CHIKA faced a precious responsibility — and didn't know if she could handle it.
The GRAMMY-nominated rapper became a Recording Academy member when she was just 24. Citing her "notably chaotic" nature, she questioned herself. But during the pandemic, she made a decision— she had the time and mental space to stand up for music people in this way.
"Becoming a member of the Recording Academy was a signifier that my voice is valued in those conversations," she recently wrote in The Source in a guest essay. "Especially as a young artist, becoming a member means my peers take me seriously as a music creator and care about what I have to say.
"My voice taken into account reassured me that I don't just work for the industry, but my opinions are cared about," she continued. "This industry can be cutthroat, so it's an honor to be heard and to be able to actively support the music that means something to me."
CHIKA went on to underline the importance of voting passionately, and with integrity.
"One of the biggest myths we're taught is that our voice and vote don't count. When too many people have that mindset, we get trapped by the bystander effect, where no one raises their voice because they think everyone else will do it," she continued. "We were hand-selected to be members of the Recording Academy for a reason, and we need to use that privilege to establish our voices.
"Vote with passion. Vote by what has moved you and what you think is shifting our culture," she wrote. "Vote for who you want to see holding that award high on the GRAMMY stage."
CHIKA's sentiments in her essay echo exactly what the Recording Academy champions every year throughout the annual GRAMMY voting process. As the music industry’s most prestigious honor and the only peer-recognized award in music, the GRAMMY represents the full recognition and respect from the international music community.
Each year, Recording Academy voting members are encouraged to vote with integrity, knowing that every single vote affirms and strengthens the prestige of the GRAMMY and reinforces the meaning of excellence in music and the recording arts and sciences.
Final Round GRAMMY Voting, which ultimately determines the GRAMMY winners across all 91 categories to be revealed at the 2023 GRAMMYs on Sun. Feb. 5, is currently underway and runs through Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. Recording Academy voting members are highly encouraged to participate in this vital process to ensure that all artists, musicians and creators are fairly evaluated based on their artistic and technical merits and help the wider music community determine the leading music of the year, as voted on by their peers.
Learn everything you need to know about Final Round GRAMMY Voting.
Read CHIKA's essay, which touches on the RAP Act, why having fair representation in rap matters, and a number of other facets of Recording Academy membership and the GRAMMY voting process, in full here.