The Grammys have finally admitted they are out of touch with what the culture actually rocks with. So they are adding a rap committee in an effort to be more accurate.
According to the press release announcing the committee, the Grammys first implemented a nominations review process in 1989 “as an additional round of checks and balances to eliminate the potential for a popularity bias that puts emerging artists, independent music, and late-year releases at a disadvantage.” These processes spanned across 15 categories since then, but 2018 will be the first year that they will be enforced in rap music.
The change comes after years of criticism where it seemed the most popular [i.e. White] rapper to put out an album that year was almost guaranteed the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
In an interview with Variety, Grammys senior vice president Bill Freimuth explained why it was time for a change.
“For Rap, and the other categories to a degree, a lot of their argument was kind of similar — it was going more to big-name folks and felt like more of a popularity contest,” he said. “That’s not to say that someone who’s very famous can’t put out a fantastic track or album, but maybe some younger up-and-coming folks deserve that spotlight.”
The change comes one year after the Grammys allowed streaming albums and music to be eligible for awards, which was highly credited to Chance The Rapper‘s popularity and push to make it so.
Does this mean that one day J. Cole will finally win a Grammy for putting out a platinum album with no features?
Also, the Grammys will be allowing voting members to cast their ballots online, allowing members who are constantly on tour to participate in the process via smartphone and tablet, not just desktop and paper.
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