At the Oakland stop of his tour, Kanye West took a moment to talk about the Grammys and how the Recording Academy makes exceptions for some of their rules, using Lady Gaga's 2010 Grammy performance as an example.
"[Gaga] wasn’t nominated for Best New Artist, right? But they wanted her to perform at the show; they wanted her to open. So the Grammys secretly changed something about the nominations in order to nominate her, in order for her to perform in the show. Now, Frank Ocean, on the other hand, is very vocal that his album wasn’t nominated for the Grammys, right? Since he’s vocal, no one wants to say nothing about it. No one wants to do nothing about it. And I’m saying this to y’all, because a lot of people try to make a scene, like, ‘I’m so self-centered.’ But the album I listened to the most this year is Frank Ocean’s album. And I’ll tell you this right now: If his album’s not nominated in no categories, I’m not showing up to the Grammys."Some background: Gaga's debut album earned her 5 noms @ the 2010 Grammys, where she performed with Elton John and took home awards for Best Dance Recording (Poker Face) and Best Electronic/Dance Album. The Fame was released on October 28, 2008, and then re-issued as The Fame Monster in 2009, with 8 songs added. The Fame Monster wound up getting nominated at the 2011 Grammys. Her lack of a Best New Artist nomination in 2010 forced the Recording Academy to go back to the drawing board on those eligibility rules, too.
To sum up West's commentary: The Grammys basically made an exception for Gaga based on her rise in popularity and might of The Fame, and Ocean should get the same consideration. Boos rang out in the arena towards the end the speech. "As artists, we gotta come together to fight the bullshit they been throwing us with. All we need is a fair shot. Let the album lose. Let whoever win or lose."
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