Grammys 2019: Did They Finally Get Hip-Hop Right? - Pitchfork

Looking to the Grammys for the accurate representation and recognition of hip-hop has always been frustrating, to say the least. In the 30 years since the Recording Academy created its first rap category, when it comes to whether the Grammys will get its hip-hop nominees and winners right, the lower one's expectations, the safer the bet.

Last night we saw Drake get his mic cut during his acceptance speech and no sanctioned mention of the nominated yet presently detained 21 Savage, yet again lending credence to the pervasive "fuck the Grammys" attitude that makes it easy for hip-hop A-listers like Kendrick Lamar to feel fine about not performing on or even attending the show.

There is precedent for all this. Way back in 1989, the Grammys' relationship with rap got off to a shaky start when the Recording Academy nominated DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, J.J. Fad, LL Cool J, and Salt-N-Pepa for the newly-minted Best Rap Performance Award but didn't deem the award important enough to be televised—a move some perceived as pat on the back followed by a slap in the face. This resulted in rappers like the Fresh Prince and LL Cool J boycotting the Grammys, and ever since then, it's been a struggle for the Grammys to look like they even had a cursory knowledge of what was happening in hip-hop. Along the way, we've celebrated well-deserved wins by artist like Kanye West and OutKast but have also seen off-brand nominees like Skee-Lo, Flo Rida, and Iggy Azalea get nods as well as wins that signaled the Academy's tone deafness. This trend hit its nadir with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' infamous 2014 Best Rap Album win for The Heist over Kendrick Lamar's superior and more culturally relevant, good kid, m.A.A.d. city. In GrammyLand it seems like the tourist rap crowd's opinion always drowns out the voices of those within the culture.

This year's Grammys were supposed to be different. The Recording Academy made an effort to be more inclusive, adding 900 new voting members to correct the sins of the past and to create a future more reflective of the current state of music. Sure, something so structurally flawed couldn't be fixed in one shot but hey, they were making an effort. So when we saw a past-his-prime Eminem and Childish Gambino getting noms for songs that nobody who loves rap really likes we shrugged it off, because the Grammys also nominated artists we respect, like Cardi, Nipsey Hussle, Drake, Pusha T, Mac Miller, and Travis Scott. But here we are in the aftermath of award night and again we've got a mixed bag including some wins that feel more like losses. To recap and react to it all, the Levels team assessed each rap category to determine how well the Grammys did when it came to hip-hop.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year Winner—Childish Gambino: "This Is America"

Remember back in college, when you had that guilt-riddled white professor who was dying to be on the right side of history, so you would slide him an essay about any black shit and get an easy A? Childish Gambino pulled off that same finesse when "This Is America" not only won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy, but became the first (!) rap track to win Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Just like Green Book at the Golden Globes in January, the Grammys crowning Gambino was nothing more than the industry patting themselves on the back for their newfound wokeness. And credit to Gambino, because he didn't even try that hard, with his cheap imitation of Atlanta hip-hop cadences and an instrumental that sounds like a label replaced Metro Boomin with a Juilliard student. (He also didn't turn up to the ceremony.) –Alphonse Pierre

Best Rap Album Winner—Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy

Cardi B, from the Bronx (and don't you forget it), became the first solo female artist to win Best Rap Album for her debut, Invasion of Privacy, putting her in league with Lauryn Hill, who won as a member of the Fugees. Sure, you could make a reasonable argument that Travis Scott's expansive Astroworld or Pusha T's short and sweet Daytona were better, or you could be like tweet 'n' delete Ariana Grande and insinuate that the late Mac Miller was robbed—but why though? If we're talking cultural impact, making bops, or exceeding expectations, Cardi did all that and more—she even proved she's a charitable woman by taking Offset's cheating ass back and allowing him to stand with her on stage. This is a win that lends the Grammys credibility and it's the perfect opportunity to congratulate, not hate. –Timmhotep Aku

Best Rap Performance Winners—Anderson .Paak: "Bubblin'" and Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake: "King's Dead" (Tie)

In whose mind was it a toss up between these songs? Like for real, for real? Even putting aside the superiority of other nominees "God's Plan," "Be Careful," and "Sicko Mode," have you ever found yourself reciting a line from Anderson .Paak's aight-to-death single "Bubblin'" the way you found yourself reciting Future's iconic "La di da di da/Slob on my knob" from "King's Dead"? Probably not. Guessing the voters wanted to go for the dark horse in Paak while appeasing those of us who recognized the Black Panther soundtrack song for the slap it is. This it what it looks like to get it kinda right. –Timmhotep Aku

Best Rap Song Winner—Drake: "God's Plan"

So, the world's biggest artist, Drake, unexpectedly shows up to collect his well-earned Best Rap Song Grammy for "God's Plan." And the Grammys, after letting J.Lo rock the stage for a Motown tribute, making us sit through two Miley Cyrus guest performances, and spending the night convincing us a duet between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is the best song ever made, can't give Drake two minutes before cutting off his mic mid-speech?! The Recording Academy swears that Drake was finished and happy, though according to Drake's Instagram caption, "Too raw for TV," that doesn't seem truthful. But ask yourself: Would the Grammys cut off Taylor Swift? Adele? If Drake can't even get respect from the Grammys, how much respect can they possibly have for anyone else in hip-hop? –Alphonse Pierre

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February 12, 2019 at 01:07AM