South Africa is due to take centre stage at the Grammy Awards next January. Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show and the nation’s long-lost daughter, Doja Cat (her allegedly very absent father is SA actor Dumisani Dlamini) is nominated for three awards, including the prestigious Record of the Year.

Several artists were upset at being snubbed, but none were quite as astonished as Justin Bieber. Bieber took to Instagram to voice his frustration at being nominated in the pop category for his Changes album, which he says has a “meticulous and intentional” R&B sound.  Some have called it “meticulous and intentional” appropriation . But the cultural appropriation debate is complex, so the jury is out on this one within the explain team. 

This brief was originally published in The Wrap here.

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