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The 2023 GRAMMY nominations have just been announced, and reactions from music fans and the nominated artists themselves have been interesting to say the least.
However, there’s also been some discussion coming from those not even nominated, resulting in many snubbed stars speaking out against the annual music awards ceremony for what they feel is an ongoing problem within the Academy who choose the coveted nominee slots.
RELATED: 2023 GRAMMYS: The R&B Nominations Are In!
As you’ve probably already seen, rap queen Nicki Minaj has spoken out vehemently about her number one hit “Super Freaky Girl” getting zero nominations. Then, R&B sensation Summer Walker and LVRN co-founder Justice Baiden spoke out after the
Still Over It singer was snubbed for two projects in a row, which got a supportive co-sign from R&B icon Kelly Rowland. “Things that make you go Hmmm???,” the Destiny’s Child superstar wrote on one of her Instagram Stories, clarifying her confusion by adding, “Why was @summerwalker’s Album not nominated For a Grammy? It was damn GOOD!! PERIOD!!”
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Recently, hip-hop vet Fat Joe joined the conversation as well by bringing up a few snubs from the past. Speaking with Elliott Wilson in a profile for
GQ, the “Lean Back” rapper boldly declared that his 2004 New York summer anthem, in addition to the more recent 2017 smash “All The Way Up,” both deserved GRAMMYs for “Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group” and “Best Rap Performance,” respectively.
See below for his full take on the situation, via
GQ:
“I should have won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance 2017. Chance is a cool guy. But the Grammy should have come my way. ‘All the Way Up’ was bigger. Not only that, if people understood the culture, Remy and I were like Robin Hood and Cinderella. They could have done the ‘hood a favor and given ‘All the Way Up,’ the fuckin’ Grammy. You understand? They gave it to Chance the Rapper—and for what? I’m not going to be disrespectful, but they gave it to him for a record I don’t even know no more. This is my point. I don’t even know what he beat us with. Do you understand? Same thing happened to us with ‘Lean Back.’ We lost Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group in 2005 to, what’s these guys? What’s the guy with the girl, Fergie?”
“Let’s give the underdogs the Grammys,” Fat Joe later says in the interview, and he’s definitely not alone in his qualms about not just the nomination process but in determining a winner as well.
When looking at the bigger picture, a handful of major artists were snubbed this year, including Megan Thee Stallion’s sophomore album,
Traumatize, and its hit singles “Her” and “Plan B.” On a similar front, even with 10 Latin GRAMMY nominations to his name, global Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny garnered only one nom for “Album of the Year” despite breaking many records with
Un Verano Sin Ti.
However, what does critiquing the nominations say about the actual nominees? Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Doja Cat and Lizzo are all vying for “Record Of The Year,” with three out of the four also nominated for “Album Of The Year.” Kendrick Lamar is rightfully getting his flowers for the impeccable hip-hop masterpiece
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and new stars like Muni Long, Latto, Tobe Nwigwe and jazz sensation Samara Joy are bringing representation to “Best New Artist.”
…and those are just the Big Four categories!
It’s perfectly fair to say Summer Walker deserves a nomination for “Best R&B Album,” but who’s to say
Good Morning Gorgeous,
Black Radio III,
Candydrip,
Watch The Sun or
Breezy didn’t deserve theirs
— well, maybe that last one, but we’ll leave that up to opinion! Same with the
Queen emcee: is “Super Freaky Girl,” be it a pop or rap record, comparable to equal chart darlings like nominees DJ Khaled, GloRilla, Future and cookout-invitee Jack Harlow?
In short, there’s no real answer. The reality is that majority, if not all musicians making hit music in this era can make an argument for why they deserve a GRAMMY. Some like Snoop Dogg, Brian McKnight and The Supremes queen Diana Ross have each been nominated over a dozen times and never took home a trophy. Deceased legends like Aaliyah, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. never won a single GRAMMY before or after their untimely deaths.
The best way we can all look at it is to not allow an accolade to determine your worth as an artist, your status as one of the music elites or, in the case of Minaj, bring you to get out of character by throwing shade at a nominated artist.
Take a look below at what some people are saying when it comes to the GRAMMYs snubbing some artists, and let us know where you stand in the buzzing music debate: