Of the artists weighing in on their perceived snubs, Goldlink’s response was the most comprehensive, highlighting a ton of artists with standout projects from the past year. Goldlink’s album Diaspora was well-received by critics, but apparently not enough to receive a Grammy nod. However, rather than simply lamenting his own dismissal, he also took issue with the lack of nominations for other artists like DaBaby, Koffee, and Solange, and even went to bat for Tyler The Creator, who despite being nominated for a Best Rap Album award, didn’t receive the nod Goldlink thought his “U Say” collaborator really deserved.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Fy-yHgBpZ/?utm_source=ig_embed
Posting his grievance to Instagram with a long-ish caption, Goldlink vented his frustration with the Grammys over Tyler’s Best Rap Album nomination: “Tyler got one f*ckin nomination in a category he didn’t even participate in knowing damn well he deserved album of the year,” he wrote. He extended the sternly-worded open letter to encompass the lack of nominations for other artists he admires, including DaBaby and Solange, writing, “DaBaby couldn’t “qualify” for best new artist apparently because he had “mixtapes” in the past. No nod to Solange for taking a risk pushing the boundaries when nobody else was brave enough to do so.” While there’s no evidence that DaBaby was disqualified, it is true that other artists who received Best New Artist nods in the past also had long strings of independent mixtapes to their name, so it would be a valid complaint if that were the case.
Goldlink, who sampled heavily from African pop sounds on Diaspora, also felt that international artists weren’t getting their due. “There’s not even a category for internationally black artist at all,” he objected. “Wtf do you think these kids learn when you tell them there black art isn’t good enough?” He added, “Burna Boy deserves more, Koffee deserves more.” While Burna Boy and Koffee were nominated for awards (Best World Music Album and Best Reggae Album respectively), it’s clear Goldlink feels they both deserve to compete in the more prestigious awards rather than being sectioned off.
You can read his full statement in the Instagram post above. The 62nd annual Grammy Awards will in 2020.
