Major Snubs from this Year's Brits

I usually watch the Brit Awards every year, but sometimes I must admit that the award show can get slightly predictable in terms of the winners, and this year was one of those years - but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the performances, particularly by Rihanna and Coldplay (who seem to transform every stage they play on into a concert show).

Now it was obvious who was going to win each award (- except for One Direction, that was a shock!), and I don't mind this too much, however its the nominations I feel that were handed out unfairly, failing to reflect other areas of British music - specifically R&B/Grime/HipHop music from artists of other ethnic backgrounds. 

I thought after seeing Tine Tempah win award after award at the Brits last year, this country had overcome this problem of ignoring urban artists, but I soon realised that Tinie was only  recognised at the Brits after the whole world had him in demand. 

While popular artists such as Jessie J and Adele are being nominated for their music which originates from black soul and are being commended for singing in the same way as many black singers, those who are actually part of ethnic minorities in the music business are being left behind. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of both singers, but why should they replace other urban artists who have been in the industry longer and have built a body of work and a fanbase?

Why wasn't Labrinth's Earthquake, or Wretch 32's Don't Go not nominated for best song? Both my favourite songs of 2011. Instead, the only group representing 'urban' music from ethnic people was JLS, which is just not good enough. 

Why hasn't Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder or even N Dubz ever been nominated for a Brit? They have the fanbase and sales to support them. Why hasn't Alexandra Burke ever been nominated? Probably the best female singer in the country right now. Why wasn't Ms Dynamite recognised? 

They don't even have a R&B/Grime/HipHop category for these artists to be grouped into, so instead they are scrapped altogether which is not right. They had no chance being selected for the other categories when the likes of Anna Calvi and James Blake (never heard of them and newcomers I'm sure) are being nominated. 

What's going on? Who is selecting these nominations? Come on, Brits, you can do much, much better. Otherwise, this is just an empty award show failing to recognise and reflect on the true scope of British music today.