After major backlash from the 59th Grammy awards, it seems as if the Academy has had a change of heart in just a year’s time. The Nominees for the 60th Annual Grammy awards have surfaced and artists are finally in the categories they belong in. But why? Why did it take the complaints of millions of viewers for the Academy to correctly place artists where they deserve to be.
More importantly, why do we equate the Grammys to a musical pinnacle? Why don’t people who feel they are left out create a lane of their own? One notion that I cannot understand is why a BET award is not as deeply revered as a Grammy. Artists usually use the BET awards as a stepping stone and then move on to the MTV and VH1 awards and subsequently the Grammys. This is the ladder of importance to artists. One that doesn’t make much sense. We care too much about being accepted by people that can hardly understand our art.
J. Cole said it best in Fire Squad:
“History repeats itself and that’s just how it goes
Same way that these rappers always bite each others flows
Same thing that my n*gga Elvis did with Rock n Roll
Justin Timberlake, Eminem and then Macklemore
While silly n*ggas argue over who gon’ snatch the crown
Look around, my n*gga, white people have snatched the sound This year I’ll prolly go to the awards dappered down
Watch Iggy win a Grammy as I try to crack a smile.“
Pictured above, some of Hip-Hop’s most influential artists decided not to attend the 1989 Grammy Awards. In 1988 Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. However, the win was not televised. We can only imagine why. No matter the reason, these instances of unfair treatment continue to transform and resurface. So now the question is no longer, “Why are we not included?” It has become “Why do we want to be included?”
Stop seeking acceptance and stop accepting marginalization.
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