Will the Grammys still support Kanye West, or have his latest offenses gone too far?
Kanye West has 24 Grammys total, making him the most awarded rapper in the awards’ history (tied with Jay-Z). Seven of West’s albums have won Grammys, and he has additional prizes from standalone singles, features, and production work behind the scenes. His last studio album, “Donda,” got four nominations including Album of the Year, and won twice in rap categories. With such an impressive track record over the span of two decades, one might simply assume he’s likely to be nominated for his new album with Ty Dolla $ign, “Vultures 1,” which has been doing great on the charts. However, “Vultures 1” comes after West’s public backlash due to antisemitic remarks, which doesn’t seem to have ended his career, but still looms over him.
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While the Grammys have many representation problems, they are sensitive to social issues. In 2019 Neil Portnow was replaced as Recording Academy president after telling female artists that they need to “step up” in order to get more nominations. He was replaced by Deborah Dugan, who was the first female president of the academy. Things got messy with Dugan too, but it showed the organization taking notice and trying to appear progressive. There have also been efforts to bring more diverse members into the academy, but antisemitic comments would surely offend many people regardless of their backgrounds.
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That said, Grammy voters have turned a blind eye to controversy before. In 2012 Chris Brown won Best R&B Album despite having faced intense backlash for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna. There’s also songwriter and producer Dr. Luke, who has received multiple nominations due to his work with artists like Doja Cat and Saweetie despite having been accused of sexual assault by singer Kesha. Voters have also continued to nominate and award other controversial figures like Louis CK and Dave Chappelle. So one could argue that, in some cases, controversy means next to nothing to the Grammys.
However, sometimes it seems like controversy does matter. Country singer Morgan Wallen has been one of the biggest artists of the decade so far, with two massive albums (“Dangerous” and “One Thing at a Time“) that both topped the year-end Billboard 200. Despite this, he has yet to be nominated, with the Grammys going as far as to only nominate his music in a category where he wasn’t credited (Best Country Song for “Last Night,” which he didn’t write). It’s likely that Wallen’s absence from the Grammys is at least partly due to the controversy surrounding his use of a racial slur, since acts as successful as him are rarely so thoroughly ignored at the awards show. It would make sense, then, to think a similar fate would befall West, especially since he has gone through multiple rounds of controversies over the past few years.
But is Kanye too firmly established in the industry to be snubbed like that? It’s undeniable that he is one of the biggest hitmakers in hip-hop history. What will likely end up happening is that he’ll still get rap nominations even if he might not get into the general field this time. The year is also a bit weak for hip-hop in terms of high-profile releases so far, so it wouldn’t be shocking if the album or its hit single “Carnival” win their respective categories too. One could argue that art should be the main focus of the award. Still, won’t it be a bad look if the Grammys choose West, for an album that isn’t even particularly acclaimed, over less problematic individuals?
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