Drake has made a bold decision regarding the 2022 Grammy Awards — withdrawing himself from the running altogether.
Variety confirmed with a rep for the Recording Academy that the “God’s Plan” artist withdrew his two nominations, one for best rap song for “Way 2 Sexy” and the other for best rap album for “Certified Lover Boy.” The decision was made by Drake and his management team, with no reason given by sources or confirmed by the artist.
The voting will proceed with the remaining four nominees in each category due to the timing of Drake’s withdrawal. Also according to Variety, Drake’s decision to withdraw himself from his nominations at such a late stage in the process “may be unprecedented.”
Although a reason has yet to be confirmed, fans wasted no time speculating why the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist didn’t want to shoot for five and six, and some were even shocked to learn that taking yourself out of the running was even an option.
“Didnt know this was possible [laughing with tears emoji]”
“It’s because of astroworld”
“Bc of Astroworld he not trying to be out there he staying low and out the way.”
Some fans even praised the rapper for making what they felt was a statement about taking power back from the mainstream awards ceremony, like one fan who commented, “These awards aren’t needed when your winning in Real life [praying hands emoji],” and another who added, “He doesn’t need it to validate his music [thinking faceemoji].”
The “In My Feelings” rapper previously shared contentious feelings toward the award ceremony on Instagram and noted that it “may no longer matter to the artists that exist now.”
“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artist that exist now and the ones that come after,” he wrote in 2020. “It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just won’t change their ways.”
Drake was named in the $750 million lawsuit by victims of the Astroworld tragedy along with headliner Travis Scott and a slew of other companies involved in the event’s planning and promotion, including Live Nation, Apple Music, Scott’s Cactus Jack Records, Tristar Sports & Entertainment Group and Epic Records.
The rapper hasn’t canceled all of his upcoming appearances, however, as he’s still set to perform at the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert on Dec. 9 with Kanye West following their recent reconciliation.
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