Boycott or Represent? Musicians Struggle Supporting Grammys Due to Ongoing Bias

The Grammy Awards’ well known trophy, designed after the gramophone invented by Emile Berliner, has been used over the years to represent the recognition of today’s artists for their achievements. Photo by the Recording Academy

The anticipated reveal of the nominees for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards was announced on Friday, November 8, 2024. On the list of nominees for “The Big Four” awards of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist, include seasoned recipients like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Billie Eilish, as well as emerging artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey, and Chappell Roan.

Chappell Roan was featured on A Carpool Karaoke Christmas with Zane Lowe on December 16 on Apple TV+, where she points out her own inner turmoil regarding her nominations. “It’s such a double-edged sword for me,” Roan said. “Because I’m like, ‘Yes, it is a talent show for the popular kids.’ But the other side is, how amazing is it that a gay artist wrote a gay song that went number one with a gay writer who did not grow up in the industry. It means something to me.”

Chappell Roan and Zane Lowe on “A Carpool Karaoke Christmas” on Apple TV+ as they talk about Roan’s nominations in the 2025 Grammy Awards. Photo by Apple TV+.

Representation at highly acclaimed award shows like the Grammys highlight the originality and impact on the public. But if the opportunities for representation are cherry picked by the Grammy’s organization, The Recording Academy, is it truly a canvas of the music industry as a whole?

The Grammys have been accused of racial bias and unfair rulings in nominations. According to a 2024 article written by Emma Augello in The Link Newspaper, a 66 year span of Grammy Awards has only awarded 11 black artists with Album of the Year, usually awarding white-dominated genres like pop, country, or rock.

The buzz over 2025’s Grammy snubs has caused fans to skepticize a pattern of favoritism at the expense of well-deserving artists. Some Grammy snubs include Megan the Stallion’s album “Hiss”, Hozier’s album “Too Sweet”, Nicki Minaj’s album, “Pink Friday 2” Doja Cat’s album, “Scarlet” not being nominated, and Ariana Grande’s album, “Eternal Sunshine” not being nominated for any of the Big Four categories.

In an interview with Boston’s media organization, GBH, in 2024, pianist and Grammy voter Bruce Brubaker was asked about how the Grammys have changed over the years. “I think (the Grammy nominations) have been extremely useful and important for the organization because there is greater diversity now, there is a little bit more inclusion of underrepresented groups.” Brubaker said. “I think there's been a real push to try to include more women on the production side, especially.” As the years pass there is bound to be a shift in diversity, but is the Grammys catching up to where the world is, or are they still falling behind?

Beyoncé at the 2021 Grammy Awards after winning Best R&B Performance for her song, “Black Parade”. Photo by CBS.

While recording artist Beyoncé made history with the most Grammy wins of 32 to date, she has never taken home the award of Album of the Year. This marks her fifth year being nominated, going up against five artists with her album “Cowboy Carter”. Previously she lost for her album, “I Am… Sasha Fierce” to Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” in 2010, her album “Beyoncé” lost to Beck’s “Morning Phase” in 2015, her album “Lemonade” lost to Adele’s “25” in 2017, and her album “Renaissance” lost to Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” in 2023.  

Rapper Jay-Z accepted Dr. Dre’s Global Impact Award at last year’s Grammy Awards in 2024 and used his platform to call out the questionable behavior from the Recording Academy in the past. He referred to the 1989 Grammy Awards when Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff boycotted the show after their win for the first ever Grammy award for rap music wasn’t televised.

Jay-Z accepting Dr. Dre’s Global Impact Award at the 2024 Grammy Awards with his daughter, Blue Ivy. Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images.

Jay-Z followed in their footsteps and boycotted the 1998 Grammys due to neither of rapper DMX’s number one albums being nominated, even though Jay-Z himself was nominated for Best Rap Album. Jay-Z spoke up in his speech, saying “We love y’all, but we want you to get it right.”

The Grammys seem to still hold value amongst the music community, but do not define the trajectory of an artist’s career. The universal feeling of being celebrated for a project, while sought after does not make money or sell records, and a fandom will not desert an artist because of it, rather they may soldier behind an artist even more due to the lack of an award. However, an accurate depiction of the music industry in all of its diversity will not only give credit to those who deserve it but will also inspire the new generation of creators who are finally seeing a person like them on the big screen.