Roddy Ricch has entered the chat about the Grammys and fans are surprised he has so much to say.
Each year the Academy sparks a conversation about the depleting credibility of their institution usually following the Grammy award ceremony. There always seems to be a topic of discussion on this and the question of whether the process is fair or rigged. At the 2021 award show, breakout hip-hop star Roddy Ricch was nominated in six different categories.
Due to his stupendous year it came as no surprise that Roddy received several nods and now many people believe that he was snubbed as he should have taken home at least one of them. The rapper on the other hand has taken a completely different angle on the matter, going live on Instagram to discuss the weight that the Academy holds in modern society.
Once the biggest marker for a musician’s success, the Grammys has had over sixty showings over the years. Like similar prestigious award shows for other creative industries, the Academy usually stirs controversy among the widespread discourse that ensues. With some fans thinking the institution has traditionally robbed several well-deserved candidates of their gramophone, the award has lost a little of its remarkability each time, especially among the black community where there is the popular opinion that African Americans are only used to keep the show relevant.
After a series of shocking snubs and flabbergasting wins people started to regard the Grammys with less respect and honor. It is for this reason that Roddy Ricch is worried that his nominations which ought to be an extraordinary accomplishment instead seems mundane in the eyes of the public.
During his Instagram Live session Roddy Ricch talked about the fact that he started the night with multiple nominations instead of the fact that he did not win. The rapper says while six nominations is something any artist deserves to be lauded and proud of, the fact that the artists he looks up to who have earned over 20 of these awards treat it with such little respect diminishes its credibility in the eyes of the public. He draws for the scenario where Kanye West seemingly urinated on his Grammy award in a perception defining moment for fans that only belittles his achievement.
Roddy says he doesn’t think older artists should be “politicking” and reducing the value of such an accomplishment. “If I get nominated for six Grammys and a n***a I look to has 22, 23, 24, 25 of these motherf***s and I come in here, I wanna get nominated for 6 this year. I think that’s a good number, I wanna get nominated. And this n***a just p**s on that sh*t,” said the platinum-selling rapper. “Like how you think that make the world look at my accomplishment. Like I did all this work, I did all this sh*t and you p***sing on sh*t.”
Most fans reacted by giving Roddy a pass claiming that he is humble so they believe he has the right to say anything he wants now. Others argued that black artists should stop looking to the Grammys for approval because it’s “not for us.” A common reaction however, is the pleasant surprise from hearing Roddy Ricch open up like this. Most fans claim this is the most they’ve heard him speak on any topic outside of music ever in his career.
There were fans online who had a hard time following Roddy’s point so some of the comments offered a synopsis of the audio clip that was super censored by the Shade Room. “Simple explanation, artists don’t realize how much their awards really are worth and will disrespect them meanwhile people who’ve been waiting respectfully get nothing,” one fan wrote.
Some chimed in to say “The Box” certainly deserved an award after the uber-successful No. 1 hit spent more than three dozen weeks on the chart and is very well on its way to becoming Diamond-certified as it is currently 8x Platinum. This drove the common point that these artists should not be “seeking acceptance” from the Grammys. “People that actually been in the industry for years and know how these white people work at the Grammys know for a fact it’s rigged they keep giving Beyoncé and Jayz Grammys to keep it relevant,” one fan commented.
Interestingly, fans have not been able to stop talking about Nicki Minaj whose inspiring career they believe was the trailblazer that spawned a generation of confident female rappers knocking down these accolades like they’re nothing while she herself has never been honored with a win by the Academy. Also, The Weeknd was not even nominated at all this time around after dominating the charts for much of last year himself. While Roddy Ricch is a Grammy-winning rapper he is yet to earn the award for a solo performance. One fan suggested that “sympathy” and “payola” has become the standard for Grammy wins.
People had long begun to lose faith in the Grammys and with Roddy pointing out how major influential stars like Kanye West have shaped the perception of the awards, it only reminds fans that the Christian rapper was given another Grammy this year even after he disrespected its essence by literally putting his previous in a toilet and apparently whizzing on the coveted award. “Why would they even give Kanye another Grammy after he peed on the last one?” asked one fan. “I’m sorry but just because Kanye p**sed on his own Grammy doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve more,” another chimed.
Some believe that Kanye West’s act was a statement as the chart-topping rapper does not need the Academy’s approval to know he is a great and talented artist, and they encouraged Roddy to take a page from that book. One fan wrote a brilliant point that I will leave with you now. “Bruce Nas had 14 Grammy nominations since 1997. He just won his first Grammy ever last night. It’s politics. Just keep makin your music, the fans know the real,” he wrote.
The consensus is that Roddy Rich deserved one, two, even half of the awards he was nominated for this year. We cannot take away from him his outstanding accomplishments last year, the success of his debut album or that of his mega-hit “The Box.” Though one has to wonder if fans are right and we ought to stop looking to the Academy for validation.
