Quick summary: It’s officially awards show season, and the Latin Grammys kicked it off strong this week. Marking 25 years of the Latin Recording Academy, the show was a three-hour party full of star-studded performances, dramatic winner announcements, and heartfelt acceptances. This weekend, we’ll help you catch up on the biggest outcomes of the night, as well as consider what these ceremonies mean today and what they can do better, featuring reporting from Luz Media.
Credit: iStock
Five takeaways from this year’s Latin Grammys
Hey, y’all,The 2024 Latin Grammys took place in Miami this past Thursday night, marking 25 years of the celebrated awards show. If you missed it, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll recap our key takeaways from this year’s ceremony — which featured plenty of stars, both established and rising — as well as discuss awards show culture in this day and age. But first, some history. In the late 1990s, the Recording Academy was at a crossroads. Its flagship awards show, The Grammys, had built prestige and gained popularity over the years. More inclusive categories were also starting to be added, such as “Best Latin Recording” in 1975 and “Best Rap Performance” in 1989.Yet by the turn of the millennium, the sheer volume of music being produced by Latino communities was deemed too large to fit the show. The decision at the time? The Academy created The Latin Recording Academy, a sister group that could focus solely on judging and celebrating music recorded in the Spanish or Portuguese languages. This way, scores of Latino artists, whether legends or up-and-comers, could have the red carpet moments they deserved.The first Latin Grammy Awards took place on September 13, 2000, in Los Angeles. When it was broadcast on CBS, it became the first Spanish-language primetime program aired on an English-language American TV network, according to American Songwriter.So, 25 years later, where is the awards show today? Who won big this year, who was snubbed, and where does representation in Latin music still need to catch up?
Still processing the finalized election results? We are too — let’s navigate this together
Join URL’s special Elections WhatsApp channel, open for the next few weeks. This closed space aims to help us think critically about voting and democracy, offer resources on navigating election disinformation and anxiety, and provide real-time updates on issues that matter most to Black and Brown communities.So far, we’ve shared breaking news, feature stories, and tools to help manage election stress and more. This channel won’t be here long, so join us while we're active. You’ll find community, original reporting, breaking news and stories you won’t see covered in mainstream media in the days and weeks to come.
Featured Stories
Speaking of the Grammys, one of the most nominated artists ever, producer Quincy Jones, passed away earlier this month. Check out PushBlack’sthree reasonsthe music phenom will always be a legend. →
The picks for Trump’s Presidential Cabinet have been scorching headlines left and right. Epicenter NYC reporter Felipe De La Hozbreaks down the selections, from Musk to Miller, and what it all means for America. →
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli soccer team, initiated violence and anti-Palestinian chants at a match in Amsterdam. Bystander footage was recorded and used across international media outlets, which are now being called outfor misrepresenting the footage and portraying the Maccabi fans as the sole victims. Later, TANTV reports thata “Stop Genocide” banner was unfurledat a Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game in Athens. →
An Oklahoma City Police Officer used excessive force against an elderly Vietnamese man in the aftermath of a car accident. The man was hospitalized and is still recovering. The officer is now on paid leave, per AsAmNews. →
In Kansas City, the Incarcerated Worker Organizing Committee has made tangible strides against the prison industrial complex. The effort first began as part of the city’s Industrial Workers of the World chapter, a prominent labor union, and can be traced to a handful of key figures. Learn more about the movement’s leaders and historywith the Kansas City Defender. →
