A night meant for celebration of music, a showcase of music around the world, yet constantly caught lacking in their diversity and award selection:The Grammy Awards. In the past few years, the Grammys have been heavily criticized for their nominations and awards. Specifically, in terms of which race tends to take the trophy.
Examples in the past include “To Pimp A Butterfly” (TPAB) by Kendrick Lamar against “1989” by Taylor Swift in 2016, for Album of the Year. Swift won the award, and there was an uproar from people around the world. As much as I personally adore Taylor Swift, there should’ve been no world in which 1989 won Album of the Year over “To Pimp A Butterfly”. TPAB attacks social, cultural, political, and racial issues, and if we take a look at “1989”, it did and does, nothing to change the world. Popular songs from TPAB include “Alright” and “i”, songs that are known for their political implications. “Alright” includes lines on police brutality, and later even became a chant for Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. “The Blacker the Berry” discusses the struggles of black citizens worldwide, specifically hitting on violence in black communities. 1989, in comparison, doesn’t hit on any political or racial issues, similar to the rest of Swift’s discography. When it comes to impact and songwriting, “To Pimp a Butterfly” should’ve taken the win on account of his art. Noticed by thousands online, this grammy snub did not go unnoticed.
Redirecting us to a more recent example, Taylor Swift, won Album of the Year again for “Midnights” this year. Compared to albums on the list for Album of the Year, like [make these album titles and by (insert artist), Swift did not deserve this win. What draws the Grammys panel to continue to vote for the same artists year and year again? What contributes to the lack of diversity in award nominees and winners in the Grammys?
As much as I would love to make fun of the Grammys for this, this isn’t just a reflection on the Grammys and how they decide award winners. This is a symptom of a bigger issue–that issue being in Hollywood. Look at any other award show, the Oscars, Emmys, or Tonys, and you’ll notice the same issue. A lack of diversity on the panel of voters for these events is what gets us to where we are currently, but the lack of diversity in the “higher ups” in Hollywood is what really got us here. There’s no doubt that there’s a behind the scenes in the decision-making for award show winners that the public doesn’t get to see. A behind the scenes that’s rumored to be plagued with money and corruption.
Multiple artists have pointed out the inconsistencies within the Grammys, withJay Z even going on stage to point out how his wife, Beyonce, hasn’t received awards for some of her most notable work such as “Lemonade”which lost to Adele’s “25”.. Drake tweeted in 2020 that “the Grammys remain corrupt,” and how they “owe me, my fans and the industry transparency”, after The Weekend wasn’t nominated for his album “After Hours”. As much as recognition for your art is always something that artists will always crave, it’s important to remember that this recognition is always going to be tainted in some way. Recognition in Hollywood will never be pure: it will be impacted by money, fame, fanbases, and factors that lie outside of the artist’s control. As Drake said, the Grammys don’t “dictate s–t in our world”.
