The Grammy nominations are out and so many people – so many major artists – got snubbed. Which happens every year. The Grammys, more than any other awards show, are always a buffet of f–kery. This year, notable snubs included The Weeknd, BTS, Fiona Apple, and tons more. The Weeknd had some thoughts:
The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020
I understand his frustration, truly. His song “Blinding Lights” has been everywhere this year and After Hours was a very successful album using any metric. But, again, there’s always f–kery around the Grammys, especially with Black artists. Which brings me to why Nicki Minaj was trending for hours yesterday:
Never forget the Grammys didn’t give me my best new artist award when I had 7 songs simultaneously charting on billboard & bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade- went on to inspire a generation. They gave it to the white man Bon Iver. #PinkFriday
— Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) November 24, 2020
“The white man Bon Iver”!!! I’ll be honest, I actually thought Bon Iver was a dude too, but Bon Iver is a band. A band which worked on “Monster” with Kanye West and Nicki Minaj. She actually knew those dudes and she was like “I’m gonna say that Bon Iver is a white man.” Also, as people mentioned, Bon Iver collaborated with Taylor Swift on some of the songs in Folklore, and Taylor and Nicki have a history too.
But anyway, besides the White Man Bon Iver, both Abel and Nicki have a point, which is that the Recording Academy stays racist and they really hate commercially successful Black artists.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I am not sure how they keep any relevance at this point. This same thing is repeated every single year. Can someone please establish a competing show with similar relevance? These people are so arrogant at this point they just show their middle finger and ignore the howls
She has a point. There’s always a conflicting excuse when black artists continue to be shut out of winning the general categories. The “it’s not a popularity/sales contest” and “it’s about more than just critical acclaim” lines have been trotted out numerous times against Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, etc.. So is the problem popularity or critical acclaim? There’s *never* a consistent answer.
Blinding Lights is a genuine masterpeice. I’ve had it on repeat for several months now. It should’ve recieved a nomination. While I respect Nikki’s skill as a rapper and her cultural impact, Justin Vernon, in my opinion, is a far superior artist and musician.
Agree with you on both counts. The Weeknd is a genius and commercially successful. Nicki Minaj is… commercially successful.
Blinding Lights is a phenomenal song. Absolutely deserves to be Song of the Year.
Yep that is a true snub – I would’ve expected that album to sweep!
I wish artists would just say eff off to the Grammys. Artists’ teams buy their awards, it doesn’t actually go to someone who deserves it. The Weeknd, Nicki, Taylor…get bent out of shape when they aren’t nominated, but the next year they again submit their stuff.
Yes this. Of course it’s all rigged and corrupt. So don’t play the game. The problem is all these artists crave attention, so they become slaves to the game.
This is just beyond preposterous at this point. GRAMMYS AIN’T S*** ANYMORE. It is more of a popularity contest instead of an award show. I wouldn’t be shocked that the Grammys are rigged.
They should boycott until the Grammy’s wise up or lose prestige and dollars. Enjoy your success and snub the Grammys
When I first listened to Bob Iver on their own I thought it was a joke. I loved songs they were featured on so it was pretty surprising how much I didnt like their songs. The music is flat and the lead singers voice is… well there are a lot, a LOT, more talented people out there. If they beat Nicki for what was probably the first banger album of the decade obviously the Grammys are some bullshit.
Speculation I heard on the radio was that they wouldn’t give The Weeknd noms unless he agreed to perform at the Grammys only and not the Superbowl. He wouldn’t be “allowed” to do both. And of course who’s gonna pick the Grammys over the Superbowl? There’s no contest in terms of viewing figures.
I think the Grammys are the worst example of a prestigious award show being all about popularity and favoritism. People have to campaign hard for Oscars, but at least the Oscars don’t blatantly nominate the highest grossing films of the year, lol. It’s really just so strange. I really love award season despite its fading relevancy, but I can’t understand why artists put any stock in winning a Grammy anymore.
and I don’t know anyone who seeks out an artist based on grammy wins or noms. Maybe I’m just completely out of touch, but I’ll watch a movie if it was nominated for an Oscar, or if it ended up winning a bunch of Oscars – but I don’t base my music on who won or was nominated for a Grammy.
That’s a really good point! I love movies and I definitely am more inclined to check out a movie if it’s nominated/has won Oscars (I actually try to watch several of them before the ceremony so I know who I’m rooting for). Movie theaters even have marathons of Best Picture-nominated films every year. It’s totally different and not that important from a consumer perspective when it comes to music.
Nah, I checked out Beck’s album after he won Album of the Year several years ago. Norah Jones too. Just to see what the hub bub was about. Both were solid. The Grammy performances have also turned me on to individual songs that I never gave much thought to. Like Kendrick’s epic performance of MAAD City.
They gave Macklemore best rap album over Kendrick Lamar. 🤔
Yiiiiikes
Right. And even Macklemore said it should have been KL.
Blinding Lights is what’s kept me sane through this pandemic and never ending quarantine/lockdown. It’s a song I listen to daily and it lifts my spirits.
The Grammys gave Noah Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Blue Ivy a nomination and made Beyonce the most nominated of them all, yet the Weeknd can’t get one single nom? It’s laughable.
Artists needs to do it like Drake and Frank Ocean and pay them dust.
Well, no disrespect to Minaj but, seriously, I like to believe Grammys are still awarded to the music achievement of a group of somewhat popular nominees. As in, well she got nominated for being popular and having commercial success but out of those nominees they awarded the ones who had a better album.
I mean, Minaj’s music is made just to be heard, enjoyed, discarded, and be forgotten by the time the next single is made, and there’s a big pop machinery behind her of people just creating music to make money, no shade on that, kudos to her, but let’s no pretend she is the best thing in music.
A little off topic…but the Black Pumas (who were nominated for AOTY) are amazing. I’ve been playing their self titled album allllll year, straight through, every song. Their song “Colors” is THE BEST thing for my mental health. If anyone has a minute, check them out.
YES. I recently discovered the Black Pumas and I’m happy they’re nominated. I hope they win.
I remember when Esperanza Spalding, a black (prodigious, classically trained jazz cellist) woman, won best new artist over Beiber, and there was an uproar from rappers about it. It wasn’t about race that year, evidently.
She is SO wonderful.
These nominations have me LIVID.
The only bright spot for me was the Black Pumas, who i saw on concert last January before everything shut down. They are amazing.
Biggest snub for me is Fiona. Fetch the bolt cutters is a damned masterpiece!!!
Fetch the Boltcutters is the best album put out this year -overall. As you said, it is a masterpiece and the omission of her album in the big prize invalidates every other category in my mind.
When I think that Folklore is nominated for album of the year over FTB, then I just get angry, so I’m choosing to mentally include these nominations in the long list of all the trash generated by 2020.
So jealous you got to see Black Pumas live! I discovered them watching Austin City Limits, and they were incredible.
I also share your love of Fiona’s album. It’s so unique and interesting.
The fact that the Weeknd wasn’t nominated proves the Grammy’s are ridiculous.
Like most of the new indie “bands”, Bon Iver is mainly one white dude and a backing band for recording and touring.
I was coming here to say just that! Bon Iver is Justin Vernon with a backing band, so the White man Bon Iver sounds about right to me…
Thanks for this clarification. That part confused me because I know someone who went to school with Bon Iver and they always say it like Bon Iver was just one dude, so they must mean Justin Vernon. My understanding was that “Bon Iver” is another family name of his.
Bon Iver is definitely not a “new indie band”? They’ve been around for more than 10 years, jeez!
I’m really surprised at the hate for Justin and the whole group.
Bon Iver has a pretty great history of grass-roots-advocacy and just general goodness. Just take a look at their instagram or social media it’s pretty easy to see how unproblematic they are.
Very thought provoking music and honestly.. great?
Justin has talked about how he no longer talks to Kanye and has now broken creative ties with him,
Bon Iver has always been open to collaborating with other artists and crossing genre’s, just wiki their discography? the receipts are right there.
(I understand if “white guy-indie-music” isn’t your thing, but v weird shots fired at Bon Iver)
Artists who whine about loosing just seem ego-heavy. I understand fans and their disappointment, and them protesting; but artists themselves sometimes wrongly believe in their superiority. Music, after all, is a matter of taste, and different elements appeal to different people. I’m fond of Bon Iver, but I only like one Minaj song of all I’ve heard on the radio. My point is: She’s not all that in everyone’s ears.
Exactly! Was just coming to write the same thing: I’m currently listening to the Weeknd’s album and it’s one of the most boring albums I ever heard. All of his songs sound like the same shade of whiny boring. I literally can’t tell them apart. Blinding Lights is definitely the standout, but it’s also an EXTREMELY generic and derivative song that sounds like a million of other upbeat songs. What am I missing? I definitely do not hear undeniable genius in these songs.
P.S. In Your Eyes is a little better than the rest too, but again, not blowing my mind.
Bon Iver is not really a band. It’s the stage name for Justin Vernon. It’s Justin Vernon who writes songs with a lot of other artists.
I think the Grammys have shown over and over again how they do not have their finger on the pulse at all. There have been so many noteable snubs through the years (Adele winning album of the year instead of Beyonce for Lemonade; Macklemore winning instead of KENDRICK LAMAR) that I think most serious music fans see the Grammys as an industry popularity contest, not actually merit-based awards. An album getting a Grammy doesn’t make me any more interested in listening to it, it just tells me that it probably made a lot of money. I understand why a lot of artists are frustrated with the Grammys because it telegraphs to them that their industry doesn’t value them as much as, well, the bland white people.
how was bts snubbed? their album on and the one they just released are musical (and financial) flops. if anything they did NOT deserve nomination for dynamite.
you might not care for the music (and it’s hit or miss for me, honestly. i don’t like their newer stuff as much as some of their older stuff), but i don’t think you can say their albums are financial flops. map of the soul 7, released earlier this year, was the bestselling album of the year, worldwide. and their newest album, be, sold 2 million copies in 2 days.
i wasn’t a big fan of dynamite, definitely not their best work, and there are kpop groups doing much better work in english. but i don’t mind they were nominated for best group performance. better than giving into fan pressure and nominating them for best album or record, which i don’t think they deserve this year.
@Bunny.
That’s blatantly untrue. Financial flops? Map of the Soul: Seven sold millions of physical copies and is an immense global success. The album isn’t even called On. That is just one of the songs.
BE has sold 2 million copies already, and that’s the deluxe edition, of all things.
Musical taste can vary, but you calling their albums financial flops makes it clear to me you have a shady agenda.
Bon Iver really is just one guy though, she’s not wrong. He uses the band name Bon Iver but the band consists of Justin Vernon and no one else. (And he seems like a super nice guy, but Nikki’s right)
I must admit that I’m listening to Blinding Lights for the very first time right now.
Black artists have been repeatedly snubbed by the Grammys. Having said that, while I like Blinding Lights, there’s nothing particularly new or original about it. Euphoric electronic dance: it’s been done, multiple times before. (Ellie Goulding five years ago, for example.) So, if you think the Grammys should be about something more than commercial success, that seems like an entirely fair basis to me for not nominating The Weeknd.
I’m honestly surprised some of the big name artists even bother submitting their work or performing at the grammy’s anymore. The grammy’s is so out of touch. The end for me was when Adele won Album of the Year over Beyonce’s masterpiece Lemonade. Even Adele knew it was wrong. I haven’t watched since.