#GRAMMYs: Drake disses the award during his acceptance speech
The Grammy Awards are to music what the Oscars are to films. However, this year, at the 61st Grammys, Canadian rapper Drake made his disdain for the award widely public. Having won the Best Rap Song award, he stepped up and was dissing the award during his acceptance speech, when he got cut off by show producers. Read all about what happened, here.
Drake rebukes the Recording Academy in his acceptance speech
Drake won for his song, God's Plan and took to the stage. He started his speech humbly, expressing how he did not expect to win anything this year, considering he was competing with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and Cardi B. However, he quickly turned to rebuke the award, saying that if fans loved an artist's performance they had already won.
Music is an 'opinion based sport', Drake contested
Drake said, "We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport. The point is, you've already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word... spending money to buy tickets to your shows, you don't need this right here".
Drake got cut off by show producers mid-speech
Drake was about to continue his speech with a 'But' after a pause when the show producers cut off his microphone and went to commercials. Notably, a rep for the Grammys later clarified that producers had thought Drake was finished speaking, and in their confusion, they cut him off. On being invited back on stage, Drake declined, happy with how he ended his speech.
Drake has been vocally against the Grammys for sometime
For those unaware, Drake has been vocally against the Grammys' lack of diversity among nominees. The rapper has been absent from several past ceremonies and declined to perform at the event, this year. Notably, the Grammys has faced criticism for overlooking rap among its prestigious awards, and for the 2015 fiasco where Macklemore beat Kendrick Lamar to win the Best Rap Album Award.