Organisers of the Caribbean Music Awards (CMAs) are shifting to settle a bitter fallout with dancehall star Kranium, who accused them of “disrespect and unprofessionalism” after an embarrassing award blunder on the just lately concluded ceremony in New York Metropolis.
Kranium, in a fiery social media rant earlier this week, claimed he was humiliated when the CMAs first declared him winner of Caribbean R&B Artiste of the 12 months, solely to retract the title days later and hand it to fellow entertainer Dexta Daps.
“Unnu disrespect mi and unu tek mi fi fool… all I do on this enterprise is thoughts my enterprise,”
Kranium fumed, including that he would “by no means forgive” the organisers for the slight.
The singer revealed that after giving what he described as a “phenomenal efficiency” on the late-August gala and gathering the trophy, officers later knowledgeable him it had been awarded in error. To melt the blow, they allegedly provided him a win in one other class — one he stated was by no means listed on the present’s programme.
“That was not even a class, interval,” he informed followers, earlier than posting a video of himself tossing the trophy right into a trash bin.
Organisers Admit Error
In a prolonged assertion launched Thursday, CMAs executives conceded there had been “an inner mix-up” over the R&B prize. They stated deliberations initially wavered between recognising an artiste total or awarding a single standout observe.
To deal with the controversy, they defined, they created two titles — Caribbean R&B Artiste of the 12 months and Caribbean R&B Tune of the 12 months — however deliberate to introduce the latter in 2026. Confusion over the timeline, they stated, triggered the outcomes to be misreported.
In line with their knowledge:
- Dexta Daps led the Artiste of the 12 months ballot with 40.8% of votes.
- Kranium trailed at 12.6%, however his observe Greater Life topped streaming metrics.
Organisers stated they tried to right the error by awarding Dexta Daps the artiste title and providing Kranium a belated “Tune of the 12 months” recognition.
Nonetheless, they declare Kranium’s camp declined the brand new award and requested that the mishap not be talked about in revised press supplies — a request the CMAs say they revered.
Kranium Nonetheless Unimpressed
Regardless of the apology, Kranium doubled down, dismissing the assertion as one other act of disrespect. He argued the present’s voting guidelines and judging standards stay unclear:
“It’s clear that one artiste had extra votes and the opposite had extra streams.
This reveals that there have been no clear pointers to find out a winner.”
Transferring Ahead
Looking for to douse the controversy, CMAs officers pledged to strengthen procedures earlier than their 2026 staging.
“We’re implementing new measures to make sure accuracy and transparency,”
the assertion concluded, noting plans to finalise class definitions properly forward of subsequent 12 months’s occasion.
For now, although, the harm appears accomplished: the “Greater Life” singer insists the expertise has left a bitter observe on what ought to have been a career-highlight second.
