Kanye West made a landmark appearance at the 2015 Brits. It wasn’t the 30-foot flame throwers or Taylor Swift’s hyperventilating expression in the audience that made his performance of All Day the most startling moment of the show, however. It was the presence of MCs such as Skepta, Novelist, Stormzy, Jammer and Krept & Konan who lined the stage behind him – grime’s new generation, who until now had been neglected by the awards, neither nominated nor invited to perform at the ceremony, in spite of UK rap and grime scene’s burgeoning popularity. It prompted 126 complaints and an avalanche of racist statements on social media from viewers appalled at the presence of so many black men on primetime television; an alarming response that exposed just how alien it was for a major award show to recognise musicians of colour.

The landscape remained unchanged a year later. Last year’s Brits committee failed to nominate a single black artist in any major category, sparking outrage among artists such as Laura Mvula, who threatened a boycott; Stormzy, who called the awards “embarrassing” on his One Take Freestyle; and the hashtag #BritsSoWhite, which quickly went viral.

Finally, in a bid to reinvigorate the award system, the organisers of 2017’s show announced a new voting method that would be more inclusive of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities as well as ensure a more balanced gender ratio. This year’s committee is made up of approximately 17% BAME voters, and 48% women.

So far the nominees already represent a more accurate picture of a thriving British music scene: Skepta receives three nominations for male artist, breakthrough act and album of the year (his first ever Brit nomination, four albums into his career). Kano is up for male artist and album of the year, as is Michael Kiwanuka. Zayn gets a nod for best single for Pillow Talk, Tinie Tempah for his Zara Larsson collaboration Girls Like, and Lianne La Havas, Nao and Emeli Sandé are all up for best female.

A cursory glance at Brit award winners throughout the decades reveals that this decision to diversify is a few decades too late, especially when you consider the popularity of retro R&B, soul and blues music over the last decade, accolades that have traditionally been handed to white artists such as Sam Smith, James Bay, Adele and Duffy. Outside of the urban and international awards, there have been few BAME winners in its major award categories: Sandé, Dizzee Rascal, Tinie Tempah, JLS, Ms Dynamite, Sonique, Des’ree, Finley Quaye, Shola Ama, Dina Carroll, M People, Seal, Sade and Shirley Bassey remain some of the only winners in the Brits’ four-decade legacy.

2017’s changes are incremental, and hopefully more than a short-term gesture, but they are a sign that a spirit of revolution is in the air. In a few days’ time, Skepta returns to the Brits stage as a verified performer, only this time without the world’s most famous rapper, a pair of industrial flame throwers or, hopefully, any complaints.