Allegations ofracism in theGrammy Awards, as expressed in award selections, have frequently been the target of criticism going back to its inception in 1957. These accusations have been highlighted by several controversial voting results, and the controversial voting process itself. Many of these allegations have yet to be proven directly. However, they have caused numerous speculations.
The Grammy Award, as presented bythe Recording Academy, is an award that recognizes achievement within all facets of themusic industry. It covers all major genres and recognizes performances of albums and songs, songwriting, and new artists. Criticism of the Grammys has covered various aspects, with accusations ofracial bias by media outlets and fans having been brought up for decades.
Since the inception of the Grammys in1957, only 12 black artists have won theAlbum of the Year Award:
From2012 to2020, statistics showed thatblack artists received only 26.7% of nominations for the awards show while they represented over 38% of all artists on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart.[2]
There have been several best album wins that have been questioned includingBeyoncé'sself-titled album's loss in2015 toBeck'sMorning Phase for Album of the Year,Lemonade's2017 loss toAdele's25, andRenaissance's2023 loss toHarry Styles'sHarry's House.[3][4][5] Other cited examples includeMichael Jackson'sOff the Wall andPrince's1999 failing to be nominated;Frank Ocean'sChannel Orange losing toMumford & Sons'Babel;Kendrick Lamar'sGood Kid, M.A.A.D City losing Album of the Year toDaft Punk'sRandom Access Memories, andBest Rap Album toMacklemore & Ryan Lewis'The Heist in2014,To Pimp a Butterfly's defeat toTaylor Swift's1989 in2016,[6] andDamn's loss toBruno Mars'24K Magic in2018;[7]SZA'sSOS losing toTaylor Swift'sMidnights in 2024.[8][9]
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Others have argued that non-white artists mostly win in smaller "racialized" categories. Beyoncé has most of her 32 awards within genre-specific categories, such asrap andR&B, categories that people of color primarily dominate.Ann Powers, an accredited writer for theNational Public Radio, accused the 2017 Grammy Awards of systematic racism due toChance the Rapper and Beyoncé being the only black artists who won televised awards. According to Powers, there is a general notion that music made with "real"instrumentation is superior tosynth orsampled music, or that "stand-still" performances are outstanding to performances that incorporate dance.[11]
The Grammys has also been criticized in the past for failing to nominate famous artists of color, such asThe Weeknd. The Academy's failure to nominate the Weeknd's work came as a major surprise considering the widespread success of his 2020 albumAfter Hours and its single, "Blinding Lights". The track set numerous records, including spending 40 weeks within the top ten in the U.S., four of which the song was at number one, and spending 28 weeks in the top five.[12] After it received no nominations from the Recording Academy, the Weeknd wrote "The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency".[13]
The voting process for the Grammy Awards has seen much criticism over the years. The voting committees are made up of hundreds of musical experts, including musicians, producers, engineers, and songwriters. Members of the Recording Academy will submit their picks for nomination, which will then be screened by 350 individuals to ensure that the nominee is placed in the correct category and eligible for a potential award. Members are then asked to vote in up to 10 genre categories and three general categories. The votes are sent to independent accounting firmDeloitte to be tallied, and a comprehensive list is sent back to the Recording Academy to be voted upon for a final time. These ballots are again counted by Deloitte and the winners are sealed until the night of the awards.[14]
Controversy has been raised over the fact that members vote for works in categories outside of their expertise, and this occurs because they are required to vote on a certain number of categories to maintain membership. Rob Kenner, a Grammy screener, described an "unwritten rule" among committee members to be cautious nominating an album by an already well-known artist if they did not want that album to eventually win an award. Kenner claims that voting members are more likely to select an album based on its popularity and name recognition, even if they have never heard the music before.[15]
Another controversial aspect of the voting process focuses on the lack of transparency regarding the composition of voting committees. The nominations for a wide variety of categories are shaped by many committees, but little is known about who are on these committees, how they are formed, or who puts them together. Looking on the official Grammy website provides no further clarity, thus obscuring the process further.[16]