The Caribbean Music Awards has finally issued an official response to the uproar sparked by dancehall artist Kranium, who publicly discarded his trophy after claiming organizers rescinded his award for Caribbean R&B Dancehall Artist of the Year and reassigned it to fellow artist Dexta Daps.
Kranium’s dramatic protest—blasting the organization in one video and then posting a video today of himself tossing the trophy into a garbage bin with the caption “@caribmusicawards garbage is on Tuesdays… a it this me done with the conversation”—ignited widespread debate online about transparency and accountability in the regional award show.
After initially telling WMV “no comment,” the CMA organizers have now broken their silence with a detailed statement addressing the mishap. “We apologize publicly, as we’ve done privately, to all parties involved for our error during the August 28th taping of the Caribbean Music Awards,” the statement began. “While we had discussions about this issue with Kranium’s management before the show’s airing, we have noticed recent statements online and believe that our supporters deserve more clarity on the matter.”
According to the CMA, the confusion stemmed from the introduction of a new Caribbean R&B Artist of the Yearcategory. Organizers admitted they debated for weeks on whether the honor should reflect the overall artist or the impact of a single song. In the end, the fan vote—where Dexta Daps received 40.8% compared to Kranium’s 12.6%—tipped the scales. “Based on fan votes that focus solely on the artist, Dexta Daps was the clear winner,” they said, noting that had the award been based on individual songs, Kranium’s “Higher Life” could have led on streaming numbers.
CMA acknowledged the resulting error: “Unfortunately, due to those ongoing deliberations, outdated documentation was mistakenly used in creating the winner cards. This was an unfortunate human error.”
The organization also revealed that on September 2nd, Kranium’s management requested that his likeness and performance be removed from the show and declined to accept the newly proposed Caribbean R&B Song of the Yearaward. “We understood Kranium’s disappointment and respected his team’s decision, honoring all of their requests,” the statement read.
Closing with regret and a pledge for reform, the CMA added: “We deeply regret all that has transpired and we are implementing new safeguards to prevent future issues. It is never our aim to divide, diminish or dishonor. We remain committed to amplifying and uplifting Caribbean music.”
