Drake is the latest artist to speak up after this week’s Grammy nominations were announced. After The Weeknd was shut out of all categories, the 34-year-old rapper took to Instagram stories on Wednesday to share his thoughts.
“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after. It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways,” he wrote.
The “God’s Plan” rapper went on to assert that he believed The Weeknd would be recognized in top categories by the Recording Academy, writing, “The other day I said @theweeknd was a lock for either album or song of the year along with countless other reasonable assumptions and it just never goes that way. This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come.”
Drake also tagged several other artists who didn’t get any Grammy love this year, including Pop Smoke, Lil Baby, PartyNextDoor and Popcaan, adding, “Too many missing names to even name.”
Drake’s comments come after The Weeknd slammed the Recording Academy for his snubs earlier this week. “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020
The Recording Academy’s interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. released a statement on Tuesday addressing the controversy, writing, “We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration.”
The Weeknd seemingly doubled down on his criticism in another tweet on Wednesday, writing, “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!”
Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited? In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) November 25, 2020
Drake isn’t the only artist to speak up for The Weeknd this week—“How Long” singer Charlie Puth tweeted, “How the f**k did blinding lights not get nominated lol.”
Grammy Awards 2020: Inside The Award Show
View Gallery