From Shenseea's near-perfect expanse to shocking shutouts for soca powerhouse Bunji Garlin, present are the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards.
9/12/2025
Armanii Maximillian Blay
Although Shenseea dominated the nighttime with 5 wins, including dancehall album, collaboration and opus of the year, the 3rd yearly Caribbean Music Awards surely dispersed the wealth. Hosted by Majah Hype astatine Brooklyn’s King Theatre (Aug. 28), this year’s Caribbean Music Awards honored performers and works crossed reggae, dancehall, soca, R&B, gospel, bouyon, zess-steam, konpa and more, highlighting the myriad styles that person helped Caribbean euphony and civilization stay a planetary force.
Thanks to his collaborations with Shenseea (“Hit & Run”) and Romain Virgo (“Been There Before”), Masicka was the 2nd most-awarded creator of the nighttime with 4 trophies. Nearly each creator who earned astatine slightest 3 nominations took location something, but for Nailah Blackman, Chronic Law, Kranium, Bunji Garlin, Problem Child, Trinidad Killa and Jada Kingdom — each of whom were wholly unopen out. Notably, each 3 of past year’s pistillate creator of the twelvemonth winners repeated successful their respective categories, with Shenseea taking location the dancehall honor, Lila Iké snagging the reggae grant and Patrice Roberts winning the soca trophy for a 3rd consecutive year.
In summation to implicit 40 competitory awards, respective Caribbean euphony legends were honored for their towering contributions to the culture. DJ Khaled and Swizz Beatz honored Bounty Killer with the beingness accomplishment award, Mýa presented Sizzla with the humanitarian award, and Buju Banton celebrated Busta Rhymes with the elite icon award. Additional peculiar honorees included Austin “Super Blue” Lyons (calypso honors), Kerwin Du Bois (producer honor), Carimi (legacy award) and Shirley Ann Cyril-Mayers (gospel honors).
Here are six of the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards.
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SNUB: Chronic Law
From spinning retired hits similar “NY Girls” to his ongoing clash with Malie Donn, Chronic Law has been 1 of the buzziest names successful dancehall implicit the past year. His slick lyricism and slinky melodies person garnered him a faithful fanbase, and, according to Jamaica Observer, helium was the most-streamed creator of 2024 successful JA connected YouTube with implicit 163 cardinal views.
All that is to say, it was rather shocking to spot Chronic suffer each 5 of his nominations. The St. Thomas-bred prima earned nods for dancehall collaboration of the twelvemonth (“Higher Life,” with Kranium and “St. Thomas Native,” with Popcaan), dancehall opus of the twelvemonth (“Higher Life”), reggae/dancehall video of the twelvemonth (“Higher Life”), and antheral dancehall creator of the year.
Considering Shenseea, Masicka and Di Genius’ “Hit & Run” swept each class that “Higher Life” was nominated in, Chronic’s champion changeable astatine a triumph was successful antheral dancehall creator of the year, w...

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