The 2021 Grammy Awards nominations have officially been released, but much of the music industry is not happy with the way things played out. And for good reason. Perhaps more clearly than ever before, the categorization of genres makes no sense. As the conversation about who gets to make what kind of music (and who gets recognized for their efforts) continues, the ever-vocal Cardi B has something to say: put some respect on her name.
The announcement of the nominations were polarizing across all genres, raising important discourse about how the music industry works. Many feel like the Grammys are once again doing a poor job of awarding the best in business, choosing instead to go with big names and big releases instead of highlighting the work of artists with truly great projects. Like many of her peers, Cardi B has entered the chat to share her feelings on the Grammys.
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People were surprised to see that that Cardi’s “WAP” was not nominated for any Grammys despite being one of the biggest songs of 2020; the raunchy track, a collaboration with Grammy nominee Megan thee Stallion debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Rolling Stone Top 100 chart. While it may seem like an oversight, there’s a practical reason that the song didn’t make the Grammys cut — Cardi didn’t even submit it for consideration.
Cardi B address on why she didn’t admit WAP to the #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/C6JXMolyMr
— 🦚🦚🦚🦚🦚 (@bardigangonly1) November 24, 2020
“If I was pressed for a Grammy I would have submitted 'WAP' for this year — I didn’t," Cardi explained on her Instagram Live. "I didn’t want to be submitted to award shows until I put out my album because I think my album is so good. It means something and I worked on it a lot. I’ve been working on it for almost two years."
Completing the project (which is rumored to be titled Tiger Woods) has been a process that's spanned the course of almost two years. Cardi is so confident in her second studio album that she has no plans to even think about award shows until it drops sometime next year. That being said, the rapper doesn't want to be included in the narrative as an example of the Grammys' ineptitude because she feels like she's earned her top spot.
She's got a good point. Cardi's career trajectory has been nothing short of a dream come true, but it's ultimately the result of timing, talent, and hard work. Her development from Vine personality to reality TV star to Grammy-winner didn't exactly happen overnight. We all remember when "Bodak Yellow" took over the world in summer 2017, with her debut album Invasion of Privacy (complete with chart-topping tracks like "I Like it" and "Money") pretty much solidifying Cardi as a bonafide hip hop star. No matter whether you like her or not, you can't say that she doesn't deserve her accomplishments.
"Stop playing with me," Cardi warned. "Like I said, I’m never pressed for a Grammy, but y’all are not gonna take away something that I know that I worked my ass off that I deserve."
"I’m not gonna keep doing this shit constantly because y’all are upset," she emphasized. "Y’all cannot take my success.”