Image Source: Complex

The Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards on November 23rd, 2021, and the final event for the 64th Grammy Awards will be held on January 31st, 2022.

Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy Chair and Interim President and CEO, said during the live nominations, "This is a new academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on its commitment to meeting the needs of the music community. While change and progress are key drivers of our actions, one thing will always remain — the Grammy Award is the only peer-driven and peer-voted recognition in music. We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the awards process. "

Drake was nominated for Best Rap Album for his recent release, "Certified Lover Boy," along with Best Rap Performance for his song "Way 2 Sexy," featuring Future and Young Thug. But according to reports, the Canadian artist has now withdrawn his nominations from the competition. Some people were taken aback by the artist's decision, but others saw it coming.

Let us analyze Drake’s decision here.

Drake’s decision to withdraw his nomination comes after a year of slamming the Recording Academy for not including fellow black Canadian artist, "The Weeknd," in their nominations for his albums, "After Hours" and "Blinding Lights," even though the album received a positive response from the public and critics. He took to his Instagram to express his views, stating, "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 artists that exist now and the ones that come after, It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up, but they just won’t change their ways. The other day, I said [the Weeknd] was a lock for either album or song of the year, along with countless other reasonable assumptions, and it just never goes that way. This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up overtime and pass on to the generations to come. "

Drake's post in support of The Weeknd. Image Source: Insider 

Drake skipped the 2017 Grammys and criticized the Recording Academy for nominating his song "Hotline Bling" under the Best Rap category even though it was a pop song. Drake, at that time during an interview with Britain’s DJ Semtex said, "I'm a black artist, I'm a rapper, even though 'Hotline Bling' is not a rap song." The only category that they can manage to fit me into is the rap category, maybe because I've rapped in the past or because I'm black. I won two awards, but I don't even want them because it feels weird to me. We’ve been conditioned to think that this is the true award for our accomplishments. "  

Next year, Drake declined to submit his album "More Life" for the 2018 Grammys, even though it qualified. An artist’s bitterness towards the Recording Academy grew more that year because a fellow black artist, Jay-Z, won no awards despite being nominated for eight.

Back in 2019, Drake did attend the Grammys but refused the opportunity to perform on-stage. But after he won the award for Best Rap Song for his song "God’s Plan", he chose the opportunity to remark the legitimacy of the ceremony. Although Drake’s microphone was cut off in the middle of his acceptance speech, he said, "We play an opinion-based sport, not a fact-based sport. This is a business where sometimes it's up to a bunch of people that might not understand what a mixed-race kid from Canada has to say... The point is, you've already won if you have people who are singing your songs' word for word, if you're a hero in your hometown. You've already won if you have people singing your songs word for word, especially if they’re singing in your hometown. You’re already winning; you don’t need this right here." Artists, including Pulitzer-winning rappers Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino, also refused to perform at the ceremony.

As the information develops, we will keep you informed.