“This is a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people who might not understand what a mixed race kid from Canada has to say or a fly Spanish girl from New York or anybody else, or a brother from Houston right there, my brother Travis ,” Drake said that night. The moment was doubly notable because the broadcast went to commercial while he was still talking, and because Drake had turned down the chance to perform at the show. When he won Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan” in 2019, Drake got on stage and called music “an opinion-based sport,” implying that the awards do not necessarily go to the most deserving acts.

“The only category that they can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m black.” That same year, Drake went so far as to decline to even submit More Life for Grammy consideration (though some argued this was because he insisted the project was not an “album,” but merely a playlist.) I am referred to as a Black artist,” Drake said in a 2017 interview with DJ Semtex.

“I’m apparently a rapper, even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song…When it comes to everything else, I’m Black. (He did not name the Recording Academy specifically in this post, but his target was abundantly clear.) In 2020, Drake was incensed that The Weeknd’s After Hours did not receive any nominations, and wrote a lengthy message on Instagram, urging the creation of a new awards body to challenge the Grammys. His stats are meaningfully worse than Kanye West (22 wins in 70 nominations), Jay-Z (23 wins in 80 nominations) or Kendrick Lamar (13 wins in 37 nominations). He’s been nominated 47 times and won four–two for “Hotline Bling,” one for “God’s Plan,” and another for Take Care. It’s important to note that Drake’s Grammy success rate is lower than some of his peers. Per Variety, the exact reasoning is unknown, but there’s a fairly substantial history of the superstar expressing frustration with the Grammys. The man who once rapped “I could give two fucks ‘bout where the Grammys go” is now apparently withdrawing his pair of 2022 nominations for Certified Lover Boy (Best Rap Album) and “Way 2 Sexy” (Best Rap Performance).

Drake’s longstanding feud with the Recording Academy has taken another dramatic turn.

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