With all of the hoopla that has been surrounding this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, one of the biggest conversation pieces has been Macklemore & Ryan Lewis going toe to toe with Kendrick Lamar with 7 nominations a piece. What has gotten lost in the shuffle though is the news that certain members of the Grammy committee were sternly against Macklemore & Ryan Lewis being included in the Grammy Rap categories. Find out why below the jump.
According to anonomyous source, members of the Grammy committee felt that the Seattle duo should be omitted from rap categories because of their mainstream/top 40 success, claiming that their success lends itself more to pop audiences as opposed to rap fans.
“It’s not that they don’t think he’s a rapper,” the person said of the rap committee’s decision. “It’s just that when you’re trying to protect categories and someone has become popular, it should be judged as much. … Where does their music exist? Who are their fans?”
Hot 97’s Program Director Ebro Darden even weighed in saying
Macklemore & Lewis should compete for hip-hop Grammys, though he thinks sonically the group “lends itself to a more mainstream taste palate.”
[Source]
