For those who recently tuned into the 2024 Grammys and Emmys, you’ve probably seen a lot of backlash online about artists and movies that should’ve won. More recently at the Grammys, a lot of people on social media have been upset over Taylor Swift winning album of the year over Lana Del Rey since she’s been nominated 11 times but has never won in the category she was nominated for.
The thing is though, this is a very common thing for any – if not every award show ever. More specifically, when it comes to black artists – such as for the Grammys this year – SZA, Ice Spice, Doja Cat, and the list goes on. In an article I read, they perfectly stated “If they refuse to break barriers and award excellence in the mainstream, what hope does that give to the rest of the industry, the smaller artists who are often the true innovators? The ones who do win seem antithetical to what the Recording Academy postures itself to be”, which is exactly true.
This applies even more so to the Emmys, which constantly snubs black actors and just actors of color in general when they rightfully deserve the win; how many times will enough be enough for award shows to stop giving awards to white artists and actors who can freely exist in whatever genre of music or film as they please but make it harder on artists or actors of color who do the same films and music as their other peers.
So, in my honest opinion, award shows suck because they give more advantage to already mainstream actors and musicians rather than giving awards and shedding spotlight on other artists who are actually worked/working to gain recognition by others and grow a fan base but instead get snubbed by someone who already has millions of fans and millions of dollars as well. That’s why I firmly believe that the Grammys, Oscars and Emmys are truly a scam and should give credit to artists where credit is due.
Cover photo credits to Thank You (24 Millions) Views on Flickr