The Grammys have continuously been criticized for their history of racism and discrimination of Black artists. (freepik)
Since its beginnings in 1959, the Grammy Awards have been considered the most prestigious recognition in the music industry.
Yet, throughout its history, the Grammys have been repeatedly criticized for having a racial bias, often favoring white artists over Black and other nonwhite musicians, often in the more major categories such as Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
This supposed bias in the Grammys has led to the satirical renaming of it as the “Scammys,” often used when describing any type of audience’s dissatisfaction towards the winners. This systemic issue has led to widespread controversy, with many artists speaking out and taking action against the institution.
During the early years of the Grammys, Black artists were largely sidelined despite their significant contributions to the music industry.
While jazz, blues, and R&B categories existed with many nonwhite artists prevailing in them, these genres, which largely consisted of Black musicians, were frequently treated as secondary to mainstream categories, where white artists dominated.
The excuse that many have given for this lack of importance is that jazz and R&B music is made less for the aspect of awards and recognition, but rather for people to enjoy regardless of awards. This excuse not only falls short, but also leaves a harmful cast upon all genres that aren’t pop music.
By the 1980s, Black artists had gained more recognition, with figures like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston achieving commercial and critical success. Yet, despite the major popularity of many Black musicians, the Grammys continued to favor white artists in major categories.
Despite the dominance of hip-hop, R&B, and pop music by Black artists in the 2000s, the Grammys still failed to reflect this influence in major categories. Outrage grew when incredibly popular artists like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West lost Album of the Year to white artists, despite critical acclaim and significant cultural impact.
In 2014, Macklemore’s victory over Kendrick Lamar for Best Rap Album was widely criticized, with Macklemore himself admitting that Lamar deserved the award.
The 2010s saw more recognition towards these injustices with rise of the #GrammysSoWhite movement, where audiences began calling out the institution for consistently snubbing Black artists in major categories.
Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” losing to Adele’s “25” in 2017 was a defining moment in the award show’s history, with even Adele acknowledging in her acceptance speech that Beyoncé deserved the award. Other popular artists such as Frank Ocean, Drake, and The Weeknd have all boycotted the Grammys in protest, citing its failure to recognize Black talent fairly.
In response to backlash, the Recording Academy has attempted reforms, such as expanding the number of nominees in major categories and diversifying its voting body.
However, these efforts have not completely addressed the systemic bias. In 2021, The Weeknd called the Grammys “corrupt” after being snubbed entirely despite having one of the biggest albums of the year. Similarly, Beyoncé, despite being the most-awarded woman in Grammy history, had never won Album of the Year until 2024 with her album “Cowboy Carter”.
While the Grammys have made some strides toward inclusivity, the history of racism in the awards show remains a glaring issue, with continued criticism by audiences. Even seen in the most recent 2025 Grammys, many have shown distaste for Beyonce winning Album of the Year for her album Cowboy Carter.
Yet, the majority of the public have argued that, if anything, Beyonce deserved it the most due to her complicated history with the Grammys and their reluctance to awarding such an acclaimed artist.
The Grammys have constantly been protested for their history of racism and outright discrimination of Black artists. Until Black artists receive fair recognition in major categories rather than being pushed to the smaller awards and structural changes are made within the Recording Academy, the Grammys will continue to face criticism for failing to reflect the true diversity and impact of music today.