#TRENDSIMO: The Unintentional ‘Renaissance’ of the Grammys

Every story that is circulating about the Grammys today will congratulate and applaud Beyoncé’s historic wins, making her the single-most celebrated Grammy-winning musician of all time (she eclipsed the record previously held by the late orchestra conductor George Solti, who had won 31 Grammys). That’s more than the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Whitney Houston, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, The Eagles, Garth Brooks, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith, George Strait, Metallica, Van Halen – more than any of them.

In case you are wondering why am I mentioning those 20 acts, well, it’s because they are the 20 best-selling music artists of all time. The fact that many of these legends have barely even won a Grammy has always been indicative of the dichotomy between listening audiences and critics, critics and the Grammys, and the Grammys and its own history.

I will never say Beyoncé is not talented. In fact, she’s an amazing artist who has managed to create an incredible body of work. But truthfully speaking, her music has not garnered the sales numbers any of the above-mentioned artists has, nor has her entire catalogue been so critically lauded (besides the occasional triumph aka Lemonade).

What’s unfortunate here isn’t that she’s been awarded or that we’re even celebrating this amazing accomplishment by an incredibly influential and powerful woman of color, most notably a black woman. It’s that her name and her wins will now be questioned for decades to come because in many ways, she’s rigged the system in her favor. Only artists of color have historically been able to succeed at landing multiple genre nominations because, well, the Academy and the public wouldn’t really accept a white soul artist to continually rack up awards in those genres. Eminem has been the notable exception, not the norm.

Think about it. Should Renaissance really have won Best Dance album if the artist also won Best R&B Song for one of its singles, “Cuff It,” and Best Traditional R&B performance for another single from the album, “Plastic Off The Sofa”? Sure, it had “Break My Soul” that also won for Best Dance/Electronic Song, but even that single felt far more dance-pop than anything else. I ask us to think about this because it’s not that any of these Grammys are not deserving, but can an album really be classified under one genre when it wins in two other ones simultaneously?

Yes, this has been a trick many artists have used over the years, but the way Beyoncé has consistently and this time blatantly pulled this off feels very manipulative.

While other artists have willingly opted out of Grammy consideration (think Silk Sonic this year) or just plain boycotted the awards show (think The Weeknd), I have to wonder if showering one artist with so much praise doesn’t actually result in mounting hatred not just for the show, but the artist and everything she has genuinely accomplished.

I ask this because Beyoncé is not the only example that made me think this. “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras also made history with the two winning Best Pop Performance by Duo/Group for their #1 hit. While the single was catchy, it was also problematic (I even wrote a whole column about it). Regardless, awarding the first openly trans woman a Grammy deserves celebration. But when you look at the other work Petras released last year aka her EP Slut Pop – produced by the allegedly-shamed producer Dr. Luke – you have to wonder if the song/artist win meant anything beyond the Grammys making history to award her and Smith who since their win has come out as non-binary.

Of course, beyond Beyoncé or Kim Petras, the most ridiculous moment had to be Bonnie Raitt winning Song Of The Year for “Just Like That.” Don’t get me wrong, Grammy voters clearly were split in terms of which popular song to vote for and as a result, the older, most stern voting block ended up rewarding the singer-songwriter. I don’t actually have a problem with Raitt winning the category because, well, it’s the Grammys so anything goes. But do you expect us to then believe that “Easy On Me” by Adele or “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” by Taylor Swift were not just better songs but didn’t have huge love for their songwriting skills? Will 2022 really be remembered for Bonnie Raitt?

All of these points on their own might not mean much but when put together, it creates a slightly disturbing narrative. It’s a strangely relatable one. In many ways, the Grammys have diversified and pandered to such an extent that they almost feel like the Democratic Party of the United States. For the most part, they are on the correct side of history but as a way to compensate for the racism, sexism, ageism and more they’ve often been rightly criticized for, they have moved the needle so far to the woke side that everything feels meaningless or political.

Aware of this, we’re now seeing a rebuke from a large contingency of the Academy opting to reward the safer bets and seasoned artists. Harry’s House by Harry Styles winning Album Of The Year should be celebrated and it was truly one of the best LPs of last year, but we’ve got folks who are upset that Beyoncé was yet again robbed of a major category win (despite her literally just making history for the most wins ever by any artist…ever!). The true outrage was the direct rejection of rewarding Bad Bunny in the category, who proved that language was not a barrier for music anymore. It would have actually been the most ‘woke’ and democratic choice, but it sadly wasn’t.

I dare not call the Bonnie Raitt voters the MAGA portion of the Academy, but it does feel like many are desperately trying to retain what made the Grammys “great” (of course, in their opinion). Even Best New Artist Samara Joy, a deserved winner, felt like a way to correct the domination that hip-hop artists and teenage ingenues have enjoyed in the last few years.

While it may sound far-fetched, it’s not really. The Grammys this year unintentionally became relevant again because it most clearly showed the struggle the Academy is facing as it tries to juggle being hip and staying “American” aka “legit.” The 50^th birthday of hip-hop was hands down the best performance of the night, but the Academy didn’t do the audience any favors by reminding us of the genre’s half-century legacy now. In many ways, it proved that there was no need for any special classifications anymore because, well, hip-hop is as American as Americana and if the latter gets only two categories to win, why not hip-hop then? Do I agree with that? Absolutely not, but I must say that it really sucks that achieving Beyoncé’s record is next to impossible for nearly all Grammy winners or nominees of most genres.

Whether that is fair or not is a question for another column because for me today, the greater concern is the cultural implications of music being questioned not for its impact but for furthering some troubling political narratives in the Academy and the nation.