an essay on the perception of Hip-Hop written by dahms 4 Proffessor Julie Moon on April 9, 2020
The 62nd Annual Grammy Award ceremony occurred on January 26th, 2020, and celebrated all of the music released between October 1st, 2018 and August 31, 2019. This designated time period was the “eligibility period” for nominations of the 2020 Grammys. The Grammy Awards, and award shows in general, are no stranger to controversy, and this year was no different. The central controversy this year was a rather recurring issue dealing with the representation of the Hip-Hop category within the awards, specifically this year with the “Album of the Year” award. The nominees for this award were “Revenge of The Dreamers III” by Dreamville, “Championships” by Meek Mill, “I am > I was” by 21 Savage, “IGOR” by Tyler, The Creator, and “The Lost Boy” by YBN Cordae. Initial controversy surrounded these nominations by some very notable “snubs” that were mysteriously missing from mention. Albums such as “So Much Fun” by Young Thug, and “Baby on Baby” by DaBaby, both albums which sold more units then multiple other nominations. The Hip-Hop category has been historically misrepresented and underrepresented at the Grammy Awards, despite its increasingly growing popularity in music today. Many believe that this is due to a disconnect between the voters of the Grammys and the actual fans of the genre itself. Music itself is an extremely complex art form that is rapidly evolving over time. In the modern age of music today, Hip-Hop has become one of the most popular genres of music in America, competing nowadays with “Pop” and “Country” music for radio plays and chart positions. However, despite this growth, the genre as a whole still receives little recognition year after year at these annual awards. Even when the awards do give recognition to the genre, it is often criticized for its seemingly tokenistic praise or for simply being an inaccurate reflection of the listeners as a whole. These controversies surrounding the genre of Hip-Hop reflect a deeper controversy in the United-States as a whole in regards to systematic racism and classism that exists in many ways in front of our very eyes, even in large nationally televised events like the Grammy Awards.
At the conclusion of the 2020 Grammy Awards, even more controversy ensued within the Hip-Hop genre. First off, for the 62nd year in a row, a Hip-Hop song failed to win “Record of the Year” or “Song of the Year”. Since the beginning of the Grammy Awards, the Hip-Hop genre has been essentially shut out of the “General-Field” of awards. The “General-Field” consist of 4 of the top overall awards, unrestricted by genre, most consider this the highest achievement as far as the Grammys go because it is meant to represent overall success across music as a whole. However, the absence of any Hip-Hop records from this category symbolize an unbalance in the proportion of votes within the award committee. The second controversy came with the winner of the award for “Rap Album of the Year”, which went to Tyler, the Creator (Tyler Okonma), for his album “IGOR”. This sparked a big debate because this album, by Okonma, featured virtually little to no actual “Rap” in its content. This angered fans of Hip-Hop who believed the award should have gone to an album that actually meets the criteria of the “Rap” category. Per the official Grammy Award guidelines, the criteria for each specific genre is stated: “An album entered in a specialized genre field must consist of 51% or more playing time of the specified genre” (Basic Grammy Guidelines). Essentially this is saying that in order for an album to be considered a specific genre by the Recording Academy, over half of the content must be relevant to the genre. Since the victory of Okonma in January, there has been much speculation and analysis on if his album “IGOR” is even qualified to win this award. Since content percentage is such an ambiguous figure to calculate there are various opinions on what the exact breakdown of this album is. However, according to one of the most reputable sources in Hip-Hop analytics, Ben Carter's collection “Hip Hop By The Numbers”, only 41.5% of the vocals from Tyler on this album were “rapped”. (Carter) In fact, when featured vocals are factored into this calculation, the percentage drops down to 37.4%. (Carter). Does this analysis suggest that the Recording Academy broke their own criteria? Possibly, but unless there side of the breakdown given it is impossible to say for sure. But, many fans and Hip-Hop conussiers agree and accept the data provided by Ben Carter and his collection. Not only were fans upset about the outcome of this category, but Okonma himself had some choice words for the Recording Academy, following his victory. Despite being very grateful for his victory and acknowledgment, he said: “It sucks that when we—and I mean guys that look like me—do anything genre-bending, they always put it in the rap or urban category” (Okonma). Tyler would also go on to claim that ‘Urban’ is just “a politically correct way of saying the n-word” (Okonma) as well as also comparing the ‘Rap’ category to “giving [your] little cousin an unplugged controller to play so that [he’ll] shut up” (Okonma). By making these comments following his victory Okonma was praised for his transparency on the subject as well as his overall analysis of the controversy at hand. Hip-Hop fans around the world came to support Okonma’s comments and finally began to speak up on this topic that has been brushed under the rug before. Even though this is the most recent incident of misinterpretation in Hip-Hop music, this is by no means the first. This category has been subject to dozens of snubs, miscues, and questionable moments throughout the past decade, all of which really bring into question the qualifications of the voters on this particular genre.
The stigma amongst voters in regards to the representation of the Hip-Hop category, begins from the entrapment of the black musical artist as a whole. This systematic industry has been profiting off of pumping out content from primarily African-American artists, from the very beginning of “Rap” music. When this genre showed early promise, like every other business idea, capitalist opportunists sprung forward to attempt to squeeze every dollar they could out of these artists. Thus, the creation of music labels in the United States. This dynamic in the music industry would eventually formalize into an even deeper parasitic relationship when solely focusing on the role race plays in this equation. This contrast between the primarily caucasian “businessman” of the industry and the primarily African-American artists, has harmed the overall artistry of the Hip-Hop world, for many decades. Even if their actions are not purposely harmful: “Regardless of intent, such a system negates not only the significance of the work produced, but also the artists themselves as human beings” (Lewellyn-Taylor 54). Specifically an example of this has been seen with Hip-Hop artist Lil Uzi Vert. Lil Uzi Vert, whose real name is Symere Woods, had been sitting on his long awaited album “Eternal Atake” for almost 3 years, but was constantly declined to release by his label. (Carter) This example of stifling creativity is just one way big business labels have affected the authenticity of the Hip-Hop genre and specifically the Hip-Hop artist in general. This only further amplifies the “box” that African-American artists are placed in. Not only are they herded into one specific crowded genre separate from every other, but even within this category they are being controlled by higher ups that are more focused on turning a profit, than they are with the actual integrity of the art. Art is not meant to be contained, rather freely expressed, and music is no different. By categorizing musically inclined African-American men into one specific genre harms the quality of the artworks produced as a whole, this phenomenon can be observed with black females as well by how they are often categorized as “R&B” rather than “Pop”. Because of this systematic separation of Hip-Hop genre, it has splintered into multiple sub-genres within its boundaries such as “mumble rap”, “conscious rap”, “emo rap”, etc. These artists make all different types of music, some of which sound nothing alike, yet they are still placed within one category which is where the complication lies. If genres are meant to classify music by how it sounds, then why is the work of these artists classified by how they look.
Going back to the Grammys, and their history of misrepresenting their self-made “Rap” category, it has long been discussed on the thought process behind multiple nominations and winners from the past decade alone. One example that comes to mind is the 2014 Grammy awards in which Macklemore was given the award for “Rap” Album of the year over Kendrick Lamar’s classic project Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. It should be of note that Macklemore is a caucasian “Rap” artist, which are few and far between in the ambiguous manmade genre of “Rap”. Not to say that this was a determining factor in the award, but it is important to note, especially since Lamar's album achieved more sales, higher charting positions, and better critic ratings. When asked about other historical black-Grammy snubs, Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow had this to say: “We've come a long way as an organization, we're certainly not complacent or satisfied with where we are -- but we also need the participation of the communities to do more” (Weiner 1). In a way Mr. Portnow is correct, the participation of communities, specifically minorities, would greatly help the Grammy Awards be more accurate in their selections. However “participation” is not the correct word choice. The author of this article Natalie Weiner would argue that the word Portnow is looking for is not “participate” but “revolt” and this idea is also mirrored in Gail Mitchell’s article “What Hip Hop Needs to Win”. Mitchell focuses mainly on the idea of the separation of the Grammys when it is supposed to be inclusive. Specifically he says that: “there's still a big disconnect between the music community, the voting members and the millions of people who watch the show. It's a very commercial show driven by a very private process” (Mitchell 1). The voting process within the Recording Academy isn’t discussed much in the media, and very little is known about all of the stipulations and criteria that apply to it. This is harmful because as Mitchell says, it creates various perspectives based on what position you are in to view the show. A viewer has different opinions than a nominee, or a voter, etc. This goes back to Weiner’s point, what Hip-Hop needs is unification that will eventually lead to a change. If the fandoms of these collective black artists stopped debate amongst each other, and focused solely on the way they are being represented as a whole, a lot more would get accomplished as far as national recognition.
This pseudo-category of Hip-Hop actually contains various amounts of music with different sounds and styles. Bringing it all full circle, back to Tyler, The Creator, he has one of the most decorated catalogs of work for any artist today. Beginning from his debut album “Bastard” and following his work up until his critically acclaimed “IGOR” his progression can clearly be seen. Even when Okonma first began “rapping” he still wasn’t even necessarily accepted by the genre. He often took a rebellious stance from outside of the boundary of the genre, frequently criticizing and mocking the genre in his lyrics. Specifically: “he satirized typical gangsta rap in some of his lyrics and other productions” (Marques 3). This stance Tyler took on “Rap” didn’t earn him many fans within the genre, but it created a new group of fans that followed him, almost cult-like, in this Anti-Hip-Hop movement. Wait, the guy who established his career on Anti-Rap just won “Rap Album of the Year” at the Grammys? Yeah. Despite the lyrical content of Okonma’s early work, he still more often than not was “Rapping” in his songs. Ever since his 2013 breakout album “Wolf” that has changed for Tyler. Craig Jenkins, author of the article “His Odd Present”, claimed that “Tyler raps when he feels like it now, sometimes not at all” (Jenkins 2). Jenkins' critique on Okonma’s discography, shows how he became a better artist the more he strayed away from the restraints of Hip-Hop. Had Tyler never ventured out into other “Genres” he may have never evolved into the artist he is today. How many other artists could this be true for? What greatness are we missing out on because we’re so focused on categorizing rather than embracing? Anybody can make any type of song no matter what they look like. This metaphorical box that genres create around music is not only restrictive to the art form, but harmful and possibly detrimental.
Hip-Hop does not exist. At least in the way people believe it does. At its core, It is a manmade construct used to trap and control black artists and the content they produce. Black artists that make popular songs should be considered “Pop”. Black artists that make country songs should be considered “Country”. But what is a “Country” song anyways? Does “Country” exist? Maybe genres themselves don’t exist. Genres seem to go against the very thing they are trying to categorize. Art is not meant to be stifled, or limited in any way, and genres appear to be doing that in the music world today.
Works Cited
Carter, Ben. “The Grammys Are Statistically Biased and Hip-Hop Doesn’t Need Them.” CentralSauce Collective, 19 Feb. 2020, centralsauce.com/.
His Odd Present. By: JENKINS, CRAIG, New York, 00287369, 5/27/2019, Vol. 52, Issue 11
Lewellyn-Taylor, Benjamin. “The Free Black Artist: Frank Ocean Through a Decolonial Lens.” Black Theology: An International Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, Apr. 2019, pp. 52–68.
Marques, G. (2015) Beyond Gangsta: Hip-Hop, Skate Culture and Web Culture in the Music of Tyler, the Creator. Art and Design Review, 3, 8-12
MÁTHÉ, NÓRA. “REPRESENTATIONS OF BLACK MASCULINITY IN THE 2010s HIP-HOP.” Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia, vol. 64, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 65–80.
MITCHELL, GAIL. “What Hip Hop Needs To Win.” Billboard, vol. 130, no. 4, Feb. 2018, p. 17.
Okonma, Tyler. “Tyler, The Creator on 'Urban' Category.” 26 Jan. 2020.
Sterbenz, Maeve. “Movement, Music, Feminism: An Analysis of Movement-Music Interactions and the Articulation of Masculinity in Tyler, the Creator’s Yonkers Music Video.” Music Theory Online, vol. 23, no. 2, June 2017.
The Recording Academy. “Basic Grammy Guidelines” 2017. PDF file.
WEINER, NATALIE, and Gail Mitchell. “The Grammys’ Hip-Hop Problem.” Billboard, vol. 129, no. 5, Feb. 2017, p. 11.
WILSON, MARK. “A Creator in Bloom.” Fast Company, no. 228, Nov. 2018, pp. 94–102.