Source: Jordan Brand / Jordan Brand
J Balvin won a very unique decoration that many said he does not qualify for. In turn he has confirmed he is not an Afro-Latino and the award has since been changed.
As spotted on Hype Beast the Colombian performer recently won the Afro-Latino Artist of the Year at the 2021 African Entertainment Awards. The ceremony was held virtually and the winners were announced online. Balvin getting selected for this honor quickly drew the ire of the Latino community worldwide because of his Colombian background. “Is this a joke?” wrote one Instagram user. “El no es afro latino,” another user wrote, which translates to “He’s not Afro-Latino” in Spanish.
This put the “Mi Gente” rapper in a position to quickly respond. In a since deleted Instagram post he wrote in Spanish “I am not Afro-Latino. But thank you for giving me a place in the contribution to Afrobeat music and its movement.” The African Entertainment Award committee also heeded to all the uproar and renamed the award given to Balvin. “After listening to the concern of our audience we have decided to maintain the purpose of the award but changed the name to Best Latin Artist Of the year,” said one of the organizers. “The Best Latin Artist category is for any artist based in Latin America that is contributing to the African culture especially the Afro-beats sound globally. It is not based on race but more importantly based on pushing the African culture forward on the world stage.”
You can see their formal announcement regarding the title change below.
Photo: Jordan Brand
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