For nearly so long as the Grammys have existed, musicians have been criticizing the voting course of, the nominations and the winners.
Grammys disses have taken many varieties through the years, however within the twenty first century, a lot of the commentary has centered on the awards present’s historical past of excluding girls and Black artists from the key classes. For the reason that inaugural ceremony in 1959, solely 10 Black artists have received the Album of the Yr trophy.
As rap and hip-hop have grown in esteem and recognition, followers and professionals alike have questioned why that listing hasn’t grown. In 2018, for instance, Kendrick Lamar‘s DAMN. turned the primary non-jazz or classical work to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music, nevertheless it misplaced Album of the Yr to Bruno Mars‘ 24K Magic, incomes Finest Rap Album as an alternative.
A number of years earlier, Lamar misplaced the 2014 Finest New Artist trophy to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, inflicting an uproar amongst rap followers. Macklemore, who’s white, famously texted the “Humble” rapper to say he was “robbed,” including that he deserved to win.
Lamar, for his half, was gracious in regards to the state of affairs, saying that the “Thrift Store” singer is a “real” one who earned his success. Different artists, nevertheless, weren’t impressed, with Drake telling Rolling Stone on the time that Macklemore’s textual content was “wack as f—okay.”
Critics have additionally query the Grammys’ observe file with feminine artists, particularly within the years since classes that have been previously divided by gender have been mixed into one. Whereas there have been standout years for ladies nominees, the compressed classes have typically meant that few or no girls obtain nominations in rock, R&B and pop classes, even once they’re among the hottest musicians on this planet.
Forward of the 2022 ceremony, no girls solo artists or female-fronted bands have been nominated for Finest Rock Efficiency, Finest Rock Music or Finest Rock Album. The earlier yr, the identical factor occurred with the Finest R&B Album class, main Teyana Taylor to specific her frustration with the present by way of social media.
“Y’all was higher off simply saying greatest MALE R&B ALBUM trigger all I see is d–okay on this class,” she tweeted in November 2020.
Even artists who’ve received Grammys have criticized the establishment for honoring commercially well-liked artists over lower-selling musicians that aren’t as well-known. Trent Reznor, who’s received Grammys for his movie scores in addition to his work with 9 Inch Nails, hasn’t been shy about saying he thinks the awards don’t matter.
“Why don’t the Grammys matter? As a result of it feels rigged and low-cost — like a recognition contest that the insiders membership has determined,” he instructed The Hollywood Reporter in December 2011.
Hold scrolling to see which artists have criticized the Grammys through the years:
