The Grammys officially unveiled the nominations for the 2022 award show but, as it is every year, criticism arose surrounding the rap categories. This time, though, it isn’t necessarily about the songs and projects that have been nominated, though the Barbz aren’t pleased about the exclusion of “Seeing Green.”
Marilyn Manson, who faces numerous lawsuits over sexual assault allegations, and Louis C.K., who admitted to sexual misconduct, were nominated for this year’s Grammy Awards. Manson received two nods for his contributions to Kanye West’s Donda in the categories of Best Album and Best Rap Song for “Jail” ft. Jay-Z. C.K. is nominated for Best Comedy Album.
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The CEO of The Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., responded to the backlash in an interview with The Wrap where he stated that personal history isn’t considered when voting for the nominations.
“We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration,” Mason Jr. said. “We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria.”
Nominations aside, Mason Jr. said that the Recording Academy will be cautious surrounding those they decide to invite to the actual ceremony.
“What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets,” he said. “We’ll take a look at anyone who is asking to be a part of that, asking to be in attendance, and we’ll make our decisions at that point. But we’re not going to be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on.”
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