Since rolling out the first annual ceremony in 1959, the Grammy Awards have leaned on the side of controversy. Sure, the Grammys is a matter of opinion and votes, but sometimes, it almost feels like the board is tone-deaf to what's going on with music's audience.
As the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will kick off on March 14, there is no better time to take a look back at some of the biggest and the worst Grammy snubs we've ever seen, in no particular order.
10 No Grammy Love For Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is a group of outstanding performers, and their $584 million-grossing Not In This Lifetime World Tour is a testament to that. Despite their legendary status in the hard rock community, the group has only received four Grammy nominations. Three of them are for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990, 1992, and 1993, and none of them came home with a win.
9 When Steely Dan's 'Two Against Nature' Won
In 2001, rock band Steely Dan won the Grammy Album of the Year for their Two Against Nature record. This is not by any means to downplay Steely Dan's accomplishment in music, but to win the Album of the Year against the controversial hip-hop record that sold over 20 million copies (Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP) and the widely-anticipated Kid A from Radiohead left fans confused.
8 50 Cent Lost To Evanescence For Grammy Best New Artist
Not every hip-hop musician could achieve what 50 Cent did. The New York rapper pulled off a debut momentum that many rapper could never dream of. In the early 2000's, words in the streets were saying, "50 Cent got shot 9 times but survived," and he captured the essence of his life experiences in Get Rich or Die Tryin. The album debuted at number one on Billboard 200 and sold over 872,000 copies within the first week, but it wasn't enough for Grammy to crown him the Best New Artist.
7 When Kanye West's 'Graduation' Lost To A Tribute Album Of Cover Songs
Kanye West is one of the most influential hip-hop artists around. During the age of gangsta rap, West cemented his name by being a standout artist and perfected the use of Auto-Tune technology. His third studio album, Graduation, is the blueprint of that. Sure, it did win Best Rap Album, but for such an eloquent record to lose against a tribute album of cover songs (River: The Joni Letters) for the Album of the Year is nonsense.
6 Lady Gaga Lost The Album Of The Year Twice
From its quirky fashion style to thought-provoking topics, Lady Gaga's The Fame and The Fame Monster were two important cornerstones of pop culture. Not only did they bring the sound of dance music back to the mainstream, but Lady Gaga's The Fame era was so iconic. Unfortunately, neither of her albums walked away with an Album of the Year award. The first one lost to Taylor Swift's Fearless, which is an understatement, but the second lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.
5 When Macklemore & Lewin Ryan Beat Kendrick Lamar's 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'
Now, let's go to the Best Rap Album category. The 2014 edition of Grammy Awards pit Macklemore and Ryan Lewis against some of the rap heavyweights: Kendrick Lamar (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City), Drake (Nothing Was The Same), Jay-Z (Magna Carta Holy Grail), and Kanye West (Yeezus). Among all these great rappers, Macklemore won the Best Rap Album.
4 Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Walked Home With Next To Nothing
Beyoncé Knowles navigated through her husband's infidelity scandal and the racial injustice in America in the emotionally raw and candid record, Lemonade. Grammy granted the album with nine nominations, including the Album of the Year, but Beyoncé only went home with the Best Music Video and Best Urban Contemporary Album awards.
3 Alessia Cara Won The Best New Artist Despite Not Being A New Artist
As the title of the award suggests, Grammy Best New Artist should be meant for up-and-coming artists who'd made their breakthrough in the calendar year prior to the award. This is not hating on Alessia Cara, but didn't she release her debut chart-rated debut album three years before winning the Best New Artist at the 2018 Grammy Awards?
2 Frank Ocean's Iconic Debut 'Channel Orange' Was Robbed
There aren't many artists who managed to pull an instant classic off their debut records, but Frank Ocean was one of them. Hailed as one of the genre-bending pioneers, Channel Orange was the start of something special. Instead, the Grammys gave it a "consolation" prize of the Best Urban & Contemporary Album and granted the grand prize to Mumford & Sons' Babel.
1 The Weeknd's Outstanding 'After Hours' Album Was Totally Neglected
It's safe to say that The Weeknd owned 2020. Blinding Lights from After Hours was played on almost every radio station throughout the year. Despite the commercial and critical success, After Hours ended up with, not one but, zero Grammy nominations. Not even a win. It was undoubtedly the worst Grammy snub ever after Kendrick Lamar's loss against Macklemore.
