Drake Is Boycotting The Next Grammy Awards

Here’s a more conversational, energetic rewrite with no formatting:

Drake is making a strong case for this being one of his busiest and most productive years of the 2020s. The rapper has already dropped three new albums, ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR, keeping fans fed with plenty of new music. And he’s not slowing down. HABIBTI even received a FOMO Deluxe edition on Friday, a move that could push the project toward gold status after just five months on streaming platforms.

There have been plenty of standout moments along the way, too. ICEMAN produced tracks like “Shabang” and “Janice STFU,” with some fans even believing the album had enough momentum to enter the Rap Album of the Year conversation at the upcoming Grammys.

But there’s one major problem: Drake doesn’t seem interested in playing that game.

Despite having music that could potentially compete, Drake has reportedly decided not to submit any of his songs or albums for Grammy consideration this year. That means fans probably shouldn’t expect to see him walking the red carpet or taking the stage at next year’s ceremony.

And honestly, this decision doesn’t exactly come out of nowhere.

Drake has spent years voicing his frustrations with the Grammys and the way the institution has treated his music. Now, it looks like he’s taking things a step further and simply refusing to participate.

What makes the move even more interesting is that Drake appears to have hinted at it months ago on his track “MAKE THEM KNOW.” On the song, he raps about never submitting the album because he already knows how the Grammys will treat it. On it, he raps:

“This album, I’m never submittin’ it/’Cause I know that they’ll never consider it./This might be the one year I won/’Cause I know how they like to position it,”

In other words, this doesn’t look like a last-minute decision. Drake seems to have had this plan in mind for quite some time.

The message is pretty clear: he wants to prove that Grammy recognition isn’t necessary for him to define his success. Of course, there’s an interesting contradiction here. While Drake has dismissed the importance of the awards, he has also made it clear at different points that Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy success has caught his attention.

So while Drake may be walking away from the Grammys this year, the conversation surrounding him, Kendrick, and the awards is clearly not going anywhere.