Source: Cole Burston / Getty
The Canadian urban music delegation has opted out of an appearance at the Grammy Awards for a second year in row.
According to Page Six, Drake and The Weeknd will not be attending nor have they submitted music for award consideration.
The two artists who have also been collaborators have both previously expressed their discontent with the Recording Academy and the awards process. In 2021, The Weeknd decried the snub of his mega-hit album, After Hours with a statement to The New York Times that read, “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”
The Recording Academy’s voters are music industry insiders who apply for membership with an application and several references.
In a previous interview with Billboard, as reported by The New York Post, he noted, “Look, I personally don’t care anymore. I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously,” saying, “I suck at giving speeches anyways. Forget awards shows.”
Drake has had a long running beef with the Recording Academy after his single “Hotline Bling” was only nominated in the Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song in 2017. He took home both statuettes.
He noted that he felt pigeonholed saying “I love the rap world and I love the rap community, but you’re right. I write pop songs for a reason,” he added. “I wanna be like Michael Jackson. I wanna be like artists that I’ve looked up to. Those are pop songs, but I never get any credit for that…I won two awards last night, but I don’t even want them, because it feels weird for some reason.”
The two aren’t the only urban artists unhappy with the Recording Academy, rapper Nicki Minaj has been picking fights on social media after her song, “Super Freaky Girl” was moved out of the rap category into the pop category.
The 2023 Grammy’s will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS on February 5.
