They did it again. The GRAMMYs managed to fumble Hip-Hop and its most successful acts. In a year where music was run by stars like Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby and DaBaby, only one who was properly recognized in Megan Thee Stallion.
Coming into the celebration it appeared that Roddy Ricch would leave with at least one award after being nominated six times. After all, his single, “The Box” dominated 2020 and was the biggest single of the first half of 2020, selling nearly 5 million equivalent units by the fourth of July weekend. The song was named Apple Music’s Song of the year and to date is closing in on diamond status, currently sitting at 8x platinum.
Through his snubs, Ricch still understands the massive platform at his disposal with the stage. The Cali-bred rapper premiered a new single in “Heartless,” while also performing “The Box” and slotting alongside DaBaby for “Rockstar.” Those six nominations attributed to his name should not have come up empty. Speaking of DaBaby, this marks the second year that he has come up empty at “music’s biggest night,” despite also ruling over all of music.
Also on the biggest snub list is Lil Baby, who not only wasn’t acknowledged for a banner year that made him rap’s MVP, but also completely left out of the conversation for the night’s biggest awards, despite being the most successful act of the first half of last year.
One thing the Grammys did was place each act on stage during the night, however, while that stage is appreciated, beyond those performances and Megan Thee Stallion’s speeches, the presence of Hip-Hop was largely ignored. The Best Rap Album award, taken home by Nas, which was long overdue, was not televised, but the Best Album in other categories made the CBS screen. Not displaying the Best Rap Album category robs artists who worked just as hard as other categories, if not harder, from their moment to highlight their journeys and amplify their art and stories.
The Grammys continue to highlight the need for another awards event that properly highlights the contribution of Hip-Hop to the world. In 2022, the void left by The Source Awards will be filled with the rebirth of the iconic show.
“Hip-hop needs its premiere awards show back,” McMillian told Page Six. “After every awards show, our social media at The Source explodes … so back by popular demand.”
The announcement comes after the launch of Source Streaming earlier this year.
What would you look to see once The Source Awards returns from its 17-year hiatus?
