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GAF-Hop |OTXV| Afterlife

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enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Nah, there was some good stuff that was worth watching for. The B.B. King tribute, Kendrick's performance, Gaga's Bowie tribute (if a bit too ambitious).

You lost if you thought the awards would go any differently.
Kendrick, Weeknd, Alabama Shakes, Bruno Mars and D'Angelo all picked up big awards. Doesn't seem like tokenisim. Unless none of the awards besides AOTY count. K.Dot went home with a truckload of Grammy's. Are those token awards because they weren't AOTY?
Throwing a bone to keep the heat down in contentious times doesn't erase decades of bullshit.

I'll wait for a new pattern to emerge before I get excited about an exception to the rule.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Throwing a bone to keep the heat down in contentious times doesn't erase decades of bullshit.

I'll wait for a new pattern to emerge before I get excited about an exception to the rule.

Yeah, you speaking to somebody else that ain't me. I didn't say shit about "erasing decades of bullshit." I just don't think it's right for AOTY to be the only award to matter. Maybe I don't understand the Grammy's but winning one for any part of the process seems like a big deal.

...though Herbie Hancock was the last black dude to win AOTY. In 2008.
 

studyguy

Member
Grammys are what they are. How many years we been at this same discussion.

Only thing they're worth these days are the performance highlights.
 
Just saw Kendrick's performance, incredible. And the reactions on social media are so predictable you could set your watch to it.

First rapper with something to say
troll.png
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
If I could erase one Tweet from all of history, that would be the one. Not because it gave 'more haters ammo. But because every time a rapper says/does anything, you get 73 people dropping that quote.
 

overcast

Member
album, released in a year where racial tensions were extremely high (including in the media), lost to freaking 1989 tho lmao.
Naw I understand that, but if there is an awards show that has less awareness and deserves less respect its the Grammys. It's cool he got awarded at all, but I personally don't put value there. I mean Weeknd was nominated for AOTY too.
 

Eos

Member
I can't take anyone who says Big L is better than Jay Z seriously.
I wouldn't even compare them at all in the first place, I mean Big L had only 1 album and that was like 5 years before Reasonable Doubt. He did have the better verses in that freestyle they did together tho.
 

Jay-Hova

Banned
I wouldn't even compare them at all in the first place, I mean Big L had only 1 album and that was like 5 years before Reasonable Doubt. He did have the better verses in that freestyle they did together tho.
And for some reason people always try to point towards that freestyle and use it to bash Jay Z when talking about Big L.
 

Nibel

Member
Kendrick, Weeknd, Alabama Shakes, Bruno Mars and D'Angelo all picked up big awards. Doesn't seem like tokenisim. Unless none of the awards besides AOTY count. K.Dot went home with a truckload of Grammy's. Are those token awards because they weren't AOTY?

Well, who of these artists does rap or music with a clear focus on the problems of Blacks in America like Kendrick does? Let's not kid ourselves here: both Weeknd and Bruno Mars are pop artists who create music that doesn't hurt anyone, D'Angelo might fit the bill but doesn't go as far as Kendrick and Alabama Shakes is rock and soft as hell. I respect these artists but Kendrick to me goes for something greater than a Bruno Mars does.

Besides, Kendrick was nominated in 11 categories and won 5 Grammys, 4 of which are rap-related Grammys which of course he would have won compared to his competition and one Grammy which is a collaboration with Taylor. He didn't win any of the big ones and Swift getting a Grammy for her album instead of TPAB must be a slap in the face for him and TDE.

Nonetheless, it's hilarious how the hip hop community was suddenly interested in the Grammys again for a few weeks because of Kenny's 11 nominations and now it's back to "fuck a Grammy". Either you ride the wave or you don't, but this on-off-relationship with the Grammys is childish.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Well, who of these artists does rap or music with a clear focus on the problems of Blacks in America like Kendrick does? Let's not kid ourselves here: both Weeknd and Bruno Mars are pop artists who create music that doesn't hurt anyone, D'Angelo might fit the bill but doesn't go as far as Kendrick and Alabama Shakes is rock and soft as hell. I respect these artists but Kendrick to me goes for something greater than a Bruno Mars does.

Besides, Kendrick was nominated in 11 categories and won 5 Grammys, 4 of which are rap-related Grammys which of course he would have won compared to his competition and one Grammy which is a collaboration with Taylor. He didn't win any of the big ones and Swift getting a Grammy for her album instead of TPAB must be a slap in the face for him and TDE.

Nonetheless, it's hilarious how the hip hop community was suddenly interested in the Grammys again for a few weeks because of Kenny's 11 nominations and now it's back to "fuck a Grammy". Either you ride the wave or you don't, but this on-off-relationship with the Grammys is childish.


You're kind of all over the place with this one. I think the bottom line is that people are mad that Kendrick didn't win the award they wanted him to win. That's fine. I don't see why dragging down the accomplishments of other black artists (or any artist for that matter) needs to be a part of that conversation. Is it tokenism if the awards are diversified, like they were? This time. Yes, the Grammy's, Oscars, DoD, etc, have practiced tokenism as a way to appease minorities. Is that the case here?

Maybe it is, but the only way I can see that is if you believe the AOTY is the only category that matters. Maybe it is. But I mean, we were all raging when GKMC lost to The Heist. Other awards seemed important then.
 

Syntsui

Member
Nonetheless, it's hilarious how the hip hop community was suddenly interested in the Grammys again for a few weeks because of Kenny's 11 nominations and now it's back to "fuck a Grammy". Either you ride the wave or you don't, but this on-off-relationship with the Grammys is childish.

This was, is and always will be the case though, with Kendrick or not. As much as people argue about the ridiculous nominations and questionable songs/artist being awarded, the Grammy's are extremely relevant. Whatever the genre is,the Grammy's boost sales for the artists involved and broaden their fanbase, so in the end, even with all the fuckery involved, whoever was there ended up winning in a way.
 

Nibel

Member
You're kind of all over the place with this one. I think the bottom line is that people are mad that Kendrick didn't win the award they wanted him to win. That's fine. I don't see why dragging down the accomplishments of other black artists (or any artist for that matter) needs to be a part of that conversation. Is it tokenism if the awards are diversified, like they were? This time. Yes, the Grammy's, Oscars, DoD, etc, have practiced tokenism as a way to appease minorities. Is that the case here?

Maybe it is, but the only way I can see that is if you believe the AOTY is the only category that matters. Maybe it is. But I mean, we were all raging when GKMC lost to The Heist. Other awards seemed important then.

First of all, we are not only talking about AOTY here - Kendrick has been nominated for 11 awards, 4 of which were rap related and another one a collaboration between him and one of the biggest popstars on the planet, maybe the biggest. And guess which he won? The 4 that are part of his genre and the one that had one of the biggest names of music attached to it, which is not even a real win to me since he was just a feature in her video/song.

He himself won in categories that don't go beyond his genre. It's like they are saying "Hey, you can win amongst your group of people but stay out of our game".

And I just don't see how you can count Kendrick, Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Alabama Shakes and D'Angelo in the same group of people just because of they share the fact they have different skin tones than white. It's not solely about skin color but about what these people do: Weeknd does pop-music that is inoffensive and can be played on shows and radios, he mostly features light-skinned women in his videos and fashion photoshoots; Bruno Mars does music that is as inoffensive as Abel's and has arrived in the mainstream ages ago; D'Angelo is the only one who goes in a similar direction as Kendrick but he soft-pedals and does R'n'B which is a genre I would argue that is not as dominated by lyrics as rap is. I am not familiar with Alabama Shakes but three YouTube searches later I think I have an idea of the music they are making.

And that's completely fine; everybody can do music as they want to, and I don't think anybody here is saying they don't deserve shit. But Kendrick? Kendrick raps about issues in society with a clarity that feels like a gut punch to a lot of people and delivered an album that sparked controversies, an album that is easily the blackest album of 2015: the music is black, the videos are anchored in black culture, the live performances have tons of Soul and Jazz elements in it. This is not about not feeling your face because you are a drug-addict, this is music about shit that is happening right now in America.

Kendrick is blacker than all of these artists you've mentioned and has the toughter mountain to climb because of it. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd, then I'm not sure what to tell you.
 

Exodust

Banned
I just can't get angry because it's the fucking Grammys. Think of the most celebrated albums of all time and I bet you 99% of them didn't receive AOTY from them. Quality and message are not what matters when it comes to determining who wins AOTY at the Grammys, it's sales. There's the occasional blip in that (Beck, Steely Dan and Arcade Fire) that can be seen as consolation prizes for previous work(much like a lot of Oscar winners).

So I really don't see why y'all are getting worked up. I may not be a fan of TPAB as an album, but I get wanting to win due to message or thinking it was the best album of the year. But expecting that from the Grammys? Nah. You should have known by now.
 

injurai

Banned
I only saw Kendrick's performance. The way I see it the Grammy's has money and can afford performances. Kendrick is professional and will deliver. I don't feel bad about watching it, especially since I caught it online.

Really all it takes is one look at their nomination list to realize how much of a hack this award show is.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
First of all, we are not only talking about AOTY here - Kendrick has been nominated for 11 awards, 4 of which were rap related and another one a collaboration between him and one of the biggest popstars on the planet, maybe the biggest. And guess which he won? The 4 that are part of his genre and the one that had one of the biggest names of music attached to it, which is not even a real win to me since he was just a feature in her video/song.

He himself won in categories that don't go beyond his genre. It's like they are saying "Hey, you can win amongst your group of people but stay out of our game".

And I just don't see how you can count Kendrick, Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Alabama Shakes and D'Angelo in the same group of people just because of they share the fact they have different skin tones than white. It's not solely about skin color but about what these people do: Weeknd does pop-music that is inoffensive and can be played on shows and radios, he mostly features light-skinned women in his videos and fashion photoshoots; Bruno Mars does music that is as inoffensive as Abel's and has arrived in the mainstream ages ago; D'Angelo is the only one who goes in a similar direction as Kendrick but he soft-pedals and does R'n'B which is a genre I would argue that is not as dominated by lyrics as rap is. I am not familiar with Alabama Shakes but three YouTube searches later I think I have an idea of the music they are making.

And that's completely fine; everybody can do music as they want to, and I don't think anybody here is saying they don't deserve shit. But Kendrick? Kendrick raps about issues in society with a clarity that feels like a gut punch to a lot of people and delivered an album that sparked controversies, an album that is easily the blackest album of 2015: the music is black, the videos are anchored in black culture, the live performances have tons of Soul and Jazz elements in it. This is not about not feeling your face because you are a drug-addict, this is music about shit that is happening right now in America.

Kendrick is blacker than all of these artists you've mentioned and has the toughter mountain to climb because of it. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd, then I'm not sure what to tell you.

Aren't you a white dude from Germany? I ain't about to get into which artist is blacker with you. That ain't a discussion either one us should be having. If I got your ID wrong, my bad. But I know for damn sure you ain't about to get me involved in some light v. dark skin shit. That's way the fuck out of bounds for my cracker ass.

I also ain't grouping every black artist in the same category. I am saying they are factually black artists that won Grammy's. Nothing more. Nothing less. Your rants are misplaced and are very clearly based on some shit somebody else said. Read my shit again. Show me where I said some shit like I "believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd."
 
First of all, we are not only talking about AOTY here - Kendrick has been nominated for 11 awards, 4 of which were rap related and another one a collaboration between him and one of the biggest popstars on the planet, maybe the biggest. And guess which he won? The 4 that are part of his genre and the one that had one of the biggest names of music attached to it, which is not even a real win to me since he was just a feature in her video/song.

He himself won in categories that don't go beyond his genre. It's like they are saying "Hey, you can win amongst your group of people but stay out of our game".

And I just don't see how you can count Kendrick, Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Alabama Shakes and D'Angelo in the same group of people just because of they share the fact they have different skin tones than white. It's not solely about skin color but about what these people do: Weeknd does pop-music that is inoffensive and can be played on shows and radios, he mostly features light-skinned women in his videos and fashion photoshoots; Bruno Mars does music that is as inoffensive as Abel's and has arrived in the mainstream ages ago; D'Angelo is the only one who goes in a similar direction as Kendrick but he soft-pedals and does R'n'B which is a genre I would argue that is not as dominated by lyrics as rap is. I am not familiar with Alabama Shakes but three YouTube searches later I think I have an idea of the music they are making.

And that's completely fine; everybody can do music as they want to, and I don't think anybody here is saying they don't deserve shit. But Kendrick? Kendrick raps about issues in society with a clarity that feels like a gut punch to a lot of people and delivered an album that sparked controversies, an album that is easily the blackest album of 2015: the music is black, the videos are anchored in black culture, the live performances have tons of Soul and Jazz elements in it. This is not about not feeling your face because you are a drug-addict, this is music about shit that is happening right now in America.

Kendrick is blacker than all of these artists you've mentioned and has the toughter mountain to climb because of it. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd, then I'm not sure what to tell you.

bruh...

da fuq
 
Voting system for these big award shows are garbage. They choose people inside the industry to vote for their friends and the ballots are set up in a way where they'll vote for all categories, even if they only listen to one. It's inherently flawed.
 

thabiz

Member
First of all, we are not only talking about AOTY here - Kendrick has been nominated for 11 awards, 4 of which were rap related and another one a collaboration between him and one of the biggest popstars on the planet, maybe the biggest. And guess which he won? The 4 that are part of his genre and the one that had one of the biggest names of music attached to it, which is not even a real win to me since he was just a feature in her video/song.

He himself won in categories that don't go beyond his genre. It's like they are saying "Hey, you can win amongst your group of people but stay out of our game".

And I just don't see how you can count Kendrick, Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Alabama Shakes and D'Angelo in the same group of people just because of they share the fact they have different skin tones than white. It's not solely about skin color but about what these people do: Weeknd does pop-music that is inoffensive and can be played on shows and radios, he mostly features light-skinned women in his videos and fashion photoshoots; Bruno Mars does music that is as inoffensive as Abel's and has arrived in the mainstream ages ago; D'Angelo is the only one who goes in a similar direction as Kendrick but he soft-pedals and does R'n'B which is a genre I would argue that is not as dominated by lyrics as rap is. I am not familiar with Alabama Shakes but three YouTube searches later I think I have an idea of the music they are making.

And that's completely fine; everybody can do music as they want to, and I don't think anybody here is saying they don't deserve shit. But Kendrick? Kendrick raps about issues in society with a clarity that feels like a gut punch to a lot of people and delivered an album that sparked controversies, an album that is easily the blackest album of 2015: the music is black, the videos are anchored in black culture, the live performances have tons of Soul and Jazz elements in it. This is not about not feeling your face because you are a drug-addict, this is music about shit that is happening right now in America.

Kendrick is blacker than all of these artists you've mentioned and has the toughter mountain to climb because of it. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Kendrick Lamar or The Weeknd, then I'm not sure what to tell you.

giphy.gif
 

injurai

Banned
As a white dude from the midwest, I just want to say I'm whiter than Nibel. He doesn't even compare to how white I am. Does he know the struggles of revolting from the largest empire in the world? Does he remember how he started two world wars, and we bailed the world out twice? Does he remember how we rebuilt his homeland? It is I the white American that truly knows what it is to earn my privilege. Of all white men, the American had the toughest mountain to climb. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Nibel or myself, then I'm not sure what to tell you.

Now I'm off to drink German tears.
senddickpicksforameri7ws1q.jpg
 

Nibel

Member
I wasn't talking about fucking skin color when I said that he was blacker than them, but there is no way anything I say can turn anything around as it is usually with you guys

D'Angelo's album is just as good as Kendrick's

I never said anything against this and he would have deserved it as much as anybody to win more Grammys

As a white dude from the midwest, I just want to say I'm whiter than Nibel. He doesn't even compare to how white I am. Does he know the struggles of revolting from the largest empire in the world? Does he remember how he started two world wars, and we bailed the world out twice? Does he remember how we rebuilt his homeland? It is I the white American that truly knows what it is to earn my privilege. Of all white men, the American had the toughest mountain to climb. If you honestly believe there is no difference in how people perceive both Nibel or myself, then I'm not sure what to tell you.

Now I'm off to drink German tears.
senddickpicksforameri7ws1q.jpg

I am not white, but this post is still pretty funny
it isn't
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Man, chill. You got a lot of anger, probably rightfully so, but direct it to people who don't call two of Kenny's projects classic. The only thing I was questioning is if the anger was about AOTY or other awards. I don't follow the Grammy's that closely, so I don't know if rap fans felt if other rappers were robbed.

I mean, look clearly I post about 8000 times in rap threads. Do you really think I'm trying stan for Swizzle Stick? Obviously, if you're in this thread you wanted to see K.Dot over Swift (no PD).
 

Nibel

Member
Why should I have a lot of anger, lol? I never caped as hard for Kenny as others did, matter of fact I actually caught some flak for criticizing him here and there. Everybody who reads my posts knows I only stan for the only young marple syrup sipping god Aubrey

I just think think other black artists have way better chances of winning more prizes than Kendrick does because of the lanes they are in, even though Kendrick took five home.

None of us should even care about the Grammys since they are flawed in several ways (especially when it comes to rap music), I just wanted to point that above statement out and that's it; I apologize if people seriously thought I was differentiating between artists because of their skin color shade instead of the work they do, I could have worded that better
 
Man, chill. You got a lot of anger, probably rightfully so, but direct it to people who don't call two of Kenny's projects classic. The only thing I was questioning is if the anger was about AOTY or other awards. I don't follow the Grammy's that closely, so I don't know if rap fans felt if other rappers were robbed.

I mean, look clearly I post about 8000 times in rap threads. Do you really think I'm trying stan for Swizzle Stick? Obviously, if you're in this thread you wanted to see K.Dot over Swift (no PD).
I swear you admitted your t swizzle love somewhere. It's a conspiracy.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
I swear you admitted your t swizzle love somewhere. It's a conspiracy.

Looks only, man. I do love me some blondes. I also thought it was kind of fucked up for Kanye to rush the stage of a teenager. I foolishly thought that was going to be her one big moment. Pop stars come and go...except for Taylor fucking Swift, who is reigning eternal.
 
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