OPPINION/HOT TAKE FROM ONE OF THE DIRECTORS
"THE BEST FRIENDS AWARD SHOW..."
…one of my personal favorites on the long list of warm fuzzy quotables from critics that we were around to witness this last award season. Another one that we got a lot was some form of “It’s all rigged foo” or, “It’s gonna be wack…”… and to be honest… we get why people’s first inclination is to suspect that. With all that’s happened between artists and the music business since as long as we can remember, it would make sense… right?
*Above: 2022 Female Artist Of the Year 'C. Ne$t' (formerly known as icandi) takes in the 2022 NMHHA Red Carpet. Photo: Daniel Ulibarri @D.U_ on Instagram
Wrong. The New Mexico Hip-Hop Awards (NMHHAs) selects it’s nominees and award recipients in a way that allows EVERYONE to get their favorites looked at regardless of their clout or social status. The NMHHAs select the most qualified artists, music, and videos to be considered for recognition in each category. It’s not just one person, who makes these picks. The New Mexico Hip-Hop Awards is quite possibly the most fair, and most accessible award show in New Mexico.
Community members from across the state are tasked with combing through submissions and making 4 selections for each award category. This group of community members is known as “The Nomination Committee” or “The Committee”. The Nomination Committee is not responsible for selecting award recipients, this responsibility is taken on by a sperate group of notable community members called “The Judging Panel”. We reserve the right to keep the identities of both Committee members and Judges secret to avoid pressure, or backlash from the community. It is against our code of ethics for Committee Members or Judges to accept any form of bribery in either of the selection processes. Should any of the Committee Members or Judges violate our code of ethics they risk being banned from participating in The NMHHAs indefinitely.
*Above: 2022 Female Artist Of the Year 'C. Ne$t' delivers a stunning performance at the 2022 NMHHAs Photo: Daniel Ulibarri @D.U_ on Instagram
"...We expected haters to pick at something..."
The term “Haters” has become a bit cliché in our New Mexican culture. It means different things to different people, but to me… It’s used to describe people who complain for the sake of complaining. People who see something different and can’t seem to hold on to their negative two cents.
In our experience these haters usually criticize anything that doesn’t fit their narrow idea of how things should be They also frequently criticize things that they don’t understand. We try to shut the haters out for the most part… but we do notice them.
We expected haters to pick at something… The nominees, the winners, the choice of performers, the weather… we weren’t sure. What we didn’t expect was a lot of the haters’ refusal to participate in the submission process altogether. We figured that even the haters would submit who they thought should get an award… but hater participation in submitting picks was low last year. Ironically some of the haters who were submitted “anonymously” did not make it past the first round of selections by the Committee.
Although we are frequently encouraged to completely ignore the haters, we do take into consideration any type of criticism that is thrown our way. We ask ourselves, is this criticism valid? Can we use it to improve ourselves? At the end of the day the criticism only makes us stronger, and more sure in our resolve.
The NMHHAs are here to elevate the New Mexico artist and creator community. We’re here to help create an environment where we can all find greater success. Whether you’re a business who is looking to build relationships within the community, or an artist who’s looking to network and become the next big thing, the NMHHAs are here to help facilitate.
*Above: Nominees 'Chris Brown', 'Don Raskull', and 'King Duke' pose at the 2022 NMHHA Red Carpet. P
Photo: Daniel Ulibarri @D.U_ on Instagram
Moving forward...
This year, we look forward to once again celebrate our community and it’s accomplishments. Community, respect, talent, and hard work continue to shine through all the hate. We look forward to seeing you at this year’s award’s January 20th, 2024 at the historic Lensic Performing Arts Center, click here to get your tickets.
The New Mexico Hip-Hop Awards will continue to bring recognition and create opportunities for local artists, creators, and businesses. We are very thankful to have such a wonderful community of supporters that are helping The NMHHAs emerge as one of New Mexico’s finest non-profits. We look forward to the day when we can make an even bigger difference in New Mexico.
Incredible quest there. What happened after? Thanks!