LOS ANGELES -- It was two years ago, but for many hip-hop fans, it still stings.
That's when Kendrick Lamar, the brilliant lyricist behind the good kid, m.A.A.d city, one of the most ambitious rap albums in years, lost the Grammy for Best Rap Album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the artists behind ... "Thrift Shop."
A black artist with a deeply moving coming-of-age story -- critics did not shy away from the word "masterpiece" -- lost to a white artist with an album that yes, received mostly warm reviews, but would have found itself just as comfortable in the Pop category.
That award was given out, as it often is, before the telecast, and rap fans were fuming on Twitter. Then came the televised show, and Macklemore once again beat Kendrick -- this time for Best New Artist.
Kendrick sat in the audience, 0 for 7.
A closer look at the Grammy voters who gave best rap album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. pic.twitter.com/Oy0jtjGV53
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) January 26, 2014
Macklemore won Best Rap Song, Best Rap Album, and Rap Performance. Kendrick loses. We all lose. oh god. — ʇǝɔɥɐɟıɔıouɐpo (@TechAficionado) January 26, 2014
Macklemore winning the best rap album is disrespectful to the whole genre of rap and hip hop.
— SophisticatedRatchet (@OVOCORN) January 26, 2014
Grammy voters had showcased a grave misunderstanding of rap before. Coolio beat Biggie and Tupac, Nas has never won a Grammy; the list, sadly, goes on. But this one seemed particularly egregious.
While it ultimately prompted discussions on white privilege and the whiteness of the Grammys, but at first, most of the shots were aimed at Macklemore himself. While the Seattle rapper didn't directly say "this wasn't my fault," that was the message he sent when he posted on social media an apology text to Kendrick.
My text to Kendrick after the show. He deserved best rap album... I'm honored and completely blown away to win anything much less 4 Grammys. But in that category, he should have won IMO. And that's taking nothing away from The Heist. Just giving GKMC it's proper respect.. With that being said, thank you to the fans. You're the reason we were on that stage tonight. And to play Same Love on that platform was a career highlight. The greatest honor of all. That's what this is about. Progress and art. Thank you. #grammys A photo posted by @macklemore on Jan 26, 2014 at 10:18pm PST
But there was no apology text from the Grammys -- or at least, they didn't take a screenshot of it and post it on social media so everyone knew about it.
Fast forward one year, and Kendrick takes home two Grammys for "i," his first single off the then-unreleased To Pimp a Butterfly. He topped Nicki Minaj ("Anaconda"), Kanye West ("Bound 2") and Drake ("0 to 100/The Catch Up") for Best Rap Song and beat Eminem ("Rap God") and Drake again for Best Rap Performance.
But Kendrick was noticeably absent from the show -- both awards were given out pre-telecast -- and noticeably silent about his wins on Twitter.
What he did do, though, was drop "The Blacker the Berry" the very next day, a song about a lot of things, and one of them is the appropriation of black culture. There were lines like "You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture" and "You vandalize my perception but can't take style from me," but there wasn't a "thank you" anywhere.
And here we are
Lamar is definitely attending the Grammys on Monday, where he's up for 11 awards -- just one short of Michael Jackson's 1984 record. And in a recent interview with The New York Times that he wants "all of them."
"Because it’s not only a statement for myself, but it’s a statement for the culture," he said. "They’re all important, because of the foundation the forefathers laid before me. Nas didn’t get a chance to be in that position. 'Pac. So to be acknowledged and to actually win, it’s for all of them."
If Kendrick takes home the award for Album of the Year, it would be the first time in 12 years that it has been awarded to a hip-hop artist, and only the third time in the history of the Grammys. The odds are not in his favor. He's facing off against Taylor Swift's formidable 1989, an album that has remained ubiquitous on the charts and in pop culture for
But I think it will happen.
And it's not just because I think To Pimp a Butterfly deserves to win. It's an album that is a force to be reckoned with, a dense and disturbing thing that commands your attention and also mixes jazz, soul, and funk. Where 1989 gets you moving, To Pimp a Butterfly stops you in your tracks.
I like to think that this would be reason enough for him to win a Grammy, but it's more likely that their conscience weighs heavy.
And a Grammy will look a lot better on his mantel than an apology text.