The 2017 GRAMMY Awards Once Again Prove They Value Popularity Over Quality
Before I get started, let me state something and keep it moving: Anderson .Paak and Chance the Rapper both won 2016 whether they get awards for it or not.
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The world was infatuated with the GRAMMY Awards last night, and although I’ve never really paid much attention to award shows, after seeing the results from the 2017 GRAMMY Awards I’m once again reminded how much an award show for “best music in the world” is actually based more on popularity than actual quality. It was great to see Chance get the nod last night, and I was happy to see Solange take home a win for her stellar A Seat At The Table, but what about these things:
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– The best collaboration rap song winner is a song that isn’t a collaboration.
– The best rap song is a song without rapping.
– “Coloring Book” is far from Chance’s best project.
– The Life of Pablo was nominated.
– Views was nominated.
– Anderson .Paak didn’t win anything.
– News outlets are releasing articles that they are shocked that Beyonce lost to Adele.
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I’m not attacking the artists for what they made and won for, as I’m a fan of artists expressing however they want. Music is subjective and it’s meant to be so. My continual issue with pop culture is with the institution and relevance that people put on it and award shows in the first place. My issue is with the lack of taste that these taste-makers actually have. At the root, my issue is that we, as consumers, feel we need this type of thing in our life at all. More so than that, my issue is that people will look at these award shows like they really hold merit to the greatness of all the music being made.
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Most of us will forget about all of this tomorrow, but I still have to look at these results every year. So because of that, I’m going to do my part in calling this popularity contest what it is – “because morals and shit” (c) Jay Diff
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Being said, check the condensed version of the results below.
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Album Of The Year:
WINNER: 25 — Adele
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Views — Drake
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
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Record Of The Year:
WINNER: “Hello” — Adele
“Formation” — Beyoncé
“7 Years” — Lukas Graham
“Work” — Rihanna Featuring Drake
“Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
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Song Of The Year:
“Formation” — Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
WINNER: “Hello” — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
“I Took A Pill In Ibiza” — Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
“Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
“7 Years” — Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)
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Best New Artist:
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
WINNER: Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
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Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Closer” — The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey
“7 Years” — Lukas Graham
“Work” — Rihanna Featuring Drake
“Cheap Thrills” — Sia Featuring Sean Paul
WINNER: “Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
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Best Pop Vocal Album:
WINNER: 25 — Adele
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande
Confident — Demi Lovato
This Is Acting — Sia
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Best Pop Solo Performance:
WINNER: “Hello” — Adele
“Hold Up” — Beyonce
“Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber
“Piece By Piece (Idol Version)” — Kelly Clarkson
“Dangerous Woman” — Ariana Grande
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Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
Cinema — Andrea Bocelli
Fallen Angels — Bob Dylan
Stages Live — Josh Groban
WINNER: Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin — Willie Nelson
Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway — Barbra Streisand
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Best Dance Recording:
“Tearing Me Up” — Bob Moses
WINNER: “Don’t Let Me Down” — The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
“Never Be Like You” — Flume featuring Kai
“Rinse & Repeat” — Riton featuring Kah-Lo
“Drinkee” — Sofi Tukker
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Best Dance/Electronic Album:
WINNER: Skin — Flume
Electronica 1: The Time Machine — Jean-Michel Jarre
Epoch — Tycho
Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future — Underworld
Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII — Louie Vega
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Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:
Human Nature — Herb Alpert
When You Wish Upon a Star — Bill Frisell
Way Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY — Steve Gadd Band
Unpsoken — Chuck Loeb
WINNER: Culcha Vulcha — Snarky Puppy
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Best Urban Contemporary Album:
WINNER: Lemonade — Beyoncé
Ology — Gallant
We Are King — KING
Malibu — Anderson .Paak
Anti — Rihanna
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Best R&B Performance:
“Turnin’ Me Up” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Permission” — Ro James
“I Do” — Musiq Soulchild
“Needed Me” — Rihanna
WINNER: “Cranes in the Sky” — Solange
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Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“The Three Of Me” — William Bell
“Woman’s World” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Sleeping With The One I Love” — Fantasia
WINNER: “Angel” — Lalah Hathaway
“Can’t Wait” — Jill Scott
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Best R&B Song:
“Come and See Me” — J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake)
“Exchange” — Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller)
“Kiss It Better” — Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna)
WINNER: “Lake By the Ocean” — Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
“Luv” — Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez)
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Best R&B Album:
In My Mind — BJ The Chicago Kid
WINNER: Lalah Hathaway Live — Lalah Hathaway
Velvet Portraits — Terrace Martin
Healing Season — Mint Condition
Smoove Jones — Mya
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Best Rap Album:
WINNER: Coloring Book — Chance The Rapper
And the Anonymous Nobody — De La Soul
Major Key — DJ Khaled
Views — Drake
Blank Face LP — ScHoolboy Q
The Life of Pablo — Kanye West
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Best Rap Performance:
WINNER: “No Problem” — Chance the Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
“Panda” —Desiigner
“Pop Style” — Drake Featuring The Throne
“All The Way Up” — Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
“That Part” — ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West
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Best Rap/Sung Performance:
“Freedom” — Beyoncé Featuring Kendrick Lamar
WINNER: “Hotline Bling” — Drake
“Broccoli” — D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty
“Ultralight Beam” — Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream
“Famous” — Kanye West Featuring Rihanna
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Best Rap Song:
“All The Way Up” — Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie & Marcello Valenzano, songwriters (Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared)
“Famous” — Chancelor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Rihanna)
“Hotline Bling” — Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake)
“No Problem” — Chancelor Bennett, Dwayne Carter & Tauheed Epps, songwriters (Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)
“Ultralight Beam” — Chancelor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream)
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Best Music Video:
WINNER: “Formation” — Beyoncé
“River” — Leon Bridges
“Up & Up” — Coldplay
“Gosh” — Jamie XX
“Upside Down & Inside Out” — OK Go
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Best Music Film:
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead — Steve Aoki
WINNER: The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years — (The Beatles)
Lemonade — Beyoncé
The Music Of Strangers — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry — (Various Artists)