For almost as long as the Grammys have existed, musicians have been criticizing the voting process, the nominations and the winners.
Grammys disses have taken many forms over the years, but in the 21st century, much of the commentary has focused on the awards show’s history of excluding women and Black artists from the major categories. Since the inaugural ceremony in 1959, only 10 Black artists have won the Album of the Year trophy.
As rap and hip-hop have grown in esteem and popularity, fans and professionals alike have wondered why that list hasn’t grown. In 2018, for example, Kendrick Lamar‘s DAMN. became the first non-jazz or classical work to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music, but it lost Album of the Year to Bruno Mars‘ 24K Magic, earning Best Rap Album instead.
Several years earlier, Lamar lost the 2014 Best New Artist trophy to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, causing an uproar among rap fans. Macklemore, who is white, famously texted the “Humble” rapper to say he was “robbed,” adding that he deserved to win.
Lamar, for his part, was gracious about the situation, saying that the “Thrift Shop” singer is a “genuine” person who earned his success. Other artists, however, were not impressed, with Drake telling Rolling Stone at the time that Macklemore’s text was “wack as f—k.”
Critics have also question the Grammys’ track record with female artists, especially in the years since categories that were formerly divided by gender were combined into one. While there have been standout years for women nominees, the compressed categories have often meant that few or no women receive nominations in rock, R&B and pop categories, even when they’re some of the most popular musicians in the world.
Ahead of the 2022 ceremony, no women solo artists or female-fronted bands were nominated for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song or Best Rock Album. The previous year, the same thing happened with the Best R&B Album category, leading Teyana Taylor to express her frustration with the show via social media.
“Y’all was better off just saying best MALE R&B ALBUM cause all I see is d–k in this category,” she tweeted in November 2020.
Even artists who’ve won Grammys have criticized the institution for honoring commercially popular artists over lower-selling musicians that aren’t as well known. Trent Reznor, who’s won Grammys for his film scores as well as his work with Nine Inch Nails, hasn’t been shy about saying he thinks the awards don’t matter.
“Why don’t the Grammys matter? Because it feels rigged and cheap — like a popularity contest that the insiders club has decided,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2011.
Keep scrolling to see which artists have criticized the Grammys over the years:
After the nominations for the 2022 ceremony were announced in November 2021, the former Disney star tweeted a link to an article titled, "30 Artists Who Haven't Won Grammys" with the comment, "In good company." The "Malibu" songstress previously only received one nomination in 2015 for her album Bangerz. Rob Latour/Shutterstock
The "Bloody Valentine" singer took to social media to slam the awards after he received no nominations for his album Tickets to My Downfall before the 2022 edition of the awards. "Wtf is wrong with the grammys," he tweeted in November 2021. "The ones who gas you up only come around when the flames on." Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The rapper has won 21 Grammys throughout his career, but he remains one of the most outspoken critics in the industry. In 2015, he stormed the stage after Beyoncé lost Album of the Year to Beck. “Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé,” he told E! News after the show. “At this point, we tired of it because what happens is when you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats in music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration." Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstoc
In 2020, fans were shocked when the "Blinding Lights" singer scored zero nods for his massively successful album After Hours. The Weeknd was too, saying he'd boycott the entire institution by withholding his music from consideration. “The Grammys remain corrupt," he tweeted in November 2020. "You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency." He did, however, earn two nominations for the 64th annual show, scoring nods as a featured artist on songs by West and Doja Cat. PICJER/imageSPACE/Shutterstock
Ahead of the 2021 ceremony, the former One Direction member slammed the awards shows in a series of tweets. (He has never been nominated for a Grammy as a solo artist or as part of 1D.) "F—k the grammys and everyone associated," he wrote in March 2021. "Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary." In a second tweet, he claimed that he wasn't upset about his own lack of nominations but rather the process as a whole. "My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process," he wrote. Andrew H Walker/Shutterstock
The "Mr. Carter" rapper won several Grammys early in his career, but his nominations have waned since then — even as he's continued to release a ton of music. "As an artist, when I see da Grammys coming up & I’m not involved nor invited; I wonder. Is it me , my musik, or just another technicality?" he tweeted in December 2020. "I look around w respect & wonder competitively am I not worthy?! Then I look around & see 5 Grammys looking bak at me & I go to the studio." He was less circumspect in 2021, however, tweeting, "F—k the Grammys" before the show. Frank Micelotta/Fox Sports/Picturegroup/Shutterstock
“That institution certainly has nostalgic importance,” the "Thinkin Bout You" singer told The New York Times in November 2016 after not submitting his album Blonde for consideration. “It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.” He added that the entire system was "dated," saying, “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.” Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
After beating Beyoncé for the Album of the Year award in 2017, the "Easy on Me" singer famously broke her trophy in half, saying from the stage that Queen B deserved to win for Lemonade. When the show was over, she visited the Texas native's dressing room to tell her how much she respected her work. “I just said to her, like, the way that the Grammys works, and the people who control it at the very, very top — they don’t know what a visual album is," Adele recalled during an October 2021 interview with Vogue. "They don’t want to support the way that she’s moving things forward with her releases and the things that she’s talking about.” Broadimage/Shutterstock
In November 2021, the "99 Problems" rapper became the most-nominated artist in Grammy history, but he hasn't hesitated to criticize the institution with his words and his music. In 2018, he earned eight nominations — the most of anyone that year — but lost all of them. "Tell the Grammys f—k that 0 for eight s—t," he rapped in the song "Apes—t," released later that year. David Fisher/Shutterstock
The "Starships" singer slammed the Grammys in November 2020 after receiving zero nods for her work over the previous year. "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, referring to the 2012 edition of the ceremony. "They gave it to the white man Bon Iver." Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
The Masked Singer alum has scored 10 nominations over the years but never won any. After The Weeknd's snub in 2020, Khalifa agreed that the "Earned It" artist deserved the recognition. "Yea that's a surprise but its politics," he tweeted. "If you don't show up to their parties they don't throw your name around." Rob Latour/Shutterstock
The "Eastside" singer has earned three nominations, but in 2020, they spoke out when they didn't receive any for their work that year. “The Grammys are an elusive process,” the New Jersey native wrote via Instagram in November 2020. “It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshake and ‘bribes’ that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as ‘not bribes.'” Halsey also called out the Recording Academy for keeping its processes so secretive. “It’s not always about the music or quality or culture,” they wrote. “While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform. But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.” Matt Baron/Shutterstock
The "Baby" singer has criticized the Grammys for placing his work in the wrong category. “To the Grammys I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry," he wrote in an open letter to the Recording Academy in November 2020. "I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound.” For the 2022 awards, however, he did score a Best R&B Performance nod for his song "Peaches" with Daniel Caesar and Giveon. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
The "7 Rings" singer had a public disagreement with Grammys higher-ups after reports surfaced that she canceled her planned 2019 performance because it was "too late" for her to put a show together. “I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken [Ehrlich],” she tweeted in February 2019, referring to the show's then-executive producer. “It was when my creativity & self expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend.” She later claimed that the two parties couldn't agree on which songs she would perform. David Fisher/Shutterstock
After former Grammys president Neil Portnow said women artists should "step up" if they wanted nominations, the "So What" singer had some choice words for him. “Women in music don’t need to ‘step up,'" she said in a handwritten note posted to her Twitter account in January 2018. "Women have been stepping up since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside ... When we celebrate and honor the talent and accomplishments of women, and how much women step up every year, against all odds, we show the next generation of women and girls and boys and men what it means to be equal.” MediaPunch/Shutterstock
The "My Favorite Mistake" singer also weighed in on the Portnow controversy, pointing to the consolidation of categories as one of the reasons female artists were receiving fewer nominations. “I wish the Grammys would return to female/male categories," she tweeted in February 2018. "Who will young girls be inspired by to pick up a guitar and rock, when most every category is filled with men? I’m not sure it is about women needing to ‘step up’, (as said by the male in charge).” Scott Kirkland/Shutterstock
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