Brooklyn’s own Desiigner now has a Grammy nomination on his resume, as it was announced today (December 6) that he’s a contender in the Best Rap Performance category for his ubiquitous “Panda.”
Given the news, he was so emotional he could barely even muster an adlib.
The award even gets name dropped in the song in a lyric that acts as somewhat of a prophecy.
By his own explanation, Desiigner wrote in the Genius translation annotation to the lyric, “It was thinking about Grammys. I can’t even explain. The man above blessed me. I can see now the Grammy. Everything I’m saying in my song is coming to life.”
When he dabbed onto the scene in late 2015, the Brooklyn MC was seen mostly as a Future clone (and he didn’t really help things by naming a track after Future’s Pluto album or by trolling him with a performance of “I Got The Keys”). But over the course of the year, “Panda” became a bigger hit than anything Future ever released, and the 19-year-old expanded his brand and sound to mostly put the comparisons behind him.
Their names started getting put together again today once the Grammy announcements dropped and people realized that the teenage MC had beaten Future in the race to get a nomination. Many were shocked and took to Twitter to air out their grievances.
Kanye West prophesied the moment when, after last year’s awards, he blasted the Academy for what he viewed as being out of touch with the streets. He said that inviting Future to the ceremony would legitimize the awards in the eyes of Hip Hop.
Well, this year, Future has some consolation in that Drake’s VIEWS album (on which he featured on the appropriately named song “Grammys“) is up for two awards, including Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.
Desiigner is facing some tough competition in his own category, though, and will have to beat out Chance The Rapper, Drake, Fat Joe & Remy Ma and ScHoolboy Q to nab the trophy.
But hey, if Juicy J can win an Oscar, then maybe this isn’t so far out of the realm of possibility.
Check out some of the reaction from Twitter below.
The Grammy’s never get the hip hop nominates right. Think about it. It’s a bunch of old white dudes giving out the award. They just nominate whatever song they heard their grandson playing. I’m surprised some bs like “Timmy turner” not up for song of the year.
Well, Future is not hip hop either.
The Recording Academy has two membership levels — associate and voting. All voting members are producers, performers or engineers on six or more tracks of a commercially released album.
If all of the hip hop artists, producers, etc would join and vote that may be different. Didn’t MC Lyte bring this up last couple of years or something…
No worries. This Future clone will lose and once Views wins both Best Rap Album and AOTY, then Future will take home two. The world is still spinning. #DrakeIsLoveDrakeIsLife
He wont get any trophies for those awards if Drake even wins them. The awards would go to Drake and his exec producers, not individual artists featured on the album.
Then he’ll be a part of a Grammy winning album while the Future clone will not. #DrakeIsLoveDrakeIsLife
Yeah, because Drake isn’t a clone, right? With that Jamaican accent and American slang? LOL. Please.
What kind of losers care about the Grammy’s? Neither of these clowns deserve a trophy for music
Took the words straight out my mouth. Hell, Beyonce, Rihanna, Kanye and Drake were nominated. None of them probably wrote the shit they were nominated for.
Why do people care so much? I don’t like either rapper, but Panda was a bigger hit than any song future has released. Not necessarily a better song, but a bigger hit. Grammys are a popularity contest, if it wasn’t then Views wouldn’t get any nominations, it’s a half assed album. But people love it, just like they loved Panda.
Facts my guy, views is one of the most mediocre albums but still gets nominations.
Did nas, snoop, 2pac, biggie, ever win a Grammy? Oh ,,, fuck the Grammy’s then.
Anybody remember when McLemore and ryan Lewis won the Grammy over Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Kanye West, and Drake? For album of the year?
Iggy Azalea was nominated for rap album of the year, a year or two ago. Did y’all hear me?? Iggy Azalea was nominated for RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!
Both of these niggas is wack, it’s like two blind niggas fighting for the light switch, and there ain’t no switch
Oh shit man that had me dying holy fuck Hahahaha
NY over GA
hey somebody had to say it
What’s the point if the NY rapper sounds like GA?
Both make terrible music.
Both of the niggas is trash so who gives a fuck. Yachty is trash too he scared of Shia’s bars lol. And fuck the Grammys, they don’t know shit about hip hop anyway.
Grammys are very important… to 8 year old kids and wack radio stations
All future hard work went down the drain to a copycat
At the end of the day its all about the money$$$ Stack Up?