Soon after the 2018 Grammys, my father sent me an email whose subject was “Dinosaurs & SZA.” I would soon discover that the dinosaur referred to Elton John, who had recently announced his final tour:
The insane price tag, hundreds of dollars just to get in the building, thousands for a seat that will give you a glimpse of the old fart. You pay to see a dinosaur. He’s a legend for sure but he’s not influencing music, the scene, let alone culture the way your artists are. What we pay to see someone who’s made history versus one who’s making it. I want to live in the moment; I want to live in the day. I’m listening to Sza today.
This email from my 52-year-old father opened my eyes to the fact that while artists such as SZA may seem like a household name to younger generations, many adults only become aware of artists if they are nominated for Grammys. For better or worse, the Grammys inform many fans on whom they are supposed to like and listen to. New artists in their prime have one chance to burst onto the scene of superstardom: The Grammys.
In 2016, Grammy-nominated albums saw a sale increase of 54.8 percent and nominated songs saw an increase of 130.4 percent. After Adele’s album “25”won album of the year in 2017, it catapulted to No. 6 on the Billboard 200, with an overall sales increase of 238 percent. The Grammys continue to be a way for artists to gain exposure, with over 26million people watching the 2017 Grammys. Beyond just a sales spike, winning an award means that “Grammy-winning” will come before the artist’s name for the rest of their life. And with this extraordinary influence comes great responsibility. But year after year, the Grammys award ceremony demonstrates why it is a platform for self-interested executives and voters to award artists who are inoffensive, popular, and more often than not, white.
A look at hip-hop’s relationship with the Grammys tells you everything you need to know. Kendrick Lamar has released three of the greatest albums of our generation and has never won a Grammy for album of the year. He has lost to pop artists Daft Punk, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars. Lamar’s album DAMN. won a Pulitzer Prize, but still didn’t win album of the year. His albums—and hip-hop albums in general—about race, politics and culture continuously lose to pop albums that will make you dance rather than think. In 2013, the Grammys finally decided to give hip-hop a nod — by awarding the white rapper Macklemore. After Macklemore beat Lamar for Best New Artist, he shared a photo of a text he sent Lamar: “You got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have.”
While Beyoncé, Prince, Mariah Carey, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar have never won Album of the Year, Taylor Swift has won twice. Only 10 black artists, and none since 2008, have ever won the award since it first began in 1959. Of the seven times a white artist has been nominated for Best Rap Album, only once did the white artist not win. Call it blatant racism, ineptness or self-serving, but the Grammys are failing on an extraordinary level to address the continuous accomplishments of artists that are leading rather than following.
Many artists have protested and criticized the Grammys as well. During Eddie Vedder’s infamous Grammy speech he said, “I have no idea what this means. I don’t think this means anything.” During the songApeshit, which is a part of JAY-Z and Beyoncé’s joint album Everything is Love, JAY-Z raps, “Tell the Grammys f*ck that 0-8 sh*t,” which was in reference to JAY-Z not winning a single award at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, despite his eight nominations.
While the results on February 10th at the 61st Grammys shouldn’t matter, there is no disputing that “music’s biggest night” continues to affect artists and their listeners. The highest-paid musicians of 2018 were U2, Garth Brooks and Metallica because institutions like the Recording Academy (the organization behind the Grammys) continue to recognize artists based on their gender, race, and popularity rather than the quality of their content. It’s time we all expect more from the Grammys, and if they can’t deliver, stop listening.
