Shawn Thwaites addresses Grammy fallout

Shawn Thwaites, the former Grammy Awards Genre Manager who flagged Moliy’s Shake It to the Max as ineligible, says he was fired shortly after Billboard published an article about the controversial decision.

Thwaites, who is receiving support and messages of solidarity from reggae greats including Cat Coore of Third World and members of Morgan Heritage, insists he would never snub African music.

All this stems from the ruling that Moliy’s track Shake It to the Max did not qualify for the 2026 Grammy Awards. The song was submitted as a remix and Grammy rules state that remixes cannot compete in the Best Global Music Performance or Best African Music Performance categories.

Despite its global reach and its features from Dancehall artists Skillibeng and Shenseea, the song was declared ineligible.