S. Samuel
West Coast rapper Schoolboy Q has weighed in on the mixed reactions shot toward fellow hip-hop artist Macklemore in the new issue of The Source.
In the cover feature, Schoolboy admits being upset over the backlash Mack received over stealing the spotlight in this past year’s rap Grammy Awards ceremony.
“Like, all these rappers talking s**t about Macklemore because of the text, but they wouldn’t be saying that s**t if I sent the text out. Or if Maino sent the text out. Bruh, if Maino sent the text out and put it on Instagram, n***as would be quiet. They wouldn’t say nothing.” (The Source)
Instead of complaining, rap star Kendrick Lamar previously congratulated Mack for dominating the Grammys.
“It’s well deserved; he did what he did, man,” Kendrick said. “He went out there and hustled and grinded. Everything happens for a reason; the universe comes back around, that’s how it go.” While Kendrick may have grounds to feel snubbed, he’s hardly the first rapper to come up empty; hip-hop legends such as Snoop Dogg and Nas have been snubbed numerous times. “I definitely feel like they should always have more of the culture up in there, for sure, because we definitely stand out just like any other genre,” Kendrick said when asked if he thought the Grammys undervalued hip-hop (XXL Mag)
Following his big wins, Macklemore singled out the annual awards ceremony’s biggest flaw.
“It’s a blessing and a curse, a little bit more the curse,” Mack said in an interview. “When we were at the nominations [event] and the nominations come out, first and foremost, Kendrick [Lamar] is a friend of mine. He’s somebody that I love his music and in my opinion has the best rap album of the year and knowing how the Grammys usually go, I knew there was a great chance we would win that award and in essence rob Kendrick. That’s what happened [last] night. It kinda sucks. I think we made a great album, I think that Kendrick made a better rap album and that’s what it is. … What makes it awkward for me is that you never want to be the person that is robbing somebody else and I think if you look at what the Grammys are, I think that people don’t understand is that what the Grammys are, are a bunch of people that are on the Grammy committee on in the industry, they get a ballot and I got a ballot this year. As I’m filling out the ballot, I’m realizing I don’t know much outside the genre of hip-hop in terms of what should get what award.” (Hot 97)
Young Money’s Drake recently said Macklemore should have felt no shame in dominating the Grammy Awards’ hip-hop categories.
To put it bluntly, he thought “that sh*t was wack as f*ck.” “I was like, ‘You won. Why are you posting your text message? Just chill. Take your W, and if you feel you didn’t deserve it, go get better — make better music,'” he tells us. “It felt cheap. It didn’t feel genuine. Why do that? Why feel guilt? You think those guys would pay homage to you if they won?” (Rolling Stone)
