Would you believe it if we told you that Jacques Bermon Webster ll, better known as Travis Scott, has never won a Grammy?
Considering the popularity of Scott’s music, it’s hard to believe that the Houston-based rapper is now 0 out of 10 in Grammy nominations following this year’s Grammy Awards.
The rapper took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday, rightfully voicing his frustrations and confusion after he and other deserving artists were snubbed for Best Rap Album.
🤨
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) February 4, 2024
Scott also performed his hit song “FE!N” at the Grammys and changed some of the lyrics to include “They slept on me times,” referring to his 10 Grammy nominations without a win.
Last year, Scott released ”UTOPIA,” his fourth studio album, which was released almost five years to the day after his previous album, “ASTROWORLD.” The long wait made “UTOPIA” one of the year’s most anticipated album for Travis Scott fans.
“UTOPIA” getting snubbed added even more frustration for Travis Scott fans after his best album, “ASTROWORLD,” came up empty-handed at the Grammys on Sunday.
It’s hard to argue that Travis Scott hasn’t been one of the most influential people in the last decade.
Travis Scott has created some of the most expensive pairs of Jordans and was highly recognized during quarantine for his collaboration with Fortnite and McDonald’s. The guy has been an icon for quite some time despite the controversy in 2021 after 10 people died at an Astroworld festival.
Even his first two albums, “Rodeo” and “Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight,” that were released in 2015 and 2016, respectively, have aged like fine wine. They are still enjoyable almost a decade later.
Given the high praise “UTOPIA” received upon its release, it was no surprise when it was nominated for best rap album, along with:
“Her Loss” by Drake and 21 Savage
“MICHAEL” by Killer Mike
“Heroes & Villains” by Metro Boomin
“King’s Disease lll” by Nas
Given the popularity of all of the nominees, it was surprising that “MICHAEL” won the Grammy because Killer Mike’s album was not as impactful as the other nominees.
Drake and 21 Savage are two of the most well-known rappers of the past decade. The duo has collaborated on songs prior to “Her Loss,” which made this album even more anticipated by fans of the two.
Both Drake and 21 Savage have at least one Grammy win, so I don’t feel bad for them not winning.
Although Metro Boomin isn’t a rapper, he’s still a highly respected figure in the rap and hip-hop genre as one of the best producers with songs such as “Creepin’” and “Superhero”.
“Her Loss,” Heroes & Villains,” and “UTOPIA” are all currently on the Billboard Top 200.
Do you know what’s not in the Top 20 or even the Top 200?
“MICHAEL,” or any of Killer Mike’s six studio albums.
While Nas is also without an album in the Top 200, his legacy in the rap game was cemented a long time ago, as his career has spanned nearly three decades since his debut album in 1994.
Nas already has a Grammy award for his album “King’s Disease,” so for Nas not to receive the Grammy isn’t that upsetting.
Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, has been around for a long time, having a career that spans over two decades. Aside from Sunday’s Grammy awards, Render had not won a previous Grammy either.
To go along with winning Best Rap Album, Render also won two Grammys for his song “Scientist and Engineers,” the seventh song on “MICHAEL.” The song features Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane, winning in categories Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Congrats Best Rap Performance winner – "SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS" @killermike ft. André 3000, @1future and @ErynAllenKane. #GRAMMYs 🎶
WATCH NOW https://t.co/OuKk34kvdu pic.twitter.com/7ZH3FCpW9u
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 4, 2024
Render deserved to get those two awards, but when we compare the albums side by side, it is apparent that one is more relevant than the other and just better overall.
Even though “MICHAEL” is a good album as a whole, it just doesn’t compete with the quality of “UTOPIA,” which features several great songs such as “HYAENA,” “MY EYES,” “MELTDOWN,” “FE!N,” “I KNOW?” and many others.
“UTOPIA,” which peaked at number one, is still on the Billboard charts half a year later, while “MICHAEL” only spent one week on the charts, peaking at 26.
Scott’s album is still ranked higher than “MICHAEL” has ever been ranked and is currently at number 12.
These award ceremonies should never be a popularity contest. No one should ever win an award simply because the voters feel bad that the person has never won before.
While yes, “UTOPIA” was one of the most popular albums of the year, it deserved all the hype it has received since its release and should’ve come away with a Grammy.
Sadly, the decision-makers for the Grammys are not in touch with reality at the moment.
It’s the equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio and the Oscars situation. DiCaprio won an Oscar for his role in the film “The Revenant,” which was not DiCaprio’s best work, but the academy felt like DiCaprio needed to win one after being snubbed so many times.
The same thing could happen to Travis Scott.
We’re fairly certain that Travis Scott will eventually get a Grammy, but we have a feeling that it won’t be for his best work and some other artist will be snubbed and this entire cycle will continue of not giving the best album the award.
