Over the decades, The GRAMMYs have come under fire for a lack of diversity when it comes to their categories. Furthermore, the awards body has also gotten flak for televising some awards and keeping others for before the big show.
The lack of hip-hop representation has certainly been a problem since the inception of the rap categories. Fans have been upset with past winners, exclusions, and even some of the nominees. Having said that, it does appear as though the GRAMMYs are improving their reputation, little by little.
Meanwhile, going into 2027, it would appear as though the GRAMMYs are interested in expanding the number of categories. In fact, according to Pop Base, The GRAMMYs will have five new categories next year. These categories will encompass genres like pop, Asian pop, Latin music, R&B, and even Folk.
The GRAMMYs Make Some Additions
The New Categories:
- Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance
- Best Latin Song
- Best Asian Pop Music Performance
- Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance
- Best Traditional Folk Album
These five categories are certainly interesting, especially when you consider how three of them are in the performance category. Meanwhile, the folk crowd will be happy to get a category dedicated to traditional Folk albums, which is a genre we imagine oftentimes gets overlooked.
If you were hoping for new categories centered around hip-hop, you are going to be disappointed with these latest updates. Having said that, this is still a good foundation to build off of for future years.
Whether or not the GRAMMYs continue to introduce new categories in 2028 and beyond, still very much remains to be seen.
