Dozens of artists have been recognised across 11 categories for this year’s awards which will be handed out in Moncton on October 19.
Is this the year New Brunswick rap music finally gains the recognition it’s been vying for all these years? Who’s to say? But let the record show, two of the three of the top MNB Award nominees for 2023 are rappers, and that says a lot.
Music NB announced the 2023 nominees for its annual awards gala celebrating many of the music makers, the singers, the songs, the albums, the stages, and behind the scenes hustlers that make New Brunswick’s music community tick. Dozens of artists have been recognised across 11 categories for this year’s awards which will be handed out in Moncton on October 19.
Among this year’s list of nominees are Baie des Chaleur’s disco/pop trio Baie, Gospel rap phenom One8tea, and Saint John’s unofficial DIY blue collar poet laureate Stephen Hero, each with four nominations.
Following a revamp of its award categories in 2019, the MNB Awards no longer divide artists into genre categories, choosing instead to focus on artist achievements, recordings, and videos.
“We are proud of the work that has been done by our team,” says Eva George, president of MNB. “They are consistently trying to ensure that multiple voices are heard during the evaluation process. By having fewer categories, we are able to assign more jurors per category and select jurors from varying backgrounds and preferred musical genre.”
A full list of nominees can be found here.
The MNB Awards Show will take place in the Bernard-LeBlanc Hall at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre (Moncton) on October 19, 2023. The Awards show kicks off the in-person portion of MNB’s industry week, taking place in Moncton until October 21, 2023.
