TORONTO-rapper has decided to no longer compete for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album.
Drake Has Turned Down His 2022 Grammy Nominations
Drake has removed himself from Grammy contention, withdrawing from the two categories he was nominated for, Variety has confirmed.
Drake picked up a Best Rap Performance nod for “Way 2 Sexy” as well as a Best Rap Album look for Certified Lover Boy. The Recording Academy received a request from Drake and his management team to remove his nominations, and the GRAMMYs obliged.
"I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after," Drake wrote in a scathing statement, in which he said the Weeknd should've been a lock for Album or Song of the Year. "This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come."
Throughout his career Drake has garnered 47 Grammy Award nominations and won four. His first victory came at the 2013 ceremony when he took home Best Rap Album for Take Care. The last time he won was in 2019 for “God’s Plan,” which earned Best Rap Song. When he accepted that reward, his mic was cut off after he suggested musicians “don’t need” Grammy wins to show their worth.
When Drake’s former collaborator the Weeknd didn’t get any Grammy nominations for the 2021 ceremony, the Canadian rapper criticized the Recording Academy.