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After receiving nominations for two GRAMMY awards, Drake has withdrawn his name from the running on both accounts.
The ‘Gods Plan’ rapper was initially up for Best Rap Performance for his track ‘Way 2 Sexy’ and Best Rap Album for his recent release ‘Certified Lover Boy’. However, the GRAMMYs removed his name from the two lists on Monday, 6th December.
At the time of writing, neither Drake nor his management representatives have offered an explanation as to why they withdrew the nominations at such a late stage. And, as reported by Variety, there will be no replacement nominees added to the two categories.
Drake has had a tumultuous relationship with the GRAMMY Awards and, in 2020, the rapper publically criticized the Academy. He took to Instagram to write, “We should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards.” He continued, “What was once the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now.”
Drake © Kevin Winter
His public condemnation of the awards came after The Weeknd, Lil Baby, Pop Smoke and Popcaan failed to receive any nominations last year.
Drake’s withdrawal came just hours after the removal of Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark’s names from the list of nominees credited on Olivia Rodrigo’s album ‘Sour’.
Initially, the GRAMMYs cited the three acclaimed artists alongside Rodrigo on her Album of the Year nomination. However, the Academy later decided that they would only honour those who wrote songs on the album. The removal of Swift, Antonoff and Clark’s names came as a result.
You can view the updated list of 2022 GRAMMYs nominations here.
