Cardi B Speaks out About Grammy Boycotts With Surprising Message

Cardi B is not joining the group of artists boycotting the Grammy Awards. In a Saturday tweet, the [...]

By John Connor Coulston

Cardi B is not joining the group of artists boycotting the Grammy Awards. In a Saturday tweet, the "Bodak Yellow" and "WAP" rapper shared a note that tried to shift the conversation around the event, which has been criticized for snubbing major artists like The Weeknd. Cardi, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, noted the snubs while also congratulating lower profile Black artists that received nominations for this year's Grammys, which airs on CBS Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET. (Viewers can stream the ceremony on Paramount+ and services like FuboTV.)

Cardi, who won the 2019 Best Rap Album Grammy for Invasion of Privacy, noted that "there were some albums or songs that should have been considered for nominations." However, she was hopefully that "maybe by next year they will get it right." She then name-checked several Black artists who were nominated this year that deserve to be lauded for their achievements, such as Brittany Howard, Thundercat, Freddie Gibbs, Kaytranada, Gregory Porter and Robert Glasper.

"It's frustrating sometimes to work and work on your craft and you feel overlooked because you might not look like others, are not mixxy so you not always around other artists, you or sing about different material, you stay out of drama and the media or yet still not as popular," the 28-year-old rapper wrote. "However youre talented [as] fuck and one day you wake up and you find out you're nominated and got a notice from of the biggest award shows purely cause of your TALENT!"

"Soo besides all the bulls— let's not forget to congratulate these artists. This is their moment too and they been working their ass off with no exposure and let's not overshadow it with feelings cause your favorite might not be on the list. Congrats guys and good luck on the Grammys. You deserve it."

The Grammy Awards have faced backlash in recent years due to their nominations and snubs, especially those involving Black artists. Controversial decisions, such as awarding the 2014 Best Rap Album Grammy to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' The Heist over Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, have led to waves of heat directed at the Recording Academy, the organization that puts together the awards show. The 2021 iteration of the event has gained major criticism for their snub of The Weeknd.

The Weeknd had a massive year in 2020, with his material from his album After Hours falling within the Grammy nomination window (Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2020). The singer had numerous hits, such as "Blinding Lights," that were not only commercial successes but popular with critics, as well. Based on past Grammy nominations, the album as a whole seemed ripe for Grammys love, but at least a single like "Blinding Lights" would surely be nominated. However, The Weeknd was totally shut out.

While a snub is one thing, it seemed that there was more to the story than the Record Academy members simply not recognizing him. The Weeknd and coinciding reports revealed that he had been working on a Grammy performance for weeks, a sign that he would likely be nominated for something. However, there were rumblings that the Recording Academy was upset that the singer would be performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show a few weeks earlier. After an allegedly bitter back-and-forth, the two parties were unable to reach a compromise before nominations became public, and the Weeknd was coincidentally left off the list. He blasted the organization as "corrupt," joining a long list of artists with beef with the Recording Academy. He went as far as claim he's going to boycott the Grammys for life.

As previously noted, the Grammy Awards airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Paramount+ subscribers will be able to stream the ceremony live via their local CBS affiliate. Subscribers to live TV streaming services should also be able to watch the musical event. You can click here to subscribe to FuboTV, which is offering a free trial.

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