It shouldn’t take public outcry to enact change.
The 2021 Grammys Made Some Progress When It Comes to Diversity—But Is It Too Late?
When I became an adult, I was surprised to realize award shows like the Grammys aren’t necessarily honoring the most talented singers, writers, and producers in the music industry. “Best” is a subjective term, I learned over time. And if the Recording Academy—the collection of musicians, producers, engineers, and other musical professionals who vote for the Grammys—isn’t diverse, how can we expect the nominees, and ultimately the winners, to reflect that as well? We can’t, and it's a problem.
This isn't a new issue, but there was added pressure on the Recording Academy ahead of this year's Grammy Awards after the institution faced numerous accusations of racial bias—most prominently from The Weeknd. After the singer was noticeably snubbed from this year's nominations, it led to increased scrutiny around the Grammys voting process and how it negatively impacts artists of color. The Weeknd even announced he'll be boycotting the award show indefinitely because of it.
https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1331394452447870977A lot of Black talent did receive nominations, including H.E.R, Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé, Roddy Ricch, and DaBaby. But getting a nomination isn’t the same as walking home with a trophy, and the Recording Academy has a history of overlooking rap and hip-hop music in the “big four” categories: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Album of the Year.
Case in point: In 2017, Beyoncé’s Lemonade lost Album of the Year to Adele’s 25; even Adele didn’t think she deserved the honor. “I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but the artist of my life is Beyoncé,” she said in her speech. “The Lemonade album was just so monumental.”
Nicki Minaj recently reminded fans of when she was snubbed at the 2012 Grammys. “Never forget the Grammys didn’t give me my best new artist award when I had 7 songs simultaneously charting on billboard & bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade- went on to inspire a generation,” she tweeted. “They gave it to the white man Bon Iver.”
https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1331315767967551488Drake pointed out the biased aspect of the show in his 2019 Grammys acceptance speech after receiving Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan. “We play an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” he said. “This is a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people that might not understand what a mixed-race kid from Canada might have to say or a fly Spanish girl from New York.”
AdvertisementWhile pointing to his trophy, he continued, “You don’t need this right here, I promise you that. You already won.” After that statement, the broadcast cut off the rest of his speech.
It took public pressure for the Recording Academy to make real change. Harvey Mason Jr., interim president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, even delivered a message about making an effort to elevate marginalized voices. And there was progress evident in this year’s show: Megan Thee Stallion took home the trophy for Best New Artist, H.E.R. won for Song of the Year, and Beyoncé made history after breaking the record for the most Grammys won by a woman. The show also featured numerous performances by Black artists, including a powerful performance from Lil Baby that highlighted police brutality, and was hosted by The Daily Show's Trevor Noah.
But this all leaves me with one question: Why? Why are the Grammys' racial biases only being addressed now, when the award show has been around 62 years? I know the answer is: racism. But as a fan who's been watching these shows for years, it’s unsettling to know that all the musicians I watched give acceptance speeches weren’t always the most deserving. They were talented—but I wonder how many Black artists were in the audience knowing they were being overlooked simply because of the color of their skin. I wonder if it's how Megan Thee Stallion felt after she lost Record of the Year to Billie Eilish, only for Eilish to then declare the Megan “deserved” the honor in her speech.
https://twitter.com/KathleenNB/status/1371307355581915140The lack of representation makes me wonder how some Black artists still have faith in the show despite this recent effort to promote change. It also makes me understand why many don’t. One thing’s for sure: If the Grammys don’t continue to make major changes regarding its diversity problem, it'll lose any credibility it has left.
Paulina Jayne Isaac is a contributing writer at Glamour. Follow her on Twitter @paulinajayne15
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Paulina Jayne Isaac
