{"id":37575,"date":"2024-04-08T01:42:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T01:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essays.homeworkacetutors.com\/2024\/04\/race-and-diversity-issues-at-the-grammys\/"},"modified":"2024-04-08T01:42:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T01:42:56","slug":"race-and-diversity-issues-at-the-grammys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/race-and-diversity-issues-at-the-grammys\/","title":{"rendered":"Race and Diversity Issues at The Grammys"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Diversity in The Grammys: The Absence of African-American Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n

The Grammys are an award
\nshow that was created by The Recording Academy, which is a U.S. organization of
\nmusicians, producers, recording engineers, and other recording professionals.
\nThe awards provide a Grammy, or originally called Gramophone Award that
\nrecognizes outstanding achievement in mainly English-language music industry.
\nThe very first Grammys held its first ceremony on May 4, 1959. The annual
\npresentation features live performances by some of the most noticeable artists,
\nand the presenting of the awards that have even more of a popular interest. The
\nGrammys shares recognition of the music industry alongside other performance
\naward shows such as the Academy Awards, the Tony Awards, and the Emmy Awards.<\/p>\n

The representation of minorities in The Grammys, mainly African-Americans has stayed at a certain level of portrayal since the Award show\u2019s debut in 1959. The Grammys have attempted to add some diversity to them by adding more minorities to their nominations lists and giving awards to artist that deserve them. The purpose of this study is to discuss whether or not the representation of minorities is being undermined<\/a> by The Grammys trying to feed into the masses and upkeep their reputation. The time span of this focus is from 2014 to 2017, but I will also include background research<\/a> to further support my findings. Previous winners of Grammy awards will be quoted in order to show the disconnection from what people think a Grammy is and what actual artists see them as.<\/p>\n

In 1958, rock \u2018n\u2019 roll
\nmade a big explosion onto the scene of music, alarming a group of executives
\nalong the way. The executives were conflicted as to whether to recognize \u201cgood\u201d
\nmusic or to recognize rock \u2018n\u2019 roll for its eruption into the music industry.
\nThe higher ups took it upon themselves to set a standard in the music industry.
\nSince the very beginning, The Grammys have been at a difference with not only
\nrock but almost every other genre of music. From R&B to street-bred music,
\nand rap. The first ever award for rock music was not given out until 1961. Some
\nof the best recordings have often failed to win a Grammy in the first forty
\nyears of Grammy history.<\/p>\n

Over the years, The
\nGrammys have been criticized by many artists and music journalists because the
\nmusicians feel that the Grammys generally award or nominate more commercialized
\nalbums rather than those that are critically successful. In 1996, when American
\nrock band Pearl Jam won a Grammy for \u201cBest Hard Rock Performance\u201d, the band\u2019s
\nlead singer Eddie Vedder went on stage to say \u201cI don\u2019t know what this means. I
\ndon\u2019t think it means anything.\u201d (Vedder, 2008). This goes to show how little
\nsome artist think of being awarded a Grammy for their accomplishments. Glen
\nHansard, leader of the Irish rock group The Frames, commented in 2008 that he
\nbelieves the Grammys represent nothing inside of the real world of music (Hansard,
\n2008). Instead, it is completely industry based. Another quotable statement
\nthat can be applied to this situation comes from lead singer of metal band
\n\u201cTool\u201d, James Keenan. He says \u201cI think the Grammys are nothing more than some
\ngigantic promotional machine for the music industry. They cater to a low
\nintellect and they feed the masses. They don\u2019t honor the arts or the artist for
\nwhat he created. It\u2019s the music business celebrating itself. That\u2019s basically
\nwhat it\u2019s all about (Maynard, 2012).<\/p>\n

Artists such as Frank
\nOcean, Drake and Kanye West spoke out about skipping this year\u2019s Grammy Awards
\nto protest their lack of diversity amongst it\u2019s nominees. Drake was reported
\nsaying The Grammys do not fairly represent black or younger artists. From less
\nof a statistical side, Kanye West has received 21 Grammys but has never won one
\nwhile up against a white singer. American singer and songwriter Frank Ocean did
\nnot even bother to submit his albums from the following year because to him \u201cIt
\n[The Grammys] just doesn\u2019t seem to be representing very well for people who
\ncome from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down (Ocean, 2017).<\/p>\n

Another case of a
\ndiversity issue with The Grammys concerns the likes of Macklemore. In 2014,
\nMacklemore swept a Grammy from Hip-Hop artist Kendrick Lamar. Rolling Stone
\nbelieves the music industry went as far to recruit Kidz Bop to boost Macklemore
\nexposure to as a plan to dethrone Hip-Hop artist of the year, Kendrick Lamar.
\nBoth \u201cThe Heist<\/em>\u201d and \u201cGood Kid, M.A.A.D City<\/em>\u201d were nominated
\nfor Best Album of the Year in 2014. Both albums received positive reviews from
\ncritics, but Kendrick Lamar received a 91 on Metacritic whereas Macklemore only
\nreceived a 74. Once again, both albums debuted at number two on the Billboard
\n200 chart, with Macklemore selling seventy-eight thousand copies and Kendrick
\nLamar selling two hundred and forty-two thousand copies. By the RIAA\u2019s
\nstandards \u201cThe Heist<\/em>\u201d was recognized
\nas reaching Gold status, with over five hundred thousand copies sold on April
\n3, 2013. On August 21, 2013, \u201cGood Kid,
\nM.A.A.D City<\/em>\u201d was certified Platinum by shipping and selling one million
\ncopies in the United States.<\/p>\n

On December 9th<\/sup>,
\n2014, American rapper J. Cole released his third studio album \u201c2014 Forest Hills Drive<\/em>\u201d. On this album,
\nhe has a song called \u201cFire Squad\u201d where he talks about the popularity or
\nmainstream music and white privilege. On the record, J. Cole says <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHistory repeats itself and that\u2019s just how it goes<\/p>\n

Same way that these rappers always bite each others flows<\/p>\n

Same thing that my n**** Elvis dd=id with Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll<\/p>\n

Justin Timberlake, Eminem and then<\/p>\n

Macklemore<\/p>\n

While silly n**** argue over who gon\u2019 snatch the crown<\/p>\n

Look around, my n****, white people have snatched the sound<\/p>\n

This year I\u2019ll prolly go to the awards dappered down<\/p>\n

Watch Iggy win a Grammy as I try to crack a smile\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This song is his attempt to restore the balance in
\nHip-Hop as he talks about white privilege and white appropriation of the
\nculture. More specifically the Macklemore-Kendrick Lamar Grammy snub and Iggy
\nAzalea\u2019s new found popularity.<\/p>\n

The longstanding exclusion of black talent from award shows such as the Oscars and the Grammys forces the age-old question: Why? Both of these organizations are handled on a voting system made up of a certain team of members. Knowing this information makes the average person interested in music or even the Grammys want to know who the real culprit is pulling all the strings. With ongoing backlash, the Grammys have attempted to straighten up their acts with \u201cdramatic steps\u201d to diversify its nominations and present a more accurate reflection of the industry itself.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, at the
\n59th<\/sup> Grammy Awards there was an outcry concerning who should have
\nwon Album of the year. This outcry sparked the big debacle as to if The Grammys
\nhave an issue in diversity with the winners of their awards. The nominees list
\nconsisted of Adele, Beyonc\u00e9, Justin Bieber, Drake, and Sturgill Simpson. The
\nwinner of the award turned out to be Adele for her album \u201c25\u201d. This was a shock
\nto everyone, including Adele herself. This rubbed some of the fans the wrong
\nway considering this was the eighth year since a non-white artist took home the
\nevent\u2019s biggest award. The very next day the new hashtag on Twitter was titled
\n\u201c#grammyssowhite\u201d. At soon as this hashtag got out, storied were popping up
\nquestioning the diversity of the voters for the awards.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Adele winning
\nover Beyonc\u00e9 was not the only Grammy snub. It was just the biggest one of the
\nnight. Barbadian singer Rihanna was nominated for eight awards off of the
\nstrength of her eighth album \u201cANTI\u201d. \u201cANTI\u201d at the time was certified 2x
\nplatinum by the RIAA, it peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 33
\nweeks in the top 10.\u00a0 Sadly, she walked
\naway not winning a single one out of eight nominations. Rihanna\u2019s biggest upset
\nwas not winning the award for Best Pop Duo\/group with their smash hit \u201cWork\u201d,
\nwhich sold more than 1.7 million copies in the United States alone. She lost
\nout to 21 Pilots for their song \u201cStressed Out\u201d. Fuse wrote an article saying
\nthat they believe The Committee for The Grammys are just continuing to use
\nblack women in pop to raise their own ratings without giving them the
\nrecognitions or respect they deserve within the mainly white categories.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/h2>\n

(n.d.). Retrieved September 08, 2017, from https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070123082736\/http:\/\/www.nyrock.com\/interviews\/2002\/tool_int.asp<\/p>\n

Travers, P. (2008, February 08). Grammy & The
\nMovies. Retrieved September 08, 2017, from
\nhttps:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/movies\/videos\/grammy-the-movies-20080208<\/p>\n

Times, L. A. (2008, February 06). Glen Hansard, Eddie
\nVedder crash Grammy Awards. Retrieved September 08, 2017, from https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web.20130221000127\/http:\/\/theenvelope.latimes.com\/columnists\/contenderqa\/env-en-songs6feb06%2C0%2C4879961.story<\/p>\n

History of Grammy Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved September
\n08, 2017, from http:\/\/www.awardsandshows.com\/features\/history-of-grammy-awards-247.html<\/p>\n

Llopis, G. (2017, February 21). 3 Uncomfortable Truths
\nFrom The Grammys About Diversity And Inclusion. Retrieved September 08, 2017,
\nfrom https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/glennllopis\/2017\/02\/21\/3-uncomfortable-truths-from-the-grammys-about-diversity-and-inclusion\/#1cba45f939c7<\/p>\n

Geslani, M., Kaye, B., Colburn, R., Fu, E., Farley,
\nD., Young, A., . . . Weiss, D. (2017, January 30). Kanye West, Frank Ocean,
\nDrake to protest Grammy Awards over lack of diversity. Retrieved September 09,
\n2017, from https:\/\/consequenceofsound.net\/2017\/01\/kanye-west-frank-ocean-drake-to-protest-grammy-awards-over-lack-of-diversity\/<\/p>\n

Cepeda, R. (2015, February 05). Do the Grammys Have a
\nRace Problem? Retrieved September 10, 2017, from
\nhttps:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/features\/do-the-grammys-have-a-race-problem-20150205<\/p>\n

GRAMMYs 2017: Rihanna & \u2018ANTI\u2019 Suffered the
\nBiggest Snubs of the Night. (2017, February 13.). Retrieved September 10, 2017,
\nfrom http:\/\/www.fuse.tv\/2017\/02\/rihanna -anti-grammys-2017-snubs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diversity in The Grammys: The Absence of African-American Winners Abstract The Grammys are an award show that was created by The Recording Academy, which is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other recording professionals. The awards provide a Grammy, or originally called Gramophone Award that recognizes outstanding achievement in mainly English-language music […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7418,7482,5798],"tags":[7419,3319,5337,5587,5586,249],"class_list":["post-37575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-affordable-essay-writing-service","category-essay-examples-media","category-media","tag-academic-paper","tag-assignment-help","tag-dissertation-writing","tag-essay-writing","tag-online-tutoring","tag-write-my-paper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colapapers.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}