New York-based dancehall singer Kranium has launched a sharp rebuke of the Caribbean Music Awards (CMA), accusing the organisers of “disrespect” after they informed him that his award for Caribbean R&B Artist of the Year had been given in error.
The singer, best known for international hits such as Nobody Has to Know, took to Instagram on Monday to detail his grievances, casting the incident as emblematic of a lack of respect for artists who operate outside Jamaica’s borders.
“Me just wah start off by saying I don’t know how to sell hype, me know how to sell records,” Kranium said. “Music never fly inna my brain. I am a dancehall international artist that is based in New York City because I know how hard it is to buss from New York City. One thing me know about Jamaica and the Caribbean is if they like your music, dem ago work with it. I have never been this disrespected in my whole entire life like what the Caribbean Music Awards did to me.”
Timeline of dispute
According to Kranium, CMA organisers invited him to perform at the awards ceremony in Brooklyn this August, a decision he interpreted as a recognition of his influence in the city’s Caribbean diaspora. He claims to have declined other paid engagements in order to appear at the show.
“Me perform, me come offa stage, me give speech and deh there for 45 minutes after,” he said. “And unuh ago call me one week after fi say unuh make a mistake with the award weh unuh give me.”
Kranium said he was told he should not have received Caribbean R&B Artist of the Year, but rather Caribbean R&B Song of the Year. He dismissed this explanation, pointing out that no such category had ever been announced. “How the f*ck me fi win that when that was never even a category?” he asked. “Unuh dissected me and unuh take me fi idiot. WMV reached out to CMA organizers, who responded that they had no comment at this time.
The 2025 Caribbean Music Awards took place on August 28 at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre, with the ceremony broadcast on BET on September 12. The third annual event, hosted by comedian Majah Hype, recognised standout achievements across reggae, dancehall, soca and related Caribbean genres.
Shenseea emerged as the night’s dominant winner, collecting five trophies including Dancehall Album of the Year for Never Gets Late Here and Song of the Year (Dancehall) for “Hit & Run” with Masicka and Di Genius. Masicka secured four wins, including Reggae Song of the Year for his feature on Romain Virgo’s “Been There Before.” Vybz Kartel claimed three awards, among them Dancehall Artist of the Year (Male) and People’s Choice.
Other winners included Bad Bunny (Latin Caribbean Artist of the Year), Romain Virgo (Reggae Artist of the Year, Male), Kes (Soca Artist of the Year, Male), Patrice Roberts (Soca Artist of the Year, Female), and Lila Iké (Reggae Artist of the Year, Female). Rising artists Malie Donn, Sevana, and Blaka Dan took Best New Artist honours in their respective genres.
The night also spotlighted Caribbean legends. Bounty Killer received a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Busta Rhymes was honoured with the Elite Icon Award. Additional honorary recipients included Carimi (Legacy Award), Sizzla (Humanitarian Award), and Austin “Super Blue” Lyons (Calypso Award Honor).
With more than 40 categories, the awards — presented by the Caribbean Elite Group — underscored the breadth and vitality of Caribbean music, from soca and dancehall to reggae and fusion.
