Joe Budden is calling out the Grammys award committee for consistently snubbing Nicki Minaj and not recognizing her talent for shattering the glass ceiling as it were, paving the way for young rappers entering the game.
Joe Budden was speaking to the fact that the “The Pinkprint” artist has not been recognized by the Grammys in spite of being the blueprint for the new age rappers. Budden is not and was never a fan of Nicki Minaj. However, he says respect is due to the Trinidadian-born female rapper, who is one of the greatest rappers of the 2010s decade for her numerous awards and overall contribution to female rap.
The former Slaughterhouse rapper made the comments during the latest episode of his eponymous podcast, where he asked why the Recording Academy has failed to recognize the New York rapper’s achievements and dominating influence.
“Nicki Minaj needs her flowers. Whoever the Grammy board is, whoever’s on there, y’all are not the ones that get to determine that Nicki Minaj and all of her impact and influence don’t get to win an award,” Budden said. “I’m sorry. I’m done with those days. Y’all are not the f**kin’ gatekeepers, the barriers of entry—y’all are not any of that … And now we’re at a stage when we have to acknowledge the, not the impersonators, but the people who were inspired by that act. It’s the same thing like when some of these people, I see the Drake influence there; call me dick rider, whatever, who knows.”
Joe Budden said the awards Doja Cat and others received made him reflect on the fact that the Grammys might end up only giving Nicki her roses after she leaves, something that music culture has moved past. “But Nicki is in that same boat. I don’t think too many more years need to go by when she’s not awarded for her efforts, that’s how I felt watching Doja Cat and some of the winners there.”
Meanwhile, his co-hosts speculated how the media or the public might react with “flowers” galore if “god forbid, something were to happen to Nicki.”
Nicki Minaj has been recognized as one of the most influential artists in hip-hop over the past decade – dropping multiple platinum records and rising to the No. 1 spot on various charts and accumulating many notable awards.
She has received almost a dozen Grammy nominations but has not won a single category during her career, which spanned more than 15 years.
