OMG, you guys. The 2019 Grammy Awards finally went down on Sunday, February 10 and, in typical post-show fashion, we need to address the curious case of this year’s snubs… or lack thereof. Awards season is as divisive for fans of the arts as presidential elections are for the country. Every award show provides a slew of praiseworthy nominees, but not everyone can go home a winner. No matter who wins which award, the losing names start trending, boycotts are threatened, and fan bases will argue in favor of their fave until their (Twitter) fingers bleed. Fortunately, the 2019 Grammys weren’t riddled with as many snubs as previous years. Almost everyone got a piece of the pie. Almost.
For starters, Janelle Monáe never ceases to deserve better. Monáe has gathered eight Grammy nominations over the years, two of them courtesy of the 2019 ceremony, and she continues to go home unrewarded. The fan outrage peaked when she didn’t take Album of the Year for Dirty Computer, but at least she had one of the greatest performances of the night. Just ask Lady Gaga.
Post Malone leaving the Grammys entirely empty-handed was unexpected. “Better Now,” “Rockstar (feat. 21 Savage)” and “Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)” were all inescapable radio staples throughout the majority of 2018. Most music enthusiasts presumed Posty’s first go at the Grammys would’ve been a fruitful one since he was nominated in four categories, two of them being the highly competitive Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
Kendrick Lamar had a massive 2018 with the success of the Black Panther soundtrack and garnered a notable seven Grammy nominations this year. As impressive as that is, he just barely took home an award; Lamar’s “King’s Dead” tied with Anderson.Paak’s “Bubblin” for Best Rap Performance. On the bright side, he can place his partial-win trophy next to the 12 other Grammys he’s won.
Another prominent snub was Travis Scott departing with nothing despite his three nominations. Astroworld and its single “Sicko Mode” were hot pop culture commodities since their release, so it’s a little puzzling that neither was rewarded.
Grammys frequenter Taylor Swift and her album Reputation were practically shut out of the 2019 ceremony in general, but she lost her one nomination in Best Pop Vocal Album to Ariana Grande’s Sweetener. The Swifties are predictably up in arms. Taylor herself, on the other hand, was too busy supporting her man Joe Alwyn at the BAFTAs in London.
Last, but certainly not least is the late rapper Mac Miller, who lost in the category of Best Rap Album to Cardi B. For most fans, the issue wasn’t that the rapper lost, it was that the Recording Academy flew out his family for the show, only for him not to win. Also, he was only given around four seconds in the “In Memoriam” portion of the show, which felt like a major snub if we’re being totally honest.
Aside from the few head-scratching snubs, the 61st Annual Grammy Awards were enjoyable. In a night dominated by women, Alicia Keys proved an excellent hostess while phenomenal female artists across all genres got to shine like the diamonds they are. Click here to check out the full list of 2019’s winners.
Featured Image: Instagram (@taylorswift)
