The Grammys are not what they once were. From the early 2000’s to 2012, the Grammys were one of the most watched award shows, responsible for crowning the best artists in their respective genres and fields as the best. Now, the award show has suffered blows to its reputation, mainly because of mistakes in the nominations and winners.
For example, failure to nominate The Weeknd in 2021 for his album “After Hours” sparked heavy disinterest in the award show.
This year’s nominations saw Beyoncé have the most nominations with nine, followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight and Adele grabbing seven. With just four more Grammy wins, Beyoncé will hold the record for most Grammys of all time.
Most of the list has no surprises, as Kendrick for rap and Adele for pop vocal is almost a given whenever they drop music. However, some inclusions do seem a little generous. Mary J. Blige, even as an icon for soul and R&B music, had five nominations for an album that peaked at 14 in the Billboard top 200. The project had favorable reviews, but her nominations seem to come from her re-popularization following her excellent Super Bowl LVI halftime show performance.
The most unworthy projects in the nominations all come in the rap genre. There is no world in which DJ Khaled’s “God Did” can be considered as one of the best rap albums of the year. The same goes for Jack Harlow’s “Come Home The Kids Miss You.” Both albums are generic, unoriginal and overall mediocre. Though Future’s “I Never Liked You” does deserve to be mentioned as one of the top Rap albums of the year, a win by Kendrick Lamar should be guaranteed.
Rock and Country hold their ground, with popular projects from Luke Combs and Brandi Carlile gaining most of the attention.
The comedy album genre contains controversy again this year, with both Louis C.K. and Dave Chapelle retaining nominations even after C.K’s sexual misconduct allegations and Dave Chapelle’s anti-trans comments.
The most horrific act the Grammys went through this year, however, are the snubs. Leading the list is J.I.D and his project “The Forever Story.” Highly popular, critically acclaimed and extremely talented, Jiddy still remains underrated and underappreciated by the music industry. Not only was he not in consideration for a rap album, song or performance — he failed to be listed in any nomination.
Summer Walker is also not included in the R&B nominations, but Chris Brown is. Though Rosalia was nominated for a Latin Rock album, she could have been nominated for most of the Latin music awards, like Musica Urbana and Latin pop.
Overall, the Grammys did what they usually do. They choose the most safe bets with Kendrick, Adele and Beyoncé. They then add all the highest streamed or viral artists, like Harry Styles and Jack Harlow, even though some are not deserving. Then they continue to snub many artists most of the music world and audiences support.
Tune in to the 65th Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, 2023 to see which nominees take home awards.