It seems that every year award show season has its controversies, especially when it comes to race. We had the #OscarsSoWhite scandal about the lack of Black actors, actresses, and directors represented in the award winners, and it seems that that has sparked a conversation about the Grammy Awards as well.
John Legend is the latest artist to speak up.
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In a new interview, John Legend has given his take on how the Recording Academy treats Black musicians.
John was asked about Diddy’s earlier quote that the Grammys “have never respected Black artists” and was asked if he agreed or not with Diddy’s criticism.
His answer was very straight-forward.
“Well, the bottom line is, it’s almost impossible for a black artist to win Album of the Year.”
“It’s like, how many years do we have to see Beyoncé getting snubbed? Kanye has never won Album of the Year. It’s kind of insane, actually. But it’s just like any other voting process,” John went on.
“You have the voters you have.”
“The one thing that the Grammys can do to change that is get an influx of a more diverse and younger voting base and phase certain voters out that aren’t making music still. So that they’re not taking up so much of the bulk of the voting bloc,” John suggested.
“We’ve got to do something because that’s a terrible record and Diddy is right to complain about it.”
The last time a Black artist won was 2007, and there have been 12 black-led winning albums overall.
What do you think about John’s claims? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
Last Updated on July 16, 2020 by Rae Batchelor
