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Why Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Other Top Artists Are Skipping the Grammys

Jan 30, 2017  •  Post A Comment

A number of major recording artists will be missing in action at the 59th annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 12 and broadcast live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

TMZ.com is reporting that Kanye West, Justin Bieber and other big stars will skip the event, with their absence reflecting what sounds like a growing sentiment that the awards just don’t matter.

“It started with Frank Ocean, who many think had the best album of the year, but didn’t even bother submitting it for Grammy consideration,” TMZ reports. “Ocean says he thinks the Grammys are a dinosaur that doesn’t represent young, black artists.”

TMZ notes that the artists could change their minds and show up, but Drake, who has eight nominations, will reportedly be on tour in Europe at the time and is among the big names who do not plan to attend.

“We’re told Justin Bieber, who’s nominated for 4 Grammys, plans to be somewhere other than the Grammys a week from Sunday,” TMZ reports. “As for why, we’re told he just doesn’t think the Grammys are relevant or representative, especially when it comes to young singers.”

TMZ adds: “As for Kanye, who’s got 8 noms, he received 21 Grammys in the past, but he always lost when he went head-to-head against a white singer.”

5 Comments

  1. TMZ’s quote about Kanye West losing Grammys “when competing head to head against white singers” is a complete mischaracterization. He lost because he was competing against singers – he can’t sing, he’s a rapper. Talking through a song will never beat those with the ability to sing.

  2. The above comment is why the Grammy’s are no longer relevant to much of the millennial generation. Whether older people like it or not Hip Hop, Rap and IMD are popular genres of music and do not get their due from the Grammy’s. This is a good example of why the awards shows ratings keep dropping. They are focused on the Baby Boomer generation and not relevant to the younger generation. Is Julia Louis Dreyfus really the only good actress in a tv comedy? She has won almost every award since Veep first came out. It gets boring and monotonous seeing the same people nominated and winning. Sing Street was the best musical movie of the year, yet La La appealed to the older folks that control everything, and gets all the nominations.

  3. Instead of taking their marble and going home why don’t these artists who think the Grammy’s are no longer relevant take an active lead and change the situation.

  4. What “Guilty Cleric” said…

  5. Frank Ocean, Kanye West and the others mentioned here aren’t the first (or last) performers whose managers, agents, fans or their own ego have convinced them that, if they aren’t nominated for this honor or that, there’s something wrong with the “system”. In fact, the Grammys have been awarded to a very long list of racially diverse artists – many who were younger and more talented. But it’s easier for some to withdraw in protest than live with the knowledge their peers didn’t find them worthy of their industry’s top accolades.

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