This year’s Grammys could be summarised in one word: chaotic. I myself was not a viewer of the actual awards ceremony, but I was later informed by my friend of the controversial chattery revolving around Kanye’s girlfriend’s so-called “naked dress.” For me though, my antics are always led by one thing: “Were they diverse?” A broken record, I naturally went to check the results the morning after (damn UK time). There, I was surprised to find that a majority of the awards went to Beyoncé, namely for “Album of the Year,” while Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” also swept across categories – a diss track coined by him in an interview with SZA as representing “a man who has morals,” in an alleged call-out to Drake’s behaviour, while also concerned with exploring Lamar’s cultural identity and relationships in the music industry. This prompted me to question, has the awards scene truly changed this year? And for the better?
Online, the discussion seems to be guided by one stand-out conclusion: this year’s Grammys were an apology. A righting of wrongs for the previous ceremonies that did not do its talented artists a deserving justice. With an awards speech nodding to Linda Martell, a pioneer for Black country musicians, and filled with hearty sentiment, “I hope we just keep pushing forward (and) opening doors”, and now making Beyoncé the first Black woman to win the night’s top award since 1999, 2025 will finally go down as the year that Beyoncé deservedly won “Album of the Year,” especially having lost on past four occasions and even being snubbed at the Country Music Awards five months prior. Even the category in which the now award-winning COWBOY CARTER lost was to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”. Similarly, Kendrick Lamar’s music has wound up being disregarded and left unacknowledged at awards on numerous occasions. This all plays a stark contrast to this year’s Grammys ceremony, which saw Lamar sweeping all five awards his song was nominated for, including “Record of the Year” as COWBOY CARTER‘s missed accolade. Yet, the humble nature of the artists in directing their award acceptances to attend other issues, such as Lamar saying, “We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city,” is suggestive of the larger significance of the music industry in its outreach and influence on the world, as well as the winners being the right choices to take the stage in their acknowledgment of their privileged positions, and using said positions to direct attention to initiate change.
An unforgettable and defining moment of the Grammys, however, was Doechii’s win. With her earnest words, “I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there, that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you, you can do it. Anything is possible,” it is clear that despite perceived snubs of the night, like Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, the Grammys paying its dues where it is and has been deserved, honouring Black musicians, surely counts for something much more valuable.
Definitively, this year’s awards mark a larger commitment to atonement, a relief as Black musicians finally take the stage to be acknowledged and recognised for their achievements. While the history of the industry remains convoluted, it is assuring that the direction seems to be leaning towards good – although, there will always be more steps that need to be taken to amend the legacy of the Golden Gramophone statue.
“Pulitzer2018-portraits-kendrick-lamar” by Fuzheado is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.