Grammy Fires Staff Following Moliy “Shake It to the Max” Ruling

A new development has emerged in the controversy surrounding the Grammy ineligibility of ‘Shake It to the Max.’

Shawn Thwaites, the Recording Academy genre manager who oversaw several major categories tied to African and global music, has revealed he was fired on November 21st, just 48 hours after Billboard published the article explaining why the song was not considered for nomination.

Thwaites, who managed five categories including Best Global Music Performance, Best African Music Performance, and Best Global Music Album, posted an Instagram video on November 30 confirming his dismissal. In the video, he says the decision came as a shock, especially because internal feedback leading up to it had been consistently positive.

According to Thwaites, the Vice President who supervised his department supported the eligibility decision and confirmed it aligned with Grammy rules. He added that on August 8, he received a positive performance review and a salary increase, with no indication of any issues.

He also pointed out that just four days before his termination, on November 17, RCA Records specifically requested him to conduct Davido’s interview at the Grammy Museum, further reinforcing his belief that his performance was not under scrutiny at the time.

In the video, Thwaites strongly rejects the idea that he intentionally sidelined African music.

“I will never snub African music,” he says. “I’ve spent years uplifting African artists and building the Academy’s bridge to the continent. African music is part of my purpose and identity.”

He also notes that he wrote the proposal for the Best African Music Performance category, a detail he says makes the accusations around the ‘Shake It to the Max’ ruling even more personal.

Thwaites also brings up concerns about what he describes as a troubling pattern within the Awards Department.

“When I started at the Recording Academy, there were six Black employees in the awards department,” he says. “One Black colleague was terminated in August, just three months before me, making me the fourth Black employee terminated during my time there. That pattern is deeply concerning.”

He suggests his firing fits into a broader issue of Black staff losing their positions within the Academy, though he did not claim direct discrimination in his own case.

The ‘Shake It to the Max’ controversy began when Billboard reported that the song had been submitted as a remix, a classification that makes it ineligible for most performance categories under Grammy rules.

The Academy informed the label in late September that the song could not be considered.

The team behind the record appealed, arguing that more than half of the updated version was newly composed and should qualify as a new recording. However, the Recording Academy upheld the initial ruling, stating the decision was procedural, not subjective.

For More Context, Read: Grammy Explains Why Moliy's ‘Shake It to the Max’ Wasn’t Nominated

Thwaites maintained that the decision followed the established rules set and was not personal or genre-motivated. His firing so soon after the public scrutiny has now raised additional questions that the Academy has not yet addressed.

As of now, the Recording Academy has not issued a public response to Thwaites’ statement, nor has it clarified whether his firing is connected to the ‘Shake It to the Max’ situation.

Industry members expect the Academy to release a statement in the coming days, especially given the sensitivity around representation, internal governance, and transparency in the awards process.

Until then, Thwaites’ dismissal adds a new layer to an already complicated situation, one that continues to unfold ahead of the 2026 Grammys.

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