Although Shenseea dominated the night with five wins, including dancehall album, collaboration and song of the year, the third annual Caribbean Music Awards certainly spread the wealth. Hosted by Majah Hype at Brooklyn’s King Theatre (Aug. 28), this year’s Caribbean Music Awards honored performers and works across reggae, dancehall, soca, R&B, gospel, bouyon, zess-steam, konpa and more, highlighting the myriad styles that have helped Caribbean music and culture remain a global force.
Thanks to his collaborations with Shenseea (“Hit & Run”) and Romain Virgo (“Been There Before”), Masicka was the second most-awarded artist of the night with four trophies. Nearly every artist who earned at least three nominations took home something, except for Nailah Blackman, Chronic Law, Kranium, Bunji Garlin, Problem Child, Trinidad Killa and Jada Kingdom — all of whom were completely shut out. Notably, all three of last year’s female artist of the year winners repeated in their respective categories, with Shenseea taking home the dancehall honor, Lila Iké snagging the reggae award and Patrice Roberts winning the soca trophy for a third consecutive year.
In addition to over 40 competitive awards, several Caribbean music legends were honored for their towering contributions to the culture. DJ Khaled and Swizz Beatz honored Bounty Killer with the lifetime achievement award, Mýa presented Sizzla with the humanitarian award, and Buju Banton celebrated Busta Rhymes with the elite icon award. Additional special honorees included Austin “Super Blue” Lyons (calypso honors), Kerwin Du Bois (producer honor), Carimi (legacy award) and Shirley Ann Cyril-Mayers (gospel honors).
Here are six of the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards.
