Drake
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesDrake has removed himself from Grammy contention, withdrawing from the two categories he was nominated for, Rolling Stone has confirmed.
Drake picked up a Best Rap Performance nod for “Way 2 Sexy” as well as a Best Rap Album look for Certified Lover Boy. The Recording Academy received a request from Drake and his management team to remove his nominations, and the Grammys obliged.
Representatives for Drake and the Recording Academy did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s requests for comment. Per Variety, which broke the news, no additional artists will be added to the Best Rap Performance or Best Rap Album categories in Drake’s place, and the four remaining artists will compete for the prizes.
Drake has long had a contentious relationship with the Grammys. Arguably the biggest artists of the past decade, he has been nominated 47 times, but won just four times, and always in the rap genre categories. The last time Drake won a Grammy was 2019, when he picked up Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan,” and during his speech he appeared to take several not-so-subtle jabs at the Recording Academy.
“We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” Drake said. “You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown… Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending money to buy tickets to your shows, you don’t need this right here. You already won.”
Drake’s decision to remove himself from Grammy contention is not unprecedented either. At the 2021 Grammys, the Best Children’s Album category — of all places — became the center of a controversy when only white artists were nominated, and three of the five artists up for the award withdrew their names in protest. The three artists asked that their places be filled by artists of color, and while the Recording Academy did rescind their names, their spots were not filled and the two remaining artists competed for the prize.
Meanwhile, other artists like Frank Ocean and the Weeknd have taken more pointed approaches, declining to submit their music for Grammy consideration. (The Weeknd — who announced his boycott after being snubbed for the 2021 Grammys — did find himself nominated for the 2022 Grammys, though only because he was featured on other artist’s work).
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
