J Balvin Reacts to Winning ‘AFRO-Latino Artist of the Year’ Award: “I Am Not Afro-Latino”

Many across the globe were left with their jaws ajar when J Balvin was named Afro-Latino Artist of the Year award at the 2021 African Entertainment Awards.

The most common complaint was that the star isn’t actually Afro-Latino.

It would appear the sentiment that J Balvin himself shares.

See what we mean below…

The performer was presented with the salute digitally:

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Yet, after mounting complaints, he took to Instagram to say (in Spanish):

“I am not Afro-Latino. But thank you for giving me a place in the contribution to Afrobeat music and its movement.”

Pivoting, the AEA changed the category title to Latin Artist of the Year and issued the following statement:

“After listening to the concern of our audience we have decided to maintain the purpose of the award but changed the name to Best Latin Artist Of the year.

The Best Latin Artist category is for any artist based in Latin America that is contributing to the African culture especially the Afro-beats sound globally. It is not based on race but more importantly based on pushing the African culture forward on the world stage. This is the first year that we introduced this category to include our Latin brothers and sisters who have embraced Afrobeats music within their platforms. The winner of this category has demonstrated that and is deserving of this award based on the fans votes.

Please remember the nominees in this category had no say in their nomination or influence on the award show. Instead of voicing dissatisfaction, let us encourage these artists to continue bridging the gap between Africa and Latin America. We are asking for your continued support, assistance and guidance in the nomination process for 2022. We thank you for your understanding and looking forward to an open dialogue. We apologize to the people who where offended by this category.”

With that, what are…