Grammys Urban Category Is Racist, PC

Boycotting awards shows isn’t new for Black artists. Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff boycotted the 31st Grammy awards in 1989 after a decision had been made that the first-ever award for Best Rap Performance would be announced off air. Salt-N-Pepa, Russell Simmons and LL Cool J, all joined Smith and Jeff in boycotting the show. Smith later joined his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee, boycotting the 88th annual Academy Awards amid the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. In 2016, Frank Ocean opted not to submit his music for the 2017 Grammys, saying the awarding, nomination, and screening systems were “dated.” After 2016’s Grammy ceremony, Kanye West — who threatened to boycott the 2017 awards if Ocean was not nominated — stated that he felt the Grammy awarding system “is way off and completely out of touch.”