All-White Quebec Rap Awards Slate Sparks Industry Backlash
Originally published by AllHipHop Read the original
Quebec’s biggest music-industry awards are facing a fresh argument over who gets recognized in rap after all five nominees in the 2026 album category were white.
The ADISQ slate named Aswell for Berger, Calamine for Rétrograde, FouKi for Still Kankan, Kinji00 for À la prochaine fois and Loud for Douze sur douze.
Loud won the category during the first gala on November 4. The result did not quiet the criticism.
Calamine had urged the eventual winner to recognize the Black artists who helped build Quebec’s rap scene. Loud followed that request when he accepted the award, turning the stage into an acknowledgment of the people missing from the ballot.
CBC’s video report on the dispute said Montreal artists viewed the all-white lineup as part of a longer problem with representation, not a one-night mistake.
The complaint goes beyond the identities of five performers. It raises questions about who enters the voting pool, which records reach decision-makers and how an awards system defines excellence in a genre created by Black artists.
The first gala was hosted by rapper Sarahmée, one of Quebec’s most visible Black artists.
That contrast sharpened the criticism: a Black woman could lead the ceremony while the rap-album ballot itself failed to include a single Black nominee.
ADISQ announced its broader 2026 nominations in September and handed out 46 trophies across its industry event and first gala.
Rap was only one piece of the program, but the makeup of that category quickly became one of the ceremony’s most pointed stories.
The tension is especially sharp because Quebec has a deep, multilingual rap community shaped by Black, immigrant and Francophone artists.
A category can include commercially established names and still leave listeners wondering whether the ballot reflects the full scene around it.
Canadian researchers have also examined anti-Black barriers in the country’s rap marketplace and awards culture. The ADISQ backlash gives that larger debate a current, concrete example: recognition can celebrate rap’s success while leaving its Black foundation outside the frame.
Neither Loud’s gesture nor the public criticism changes the official result.
Loud remains the 2026 winner, while the nominee list remains an all-white snapshot that artists and listeners are now asking ADISQ to explain.
