Marilyn Manson has been stripped of a 2022 Grammy nomination by the Recording Academy after not being listed as a songwriter for Kanye West’s “Jail” on the most updated version of Donda. The track is up for the award of Best Rap Song.
The Academy notes that the decision was not made in response to backlash from Manson’s allegations of physical abuse and trafficking leveled by actresses Esmé Bianco and Evan Rachel Wood. Manson could still take home a Grammy for his contributions to the Donda track “Jail Pt. 2,” as the project as a whole is nominated for Album of the Year.
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In response to the backlash of Manson’s nomination, Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said that the artist’s disturbing past does not disqualify him from consideration.
“We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration,” he said in a statement according to The Wrap. “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. If it is, they can submit for consideration.”
He continued: “What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets. 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.”
[Via]