Withdrawing from the two categories he was nominated for, Drake has removed himself from Grammy contention,
Securing Best Rap Performance for “Way 2 Sexy” and Best Rap Album nod Certified Lover Boy, the Recording Academy received a request from the Canadian artist and his management team to remove his nominations, and the Grammys obliged.
As mentioned in Variety, which broke the news, no additional artists will be added to the Best Rap Performance or Best Rap Album categories in Drake’s place, with the four remaining artists competing for the prizes.
Nominated 47 times in the Rap category with only four wins, Drake has long had a contentious relationship with the Grammys. Arguably one of the the biggest artists of the past decade Drake took home a statue in 2019, when he picked up Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan,” and during his speech he appeared to take several not-so-subtle jabs at the Recording Academy stating:
“We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” Drake said. “You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown… Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending money to buy tickets to your shows, you don’t need this right here. You already won.”
Not the first musician to remove himself from the awards ceremony, Frank Ocean and the Weeknd have recently declined to submit their music for Grammy consideration. (The Weeknd — who announced his boycott after being snubbed for the 2021 Grammys.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Brennan Schnell