In a culture that celebrates shallow, pump-it-out music, the Grammys propelled that trend, handing out awards to artists who follow the formula for radio success instead of those pioneering new territories.
As Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were cleaning up, winning awards for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, who have both reinvented the rap genre over the past year, were held winless.
Bruno Mars was able to take home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album over vocal powerhouse Lana Del Rey, and Macklemore’s Best New Artist Grammy — which he won over Kendrick Lamar — makes him the first rapper to win the award since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
To me, these wins prove the Grammys have become nothing but a popularity contest.
The voters forgo musical visionaries, those that are expanding boundaries and furthering their genres, for artists who pump out radio-ready hits using the same formula producers have used for years.
Now, that’s not to say that all was lost this year. For bringing back disco to the mainstream and making it cool again, Daft Punk was awarded Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Dance/Electronica Album.
They even took home Album of the Year, which proved to be the biggest snub of the night, behind West not even being nominated in the category for Yeezus, by winning over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city.
Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City was able to bring home Best Alternative Music Album; the only award it was nominated for. But being ranked high on every major Top 50 Album List, this album deserved more nominations than it got.
What is most disappointing about the Grammys giving these awards to artists with radio success is that they do so at the expense of many small artists struggling to break through the glass ceiling.
Instead, the Grammy voters use this stage, the biggest in music, to nominate and award the same people year-in and year-out.
This year’s performances did help to bring life back into the party. A mega-talented band composed of Pharrell, Stevie Wonder and Nile Rodgers teamed up with Daft Punk to rock the crowd.
But while a lot of deserving artists went home empty handed, we can all rejoice in the fact that Robin Thicke left without a Gramophone.
diversions@dailytarheel.com
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