Daniel "Jerk" Jerkins
J. Prince calls for hip-hop’s major artists to boycott the Grammy awards and instead host an epic concert to compete with its broadcast. The power move would prove hip-hop's power after decades of disrespect. Here are five of the most disrespectful Grammy hip-hop moments.
Hip Hop: Stronger Together
On Wednesday, March 22, hip-hop heavyweight J. Prince released via Instagram a 4-minute video titled “Hip Hop Vs. The Grammys” in which he denounced the famed music award show. J. Prince called on some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake, to unite in a boycott of the 64th Grammys, which is billed for April 3rd.
J. Prince was triggered by the Grammys latest attack on hip-hop culture: cancelling Kanye West’s performance at the award show. Kanye had been previously banned by Instagram over his rants about his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. This is in addition to a shot he took at Trevor Noah, this year’s Grammys host this year.
J. Prince accused the Grammys of a “slave master punish a nigga mentality” that also discriminated against Drake, The Weekend, and Nicki Minaj. He said the only way to demand respect is “by us uniting our powers to bring about change moving forward.”
He opined that the best way to do this is to hold a concert at the exact same time as the annual music event. This, the Houston icon said, would show the power of hip-hop culture, drive down the Grammys ratings, and prove that without hip-hop, the Grammys are a non-factor in pop culture.
J. Prince Has Receipts
J. Prince also stated past offenses of the Grammys to prove that the latest ordeal is no isolated incident. At the beginning of the video, Prince said, “I’ve been watching the Grammys control and dictate our culture to their benefit up close and personal for the last 30 years that I’ve been in the music business.” J. Prince drew comparisons and origins of racism in the music industry and even cited the 13th amendment of the United States Constitution.
“The powers that be will be mad at me about this one, but f**k em! I love the culture. The seed has been planted. Let’s water it,” he said.
Quavo & Nicki Minaj Answer The Call
After J. Prince’s call for a boycott of the Grammys this year, Nicki Minaj responded immediately in the comment section with supporting emojis.
The latest artist to join J. Prince’s boycott is Quavo of the Migos. He was asked by TMZ if he would be down with joining the movement and replied, “Let’s do it!” Quavo then went on to say, “We need to make our own awards … that appreciate the real s**t going on in the streets. We need new younger guys, who are tapped into the culture, you gotta be in the field, to know what’s real.”
Past Grammy Disrespect For Hip-Hop
The history of the Grammys’ disrespect of the culture is long, since hip-hop’s first Grammys appearance with Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
The first hip-hop category at the Grammys debuted in 1989 in the Best Rap Performance category. The award was not televised, resulting in major hip-hop acts boycotting the award show. The boycotters included Salt-n-Pepa, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, and LL COOL J.
In 2018, DJ Jazzy Jeff was interviewed about the first Grammys boycott by hip-hop. He said, “We was like, ‘We’re not going,’ and Salt-N-Pepa was like, ‘We’re not going.’ So everybody decided ‘Let’s not go!’”
Jay-Z talked about the 1999 Grammys protest with Lebron James on HBO’s The Shop. Jay was asked about DMX’s legacy and he told the story about not attending the Grammys in 1999 in protest of a blatant DMX snub.
“The first time I boycotted the Grammys was for [DMX]. We both came out that year, and he didn’t get nominated. He dropped two albums, two number one albums in the same year, and they didn’t even nominate him! I won that year, for Best Rap Album. So my first Grammy win I wasn’t there. I wasn’t in the building because I boycotted it for him.”
Moreso, Kanye West has been very vocal about his displeasure with the Grammys. In 2016, he took to Twitter to state that the Grammys was losing relevance by not acknowledging the diversity in hip-hop. Kanye said, “We need to see Young Thug at the Grammys. Not just me and Jay in a suit.” He then made a plea to Neil Portnow, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), saying, “Neil please reach out as soon as possible so we can make the Grammys culturally relevant again.”
Drake Says The Grammys “May Not Be Relevant”
Drake and The Weeknd both have had ordeals with the Grammys directly in recent years. In 2020 Drake took to Instagram to say award shows may not be relevant anymore.
“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after. It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways. The other day I said @theweekend was a lock for either album or song of the year along with countless other reasonable assumptions and it just never goes that way. This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come.”
Lil Wayne has also expressed his frustration with how the Grammys makes him question himself as an artist. In 2020, Weezy stated, “When I see da Grammys coming up & I’m not involved nor invited; I wonder. Is it me , my musik, or just another technicality? I look around w respect & wonder competitively am I not worthy?! Then I look around & see 5 Grammys looking back at me & I go to the studio.”
