding reggaeton and trap musicians from top categories and for a lack of representation. 

The omission of artists like Maluma, Ozuna, Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee or Nicky jam is surprising to say the least.

Maluma was one of the first to take to Instagram to express his discomfort after not receiving any nominations for his album 11:11:

“A huge disappointment to not even get one nomination to a Latin Grammy, so much effort, the best album of my LIFE”, “I’m definitely confused and don’t know what to think. The only thing that’s clear is that the biggest prize of all is to see concerts packed and an audience that loves you and identifies with you. I love you people, but I can’t hide this fucking feeling that hurts inside”.

Other reggaetoneros took to social media with a unified message: “Sin Reggaetón no hay Latin Grammy”, ‘without Reggaeton there’s no Latin Grammys’.

Daddy Yankee who did receive a nomination for Best Urban Fusion/Performance for “Con Calma”, also expressed his disapproval of the way the genre was treated:

“Despite being nominated, I don’t agree with the way the genre and many of my colleagues were treated.” he wrote in Spanish, “Remember one very important thing, your platform wasn’t what created this movement; this goes beyond a prize, this is culture, credibility, relevance, and RESPECT. #sinreggaetonnohaylatingrammy”.

J Balvin, who racked up eight nominations last year and was the most nominated artist at the 2018 Latin Grammys, posted the photo of the crossed out Grammy logo too. He captioned the image “For the culture and the movement,” Nicky Jam, Karol G, and other artists posted the image to Instagram too.

J Balvin also took to his Instagram to explain why many artists were so upset about the nominations.

Balvin was a double nominee this year, with nominations for Best Urban Song with songs “Con Altura”, a collaboration with Rosalía, and “Caliente” with De La Ghetto, but was shut out of Record of the Year. His album with Bad Bunny “Oasis”, was not eligible for the 2019 Latin Grammys but will qualify in 2020. He followed up his initial “Without Reggaeton there’s no Grammys” post with a video to explain what the hashtag was all about:

In a statement to The Associated Press, the Latin Recording Academy said that they have “followed a strict voting process for the past twenty years” when it comes to considering nominees. 

“The members, through their votes, select what they believe merits a nomination. The Academy has never influenced their decisions, have always honored, and respected their elections, even if there are people who do not agree with the results,” the statement continued. “Nevertheless, we hear the frustration and discontent. We invite the leaders of the urban community to get involved with the Academy, to get involved with the process, and to get involved with discussions that improve the Academy.”

Nicky Jam y and Karol G, who earned last year’s award for best new artist, earned zero nominations on this occasion while other artists like Bad Bunny and Ozuna were restricted to categories such as Best Urban Song, Best Urban Music Album and Best Urban Fusion/Performance. 

The Latin Grammys controversy isn’t too different to hip-hop’s longstanding issues at the Grammys, where rap and R&B stars rarely win in the top four categories, such as ‘Best Artist’.

The Latin Grammy Awards are set to take place on November 14 in Las Vegas. Rosalía is nominated for five awards, including Album of the Year for El Mal Querer, and Camila Cabello‘s Spanish-language Alejandro Sanz collab, “Mi Persona Favorita,” is up for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Song.

Words I didn’t think I needed to hear until they were spoken into existence: J Balvin and SpongeBob SquarePants are collaborating. No, it’s not a “Con Altura” remix, the two, along with visual artist and designer Louis De Guzman, have teamed up for the 20th anniversary of the beloved it Nickelodeon cartoon. 

The Colombian artist has kept much of the details under wraps, but Billboard says the collaboration will include clothing, art, and home goods. This isn’t Balvin’s first foray into the fashion world, besides being an eclectic fashion icon himself, the “Que Pretendes” artist has partnered with GUESS and GEF in the past. In 2018, he debuted his first collection “Vibras by J Balvin x GEF” during Colombian Fashion Week in his hometown of Medellin.

Balvin is known for his eccentric, vibrant take on streetwear. Often changing his hair color to stark blondes, pinks, and carving out leopard prints, Balvin appears to never have met a color or bold print he couldn’t pull off. Thus, it won’t surprise fans that the Latin trap artist is ingratiating himself deeper into the fashion world.

J Balvin x SpongeBob SquarePants x Luis De Guzman

With barely a caption, Balvin dropped a video teaser on Instagram for the new partnership. The video features a logo with each of the names: J Balvin x SpongeBob SquarePants x Luis De Guzman. Then SpongeBob emerges and plays the cartoon’s theme song with his nose. What does it all mean?! 

“In honor of SpongeBob SquarePants‘ 20th anniversary, Chicago-based visual artist and designer Louis De Guzman joins forces with music superstar and fashion/Pop Art connoisseur J Balvin for a special collaboration of art, apparel, and home goods celebrating the iconic figure’s impact on pop culture over the last two decades,” one of Balvin’s representatives told Billboard. 

SpongeBob drops a clue

The official SpongeBob SquarePants Instagram account posted a photo that is possibly some artwork by De Guzman. The rendering looks like De Guzman’s recognizable composition but Balvin’s signature lightning bolts give it all away. It’s unclear how the artwork will be used in the collaboration or if it just a promotional photo. 

The Chicago artist is known for his abstract interpretations of famous cartoons done with his unique linework. His social accounts are filled with punchy drawings of Gerald from Hey Arnold, Bugs Bunny, and Bart Simpson. SpongeBob appears to be next.

Vibras by GUESS x J Balvin

Last year, Balvin collaborated with GUESS, making him the first Latinx man to front a campaign in the clothing brand’s history. Balvin designed 42 pieces for the “Vibras” collection. 

“Everything in this capsule is very 90’s Miami inspired,” said J Balvin in a statement. “The collection is about ‘Vibras’; nice energy, nice vibes, just smile and that’s what we need, all love. Partnering with Guess and designing my first collaboration with a global brand has been a dream, and this really is just the beginning.”

It included graphic T-shirts, hoodies, denim jackets, windbreakers, and tracksuits. As you might have imagined there was a vivid color palette including reds, yellows, and greens to evoke the feeling of the 1990s Miami. 

J Balvin x Guess x Friends With You

Balvin collaborated with GUESS again this September, along with Friends With You to create an eight-piece capsule collection to be sold during his U.S. tour, Guess stores, and Guess.com. 

“It’s important to me to give my fans a complete experience from the music to the art and the clothes,” said the singer in a statement. “Thanks to my Guess family, FriendsWithYou and I were able to take things to the next level with this limited-edition capsule collection.”

In trend with Balvin’s style, there were lots of rainbows, clouds with happy faces, and tie-dye t-shirts and hoodies. 

Vibras by J Balvin x GEF

During the 2018 Colombiamoda Balvin made his debut as a fashion designer during Fashion Week in Medellin. The trap artist partnered with GEF France to create accessible streetwear. 

“I’m very happy to be in Medellin, Colombia,” Balvin wrote on Instagram. “It’s the first collaboration I did with the brand and it’s very special because we started at home. Later we’ll work on other collaborations but this one is very special for me.”

The entire thing was very on-brand for Balvin. Palm trees, smiley faces, lightning bolts, and dinosaur prints were combined with silver metallic tracksuits, baggy shorts, and bomber jackets. Because he is the everyman, items ranged from $4 to $45 with options for men, women, and children. 

Balvin continues to bring vibrancy to streetwear and fashion which bares contrast to the stoic, minimalism and neutrals that are trendy right now. Balvin is great at communicating joy with fashion and there is no better ally than the optimistic-to-a-fault SpongeBob.