{"id":294463,"date":"2025-11-20T01:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T01:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/294463\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T01:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T01:35:10","slug":"why-shake-it-to-the-max-was-snubbed-in-the-2026-grammys-nominations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/294463\/","title":{"rendered":"Why \u2018Shake It to the Max\u2019 Was Snubbed in the 2026 Grammys Nominations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFew phrases define the year in music<\/a> and culture like Moliy\u2019s scintillating directive to \u201cshake it to the max.\u201d The Ghanaian singer\u2019s sultry voice reverberated across the globe, blending her own Afropop inclinations with Jamaican dancehall<\/a>-informed production, courtesy of Miami-based duo Silent Addy and Disco Neil. Originally released in December 2024, Moliy\u2019s breakthrough global crossover hit ascended to world domination, peaking at No. 6 on the Global 200<\/a>, thanks to a remix featuring dancehall superstars Shenseea and Skillibeng. Simply put, \u201cMax\u201d soundtracked a seismic moment in African and Caribbean music in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven its blockbuster success, \u201cShake It to the Max\u201d was widely expected to be a frontrunner in several categories at the 2026 Grammys<\/a>. In fact, had the song earned a nomination for either best African music performance or best global music performance, many forecasters anticipated a victory. So, when \u201cShake It to the Max\u201d failed to appear on the final list of 2026 Grammy nominees<\/a> in any category earlier this month (Nov. 7), listeners across the world were left scratching their heads \u2014 none more than gamma. CEO Larry Jackson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt pains me to have to acknowledge this, because Harvey Mason, Jr. is a longtime personal friend, and I also don\u2019t attribute any of this directly to him,\u201d Jackson tells Billboard in an exclusive statement. \u201cBut I found it to be deeply disappointing that [the Recording Academy] subjectively chose to disqualify Moliy\u2019s \u201cShake It to the Max (Fly)\u201d remix \u2013 one of the biggest songs in the world this year \u2013 from the Best Global Music Performance and African Music categories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe \u201cShake It to the Max\u201d remix arrived within the 2026 Grammys eligibility period on Feb. 21, with new verses from Shenseea and Skillibeng, and a revised intro from Moliy, which satisfies the Recording Academy\u2019s definition of a \u201cnew recording.\u201d As per the 68th Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines<\/a>, \u201cnew recordings\u201d are defined as material that has been recorded within five years of the release date.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond the performance and production criteria, the \u201cMax\u201d remix also holds a unique ISRC (International Standard Recording Code), a globally recognized digital identifier assigned to distinct sound recordings and music videos, confirming it as its own distinct master recording. The remix is also the only version of \u201cMax\u201d that has ever been submitted for Grammy consideration, which complies with the Recording Academy\u2019s rule that \u201conly one version\/mix of a recording is eligible in the GRAMMY process in any year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDue to its fusion of Ghanaian Afropop and Jamaican dancehall, gamma. submitted the \u201cShake It to the Max\u201d remix for consideration in the best global music performance category. On Sept. 20, the Recording Academy notified the Jackson-founded label that the song was deemed ineligible in that category but remained eligible for best music video and song and record of the year. The Academy did not allow the \u201cMax\u201d remix to compete in a different genre category, despite compelling arguments for the song fitting within the parameters of pop, melodic rap or African music.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt really is unfortunate that \u2018Shake It to the Max\u2019 isn\u2019t eligible in the best African music performance and best global music performance categories this year,\u201d the Recording Academy says in an exclusive statement to Billboard. \u201cWe all acknowledge it is a massive song with significant cultural impact. Unfortunately, but quite simply, it was submitted as a remix, and as per our longstanding and published rules, remixes are just not eligible in these categories. Regardless, our goal is always to honor, respect and fairly represent creators and the music they make \u2014 so we will keep working to improve our entry processes and eligibility guidelines.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to gamma., the Recording Academy notified the label of the song\u2019s ineligibility on Sept. 20. The gamma. team tried to appeal the decision from Sept. 20-26, looping in Jackson on Oct. 1 \u2014 who then notified Mason Jr. on Oct. 2, the day before first-round voting began.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo be disqualified because we decided to call it a remix instead of \u2018Part Two\u2019 in our submission process is an interesting choice,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cThis is especially odd, given the fact that 50% of it is a new composition\u2026\u00a0 The answer of \u2018That\u2019s just the way we do things, and that\u2019s just the rule\u2019 doesn\u2019t feel respectful toward what these artists achieved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to topping U.S. Afrobeats Songs (26 weeks), Rhythmic Airplay and World Digital Song Sales, the \u201cMax\u201d remix also reached the top 10 on R&B\/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 8), helping the song reach No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 \u2014 one of the best showings for a 2020s dancehall track on Billboard\u2019s marquee singles ranking. Crowned one of the defining songs of the summer by Spotify<\/a>, \u201cMax\u201d also garnered remixes from Sean Paul, Major Lazer and more<\/a> major artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNotably, \u201cShake It to the Max\u201d is not the first time a global crossover collaboration \u2014 even one initially dubbed a remix \u2014 lit up the nominations ballot. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee\u2019s \u201cDespacito,\u201d which received a Justin Bieber remix three months after the release of the original, earned nominations for best pop duo\/group performance and record and song of the year at the 2018 Grammys, ultimately losing all three. The word \u201cremix\u201d does not appear in the title of \u201cDespacito\u201d on any publicly available GRAMMY-related documents or media, despite appearing in the song\u2019s title across DSPs. A similar naming convention was utilized for Ariana Grande\u2019s \u201cThe Boy Is Mine.\u201d On DSPs, the Grammy-nominated version of the song featuring Brandy and Monica includes the word \u201cremix\u201d in the title.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThere is also a Grammy category specifically for remixes. The best remixed recording category honors \u201cremixed recordings (\u2018remixes\u2019) where the remixer takes previously recorded and released material and creatively adds to, alters or transforms it in such a way as to create a new and unique performance.\u201d The 68th Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines also state that \u201cthe addition of a vocal performance by a featured artist without substantive change to the original music recording is not eligible as a remix.\u201d The Skillibeng and Shenseea-assisted \u201cMax\u201d remix does not substantively change the music of the original track beyond the addition of new vocal performances by featured artists, so it would not have been eligible to compete in this category.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHow symbolically discouraging is it for up-and-coming artists from Africa or the Caribbean that such an undeniable global success may have a likelihood of not being honored by the Academy in the future because of rigid conventionalism,\u201d Jackson continues. \u201cThe concept of it all is at best devoid of any common sense or any fluidity in thought, and at [worst], screams the lack of leverage that independent artists and independent music companies systematically have against the machine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMoliy signed to gamma., a fast-growing independent media company rivaling major labels in areas like music distribution, in 2024. At the 2026 Grammys, hundreds of indie artists will compete for golden gramophones, including Durand Bernarr, Destin Conrad and Shaboozey \u2014 though they\u2019re still in the minority in the ceremony\u2019s biggest categories compared to artists on majors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite two global smashes in \u201cMax\u201d and Full Blown & Yung Bredda\u2019s \u201cThe Greatest Bend Over\u201d this year, Caribbean music continues to be sidelined at the Grammys. While this year\u2019s all-Jamaica best reggae album lineup is cause for celebration (non-Caribbean winners have courted controversy<\/a> as recently as 2022), the region\u2019s myriad culture-driving, arena-headlining<\/a> sounds (soca, konpa and bouyon, chief among them) remain overlooked. <\/p>\n

\n\tEven though \u201cMax\u201d will not get the chance to compete for a Grammy, hopefully its absence at the 2026 ceremony\u00a0encourages the Academy to fine-tune their rules regarding remix submissions \u2014 and better serve and honor Caribbean artists and music.\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n \"Billboard
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