By Prince Hakeem
As the Recording Academy fights for its cultural and musical relevance year after year, many fans continue to lament that the organization isn’t doing itself any favors.
When it comes to awards, they are going to be winners and losers. Regardless of what audiences and fans may think, as it stands, the decision behind who gets these coveted Grammy Awards consists of backroom politics and special interests. So, when snubs happen to very deserving artists, and although it’s something we should be used by now, the hurt runs deep.
However, this year appeared to be a lot more egregious than others most recent.
For starters, Roddy Rich was nominated in six categories yet lost them all. Post Malone, who was nominated for album, record, and song of the year, walked away with nothing as well.
Doja Cat stans got Nicki Minaj trending after the ‘Say So’ singer got shut out in Best New Artist, Record of the Year, or Best Pop Solo Performance categories. Fans of both camps were drawing comparisons to Minaj’s years’ worth of snubs by the Recording Academy. They took to social media to vent their frustrations.
Perhaps the biggest snub of the night came at the expense of Houston artist Meg thee Stallion and Billie Eilish. Conveniently repeating history, Eilish won the Grammy for Record of the Year for the second year in a row. It was a massive feat for an artist that young. The “Bad Guy” singer was put in an impossible position as she gushed over Meg while accepting her award.
“This is really embarrassing for me,” Eilish, said. “You are a queen, I want to cry thinking about how much I love you.”
It was eerily reminiscent of Adele praising Beyonce when she won album of the year back in 2017. Many fans online have castigated this moment as performative white guilt. It further highlights the Grammy Awards’ two-faced complicity in snubbing black women for the cultural impact in music and pop culture.
This trend has become increasingly prevalent in the last five years. If the Grammy Awards do not make a course correction and operate in honesty, it’s fair to assume that audiences might turn away.
