Kanye West threatened to not show up to the Grammys next year if Frank Ocean’s latest album didn’t receive nominations, but Frank has no plans to attend.
Frank feels some kind of way about black artists rarely walking away with the most prestigious honor there is – Album of the Year.
Billboard writes:
Frank Ocean’s Blonde has been one of the year’s best received albums, but by his own doing it will not be represented at next year’s Grammys.
The enigmatic singer chose not to submit his latest album for consideration and in a rare interview with the New York Times he explained why.
“That institution certainly has nostalgic importance,” he said. “It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.”
The two-time Grammy winner’s abstaining from music’s biggest award show, he said, is in protest of its failing to properly award black artists. Ocean, 29, noted that since he’d been born, just a few black artists have won album of the year award (there have been six in all).
“I think the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated,” he said. “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.”
All black artists need to do this.
Good.
I ain’t mad at him
I really respect this. If more black artists had the same mindset, it would force changes.
Respect.