The Grammy Awards is the biggest honor given to musicians worldwide, but just like many other awards schemes, there have been several scandals associated with the ceremony over the years.
Sometimes dubbed “Music’s Biggest Night”, the Grammy Awards has long been a source of resentment for some well-known musicians.
The Grammys over its 66 years of hosting the Awards, have been hit with accusations of discrimination which include the lack of diversity in terms of gender and race within the winners’ circle and a perceived lack of openness about the nomination process.
Throughout the years, several celebrities have called out the Grammys for their disapproval of various aspects of the show, ranging from the song classification to the voting process and the absurdity of some of the snubs. Here are seven stars who have recently called out the Grammys.
50 Cent
Following Pop Smoke’s posthumous album Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon’s failure to receive a Grammy nomination in 2021, Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, called out the organizers. He posted on social media, saying, “Get the f— outta here, they out of touch this sh— ain’t it”.
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Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj called out the Grammys over her long-standing disappointment at being overlooked at the 2012 version of the award, years after it had originally happened. Minaj wrote on X, “I had seven songs simultaneously charting on Billboard and a bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade—went on to inspire a generation—and the Grammys didn’t give me my best new artist award. They gave it to Bon Iver, the white man.”
Jay-Z
Jay-Z has also expressed frustration with the Grammys over the years, including through his music. “Tell the Grammys f— that 0 for eight s—,” he rapped in the song “Apes—t.” He received a record eight nominations for the award show but lost them all. He, however, gave one hell of an acceptance speech, calling out the Grammys for giving his wife more awards than anyone but having never owned an Album Of The Year.
Teyana Taylor
In 2020, Teyana Taylor brought attention to sexism as another significant issue at the Grammy Awards. Taylor expressed her dissatisfaction on X after the nominations were revealed, pointing out that the Best R&B Album category only included male artistes.
She wrote, “You guys would have been better off just saying best male R&B album because all I see in this category is d—.”
Tyler, the Creator
The 2020 Grammy Awards saw Tyler, the Creator, win for Best Rap Album, but he later revealed some unexpectedly personal information.
In a press conference, he stated, “It stinks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or that’s anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category.”
The Weeknd
The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, started complaining about the Grammy Awards when his name was absent from the list of nominees for the 2021 ceremony.
The Weeknd spoke out after the Grammys were completely boycotted, declaring, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe the transparency of the industry, my fans, and myself” he penned on X.
The Weeknd continued by revealing that he had received an invitation to perform at the event before it had been revoked. He questioned on X, “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks without being invited?” “Zero nominations, in my opinion; you’re not invited!”
Wiz Khalifa
Reiterating how corrupt the system is, Wiz Khalifa also defended The Weeknd at the time. Indeed, that is unexpected, but politics is at play, as the rapper commented on X. “They don’t mention you around if you don’t show up to their parties.”