Drake, one of the most successful and influential rap artists of his generation, has expressed his frustration with the Grammy Awards after failing to win any of the three categories he was nominated for at this year’s ceremony.
The Canadian rapper, who has won four Grammys in the past, took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday (February 4) to share his thoughts on the awards show, which he said “doesn’t dictate shit in our world.”
He congratulated his fellow rap artists who won, such as Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, and Jay-Z, but also pointed out the lack of recognition for other deserving rap artists, such as Future, Young Thug, and Travis Scott.
He wrote: “I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after.”
He added: “It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways. The other day I said @thegr8khalid deserved a nomination and today we are talking about this. We need to just have our own awards show.”
Drake’s comments echo the sentiments of many rap fans and critics, who have long accused the Grammys of being out of touch with the rap genre and favoring more mainstream and pop-oriented artists.
Drake was nominated for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album for his 2023 album Certified Lover Boy, which was one of the best-selling and most-streamed albums of the year. However, he lost to Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. for Best Rap Album, Jay-Z’s The Story of O.J. for Best Rap Song, and Kendrick Lamar’s HUMBLE. for Best Rap Performance.
Drake has previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the Grammys, especially after his 2017 hit Hotline Bling won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance, despite not being a rap song. He said in a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone: “I don’t even want them, because it just feels weird for some reason. It just doesn’t feel right to me.”
He also revealed that he turned down an offer to perform at the 2018 Grammys, saying: “I’m not saying I’m too good for anything. But I just don’t feel comfortable being there.”
Drake is not the only rap artist who has boycotted or criticized the Grammys. Kanye West, who has won 21 Grammys, has repeatedly slammed the awards show for snubbing him and other rap artists, and even famously interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year in 2009. Frank Ocean, who won two Grammys in 2013, refused to submit his 2016 album Blonde for consideration, saying: “That institution certainly has nostalgic importance. It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.”
The Grammys have tried to address the criticism by expanding the number of nominees in the main categories from five to eight, and by creating a diversity and inclusion task force to examine the issues of representation and inclusion in the music industry. However, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to appease the rap community and restore the credibility of the awards show.
