Dancehall, also created in Jamaica, is a completely separate genre of music that, in comparison to reggae, is more youthful voice, raw and uncut as it shares the realities and aspirations of people from a particular socioeconomic class within the country. Its artists don’t have the opportunities to be properly considered since the Grammys have yet to give dancehall its own category. This has resulted in dancehall artists submitting their works in a category that has entirely different criteria. Spice’s 10 comes off the heels of her 2018 project Captured where she prompted an important conversation about beauty standards and dark-skinned Black women’s mobility in music. With 10, Spice proves her ability to carry the voice of women within dancehall and her desire to explore other genres, but even her submission in the reggae category, despite being a dancehall artist, is proof of where the Recording Academy falls short. Most dancehall fans felt the same kind of urgency for the institution to acknowledge groundbreaking works such as Popcaan’s 2018 album Forever (and to be frank, everything he has put out prior and after), but he was met with the same fate, despite the artist’s international reach and cultural influence.
