The recording academy have robbed numerous deserving candidates this year of a Grammy Award. Unfortunately, it’s been happening longer than you think.
Every year, millions of people around the world tune into the Grammys. The iconic event is a time to see all of your favorite artists in the same place. Annually, Hollywood’s biggest Stars dress to the nines and walk the carpet.
As a kid, I was obsessed with all things award shows. It felt like my posters were coming to life and giving me a personal show that I could watch from the comfort of my couch. It made me feel like I was Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. From the red carpet to the rolling credits, I was glued to the TV.
After Kanye West yanked the silver Moon-Man from Taylor Swift’s hands at the 2009 VMAs, I realized that I also lived for the drama. After years of thinking that Kanye West was just rude and out of hand, the blissful euphoria of being a child began to erode. I soon realized that Ye is rude, frustrated, and kind of right. All of his actions are not justified by any means but, even as a Swifty, Beyonce was robbed.
There has been a lack of morality and realness in award shows, specifically the Grammys. The biggest issue is that there is no public criteria or rubric that shows how exactly a winner is chosen. It is told to us as viewers that the “academy” votes and chooses on winners. Time and time again, hip-hop artists and performers of color are not awarded the golden statue.
My questions are as follows: Who is in the academy? What did they do in order to get their position there? Is there enough diversity within the academy? Who is the Grammys target audience, and do they have members of that group within the academy?
I am not the only one wondering the real answers to the questions stated. Many nominees have pressed and received no explanation. Some, like Eminem, have publicly vowed to never return. Even after winning multiple Grammys, the rapper stated in an interview that he felt like he had to “sell his soul” in order to obtain it.
He lists multiple of his colleagues that he feels were teased by the academy and led to believe that they were going to win album of the year, only to have the floor pulled from underneath them and left embarrassed.
Eminem does not stand alone in his opinion, even if he is one of few that speak about the issue in public. In 2019, the year of Mac Miller’s tragic death, the academy invited his grieving parents, Karen Meyers and Mark McCormik, in place of their son to accept the award for Best Rap Album of the year. At the ceremony, they awarded Tyler the Creator the prize instead. Following the stunt, Mac Miller’s ex girlfriend, Ariana Grande, swore off her attendance.
In the past decade, I have watched as attendance at the Grammys has decreased. This year, I looked specifically for household name artists that were missing the Grammys. I was confused as to why celebrities like The Rock and Jill Biden were presenting such important music awards like Album of the year.
Nicki Minaj, Chris Stapleton, Drake, Tems, Future, and Chris Brown all released record breaking music within the year and were not in attendance. Although the following artists did not release new music, I was surprised not to see some icons of our generation such as Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, Maria Carry, Lil Tjay, Justin Bieber, and Miley Cyrus. I think that people in the music industry should be way more involved than they are.
The majority of the audience sat through the entire ceremony looking miserable, only a few danced and genuinely looked happy (specifically Lizzo, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles). I feel that the four individuals had the most screen time, the most commentary, and the most controversies.
I consider myself to have a wide variety in music taste. I tuned into the Grammys this year and, at multiple times, my jaw was on the floor (oftentimes in disgust). I was in astonishment of how many artists’ work went unrecognized and underappreciated.
I realized about halfway through the show that things are not as they were when I was a kid. There are less performances, replaced instead with more political commentary. Category after category, I was confused. Song of the year went to Bonnie Raitt. Neither I, nor any of the people at the watch party where I watched, had ever heard the song, or knew who the singer was.
Once again, to nobody’s surprise, Beyonce was robbed of Album of the Year.
Looking back at the Grammy Awards 2023, I am disappointed. I felt like the show was full of microaggressions and catered to the patriarchy. I think that moving forward more award shows that are less mainstream will be taken more seriously because of the fact that viewers feel more heard. Our generation is progressive and confident. We are becoming more educated and therefore I know that more good change is coming. Growing Pains.