The Weeknd: The Grammys are corrupt | Recording Academy responds

[Jordan Miller]

Update: The Weeknd called the Grammys out. As he should.

Update: And the Recording Academy responded with a cringe statement.

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Asked for a response, Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s chair and interim president/CEO, supplied a statement to Billboard that read in part, “We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent…We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before …To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.”

 

 

Update: TMZ alleges The Weeknd was given an ultimatum: choose between the Super Bowl or the Grammys.

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The Weeknd was faced with a tough choice -- perform the Grammys or the Super Bowl -- but hammering out a deal to do both could've cost him Grammy nominations. 

Sources familiar with the situation tell us The Weeknd's team was in talks for weeks with Grammy brass, who issued the ultimatum -- us or Super Bowl LV. We're told both sides eventually came to an agreement where Abel could do both, but not without negotiations getting very testy. 

Our sources say there's growing suspicion Abel's decision to perform at this year's Super Bowl cost him Grammy noms because the bitter back-and-forth talks pissed off Grammy honchos. 

It's unclear why the Grammys would play such hardball in trying to exclusively book him for their airwaves. It might be fear of duplicate performances, as CBS is airing the award show AND the game one week apart in February. Still, our sources tell us Abel and co. feel the dispute might have something to do with his exclusion.

 

Earlier:

The 2021 Grammy nominations have been announced. The Weeknd received zero nods, though he was one of the most influential artists of 2020. 

The Recording Academy's president about The Weeknd's Grammy snub. 

IMO it's just a bunch of nonsense. But here's what they had to say. Below is a copy + paste snippet from Variety:

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Another, more likely, possibility is one that Variety nodded to in an article earlier this year: whether The Weeknd is considered a pop or R&B act. While that factor would have played little role in him being left off of the three main categories for which he is eligible (Album, Song and Record of the Year), it’s entirely possible that the screening committees, which determine which releases are appropriate for their respective categories, may have decided that he didn’t fit their categories: In other words, the Pop committee may have considered him R&B and the R&B committee considered him Pop.

The Grammy nominations are two-step process in which committees, which include veteran music professionals who are not publicly identified, make their decisions based on a shortlist handed down from a screening committee that considers thousands of submissions. Variety spoke with Recording Academy interim president/CEO Harvey Mason, jr. about the matter on Monday, and while he exerts no control over the nominations, he did speak generally on the process.

“I don’t think [the Weeknd’s omission calls the nominations] process into question, honestly,” he said. “The process is there so we can continue to monitor excellence. I was in the ‘core room’ this year [which decides the main categories] and I observed, and the people in it are music professionals, at the top of their craft in songwriting and producing and there are a lot of artists. And they were critically listening to every song that came across their desks — or virtual desks — so I don’t think it shows a flaw in the process. It’s a long, arduous process and people take pride in it. The people in that room care: there are no agendas in there, there’s no ‘let’s snub this person’ or that person. It’s about, ‘Let’s try and find excellence.’”

 

Thoughts, Exhale?

 

Related:

 

[Spicechinodiva]

Basically. 

 

You can be pop or R&B, but not both..

 

So that cancelled him out..

 

 

[Blackout2006]

But to be honest, After Hours was really neither a pop nor Rn'B record. Its like an 80s Synthwave album, so if it were nominated for either categories, it would be weird imo. However he did deserve a AOTY nominee, not gonna lie.

[blackoutbixxh]

After Hours still deserved some sort of recognition. And they couldn’t find one single thing?? 

[PuertoRicosFinest]

His label refused to pay for his grammy.  Say what it really is. 

[IAmJustAKnee]

31 minutes ago, Spicechinodiva said:

Basically. 

 

You can be pop or R&B, but not both..

 

So that cancelled him out..

 

 

"In other words, the Pop committee may have considered him R&B and the R&B committee considered him Pop."

They basically can't handle seeing a Black artist be called pop  But even if he was neither he still deserved at least 1 nom imo

Edited November 24, 2020 by IAmJustAKnee

[Spicechinodiva]

9 minutes ago, IAmJustAKnee said:

"In other words, the Pop committee may have considered him R&B and the R&B committee considered him Pop."

They basically can't handle seeing a Black artist be called pop  But even if he was neither he still deserved at lea 1 nom imo

Billboard basically said that is exactly what happened. 

 

Systematic racism at it's Best. 

 

[Spicechinodiva]

He still will have the biggest hot 100 hit. 

 

Grammys are nice, but I think artists like the fan Awards more as they have more sentimental value..

 

Hell even the Brits are more fan voted and they're considered the equivalent of the Grammys. 

 

The Grammys refused to be about the fans. 

 

I remember a 2000 quote saying teenagers only buy music. What would they know about art. 

 

Most if them only listen to one genre and refuse to explore other's 

 

He had a point. 

[Adriannn]

What a stupid explanation. Then how come ‘Yummy’, which is not pop nor R&B, but utter trash, gets nominated?

[Stefani]

Is there a reason why everyone and their pets are defending The Weeknd's Grammy snub? Seems like even the radical man-haters on LSA are defending him, and many of them normally loathe The Weeknd. Now even ATRLers and Exhalers are fuming over this man being snubbed at one award show that most of y'all claim is rigged anyway. I'm just confused as to why The Little Weekndsters came out from hiding, or did I just miss the memo about everyone being converted into The Weeknd stans?

[Fenixxx123]

What the actual ...

Blinding Lights it's the most successful song of the year

[PuertoRicosFinest]

30 minutes ago, Spicechinodiva said:

Billboard basically said that is exactly what happened. 

 

Systematic racism at it's Best. 

 

Cardi B made a killing at the Grammys because her label payed for the win. It’s not racism, it’s payola.

[Alexanda]

14 minutes ago, Adriannn said:

What a stupid explanation. Then how come ‘Yummy’, which is not pop nor R&B, but utter trash, gets nominated?

This **** is nominated? Wow... 

And anyone take the Grammys seriously with this?

Like for real, this song should never leave the recordingstudio, coming from Purpose to this, is almost offensive. 

[Invitation]

1 hour ago, Spicechinodiva said:

Basically. 

 

You can be pop or R&B, but not both..

 

So that cancelled him out..

 

 

But that still didn't explain why he got shut out in all general categories. 

[sparrowhawk]

It's payola. Still can't get over the fact that they snubbed Mariah's "Caution", an absolute R&B masterpiece. Not to mention the 129800 times they've snubbed her. **** the Grammy's. Garbage and hardly indicative of talent. Keep it. 

[Adriannn]

6 minutes ago, Alexanda said:

This **** is nominated? Wow... 

And anyone take the Grammys seriously with this?

Like for real, this song should never leave the recordingstudio, coming from Purpose to this, is almost offensive. 

I know, I only expected growth from the brilliant ‘Purpose’

[PuertoRicosFinest]

Kanye already exposed all these awards shows the night they threw him in the mental institution for speaking the truth.  Labels pay for Grammys but they give you a discount if you perform at their award show. 

[PokemonSpears]

I believe him. There's tons of articles that talk about how is the nomination process (a complete mess). People that aren't even music experts, or that aren't experts in a particular genre get to vote and decide who gets nominated or not, so it's totally possible that a situation like this might have happened. It's as if they put me to decide the nominees, I'd be like "Billie Eillish who? The Weeknd who?   " 

 

[1inamillion]

For real though? He was already a winner for me. Ughh the Academy is so rigged.

[Jordan Miller]

From TMZ

Quote

The Weeknd was faced with a tough choice -- perform the Grammys or the Super Bowl -- but hammering out a deal to do both could've cost him Grammy nominations. 

Sources familiar with the situation tell us The Weeknd's team was in talks for weeks with Grammy brass, who issued the ultimatum -- us or Super Bowl LV. We're told both sides eventually came to an agreement where Abel could do both, but not without negotiations getting very testy. 

Our sources say there's growing suspicion Abel's decision to perform at this year's Super Bowl cost him Grammy noms because the bitter back-and-forth talks pissed off Grammy honchos. 

It's unclear why the Grammys would play such hardball in trying to exclusively book him for their airwaves. It might be fear of duplicate performances, as CBS is airing the award show AND the game one week apart in February. Still, our sources tell us Abel and co. feel the dispute might have something to do with his exclusion.