Social media was divided following Adele’s Album of The Year win over Beyonce at this year’s Grammys for a good reason. The British songwriter’s third studio album 25 sold 20 million copies worldwide and acquired average reviews with a 75 percent Metacritic score. Meanwhile, Queen Bey’s streaming only Tidal exclusive Lemonade, which also featured an hour-long visual presentation, became the highest streamed album of all time and earned a 92 percent Metacritic score.
This isn’t much different from last year’s controversy in which Taylor Swift’s 1989 (76 percent Metacritic score) won over Kendrick Lamar’s better received To Pimp a Butterfly (earning the highest Metacritic for a rap album to date with 96 percent). Artists ranging from Frank Ocean to Kanye West have all cried racism as the culprit.
According to Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, race isn’t the issue.
“No, I don’t think there’s a race problem at all,” Portnow told Pitchfork. “Remember, this is a peer-voted award. So when we say the Grammys, it’s not a corporate entity—it’s the 14,000 members of the Academy. They have to qualify in order to be members, which means they have to have recorded and released music, and so they are sort of the experts and the highest level of professionals in the industry. It’s always hard to create objectivity out of something that’s inherently subjective, which is what art and music is about. We do the best we can. We have 84 categories where we recognize all kinds of music, from across all spectrums.”
Portnow also used Chance The Rapper’s multiple Grammy wins including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album as an example of its diversity.
“You don’t get Chance the Rapper as the Best New Artist of the year if you have a membership that isn’t diverse and isn’t open-minded and isn’t really listening to the music, and not really considering other elements beyond how great the music is,” he said.
Chance The Rapper Wins Best Rap Album & Best New Artist At 2017 Grammy Awards
The following statistic gives fuel to both sides of the argument.
On Sunday night, Chance The Rapper became the first black Hip Hop Artist to win the Best New Artist Grammy since 1999.
Who cares about the grammys? Let’s not forget ‘bust a move’ won over ‘fight the power’ so it hasn’t changed in years and never will. But who really cares if some old idiots who know nothing about music pick a popular white singer over a rapper or RnB singer.
“Bust a Move” was an amazing record. How dare you? And besides, if it’s any consolation, both artists were black. No need to go on your usual “White Privilege” speech, Malcolm X. See you next year!
LMAO!!!
FUCK the Grammys and all them fake phony celebs living in a bubble can eat a dick.
Adele is good. Fuck yo dead homies they got deported early.
Tough talk behind the keyboard.
Beyoncé doesn’t write her own music so how would she deserve awards over artists who actually write their own stuff?
Evil side glance at Drake
Cmon now. Adele kills beyonce. No hype, no dancing, just kills every one else point blank with talent alone.
Imagine if we actually required integrity from our racism claims?
Of course it wasn’t racially motivated. Adele is talented, writes her own music, sells millions without selling or objectifying her body and she sold 3.3 million in a week with just a months musical promotion. Besides imo the albums with very high metacritic ratings are not that good. I’d take gkmc over tpab any day of the week, for example.
Even Adele admitted Beyonce was better. When the winner says she doesn’t even deserve to be the winner over someone else, what more can you say? Think about it, son.
Thats what it came to. White Artist have to apologize now when they winning to not look racist. Thats why she said it, to be PC.
totally hate that talented white artist have to feel guilty now and apologize to their black competition that they didnt win to not look racist. F*CK THAT!!!
Such pussy PC bullshit.
Here’s why it’s not blatantly racist, but it still holds racist connotations: How does Adele’s album win album of the year when it was released 2 fuckin years ago? Answer that shit. Beyoncé just dropped Lemonade with NO promotion and lit the RECENT world on fire.
What are the eligibility requirements?
For the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards, albums must be released between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016.
Adele – 25 – released October 20th, 2015. Thats why she was nominated.
Dude Adele way outsold Bey. Way way way way way way way way way way way outside Bey. By magnitudes. It’s not got anything to do with racism you dumb fuck. It’s about album sales.
Since Beyonce didn’t win this year, more blacks better win next year. That’s how this works. Getting tired of these white people shitting on minorities.
Kinda like were tired of yall always whining..if itsan issue get ur own award show..oh wait its called bet awards and they suck and shows up
No it wasnt but u know what is..all these butthurt black ppl who continously cry when they dont win every thing lik e beyonce didnt take two home that night
Best Lie of 2017 the grammy awards not RACIST man everything is built around racism in this country because of who running things its their game nobody should be surprise by any awards show they all are racist that’s why the soul train awards was created because black artist wasn’t given a fair shake but its not considered big league and black artist need to boycott it
Shut the fuck up with that dumb shit. “Because of who running things”. GTFOH you think Trump has an effect on the first grammy’s like 3 weeks after being inaugurated? You don’t even have to be a Trump fan to know what you just said is completely idiotic. You are awarded no points, and may god bless your soul. We are now dumber having read it.
Yes the Kkkrammys are racially biased and unfairly screw black artists, particularly rappers over the years. But this is a case where snow bunny had the better body of work, and still deserving the award on merit Adele sensed the politically correct cult(ure) pressuring her and filling her with white guilt, hence the speech where she fell on the sword and grovelled to Beyonce.
This is a perfect example of race baiting.
“On Sunday night, Chance The Rapper became the first black Hip Hop Artist to win the Best New Artist Grammy since 1999.”
First Black Hip Hop Artist, why not mention all the other black winners in the same category? There are over 28 categories of music to choose from. Hip Hop is only a few years old, and the Grammy’s has only been around since ’57 it’s statistically challenging to have a winner from every genre, of every race, win all the time.
This is what Trent Clark meant when he wrote “Getting Bit by Blackness” which also translates getting bit by black Racists. I wonder where are all the editorials on these racist remarks by black artists about the Grammy’s? Oh….! you mean to tell me Black People CANT be racist? I guarantee you next year the Grammy’s will not be putting up with this racism from black people. These mfs are worse than Trump
Beyonce is such a whiney, entitled, self serving scum bag
You just gonna break your own neck with these false racism claims. The more you do it the less people gonna take it serious when some real racist sh*t happens. So to all my black people, do what you do best, sabotaging yourself and dragging yourself down.
I love these race baiting articles they make me feel good . DX keep up the good work you’re the only hiphop site that has focused on this story . Not one of the other recognized hiphop sites has bothered to give this story oxygen . 2 dope boyz nope Hot New Hip Hop nope, All Hip Hop nope . Keep up the good work
25 sold over 8 million units. Lemonade just over 1 mil.
But by all means, keep race baiting.
I just find Beyonce and her fans very unlucky. It is extremely hard for them to justify this race issue because there Gramnmy nominations were up against a highly successful, extremely talented, very likeable, sells by millions of albums megastar Adele. If it so happened Beyonce was up against (an examply only..) Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran or Maroon5 or some other “white talent” I see Beyonce may win that toss up with Lemonade. But against Adele and her 25… NO WAY JOSE!!! Adele will sweep the awards…!