Rapsody’s new album Eve was one of the highest-rated albums of the year, yet didn’t receive an acknowledgement from the Recording Academy. Many were disappointed to see the Roc Nation rapper left off the 2020 Grammy nominations list, especially after her 2017 album, Laila’s Wisdom, was nominated for a 2018 Best Rap Album Grammy. No one would be surprised if Rapsody did what so many others did and declared “F*ck the Grammys,” but instead the 36-year-old responded with poise and clarity on her Instagram.
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Instead of lashing out at the Grammys for the snub, Rapsody declared her gratitude for the support of Eve throughout the year. “Thank you for the LOVE you award me,” she wrote. “I see you. The ones who lend me your ear, words, support. Every time. I rarely, if ever, show my cards or that I’m human when it comes to my music career.” However, she was honest about how she felt about the perceived snub, saying that her prevailing feelings were “disappointed” and “frustrated.”
Instead of dwelling on those feelings, though, she offered a message of encouragement for other artists (and maybe a little for herself): “You have to tell yourself the good fight is never an easy one,” she reminded her followers. “There’s so much power and weight in numbers, nominations and awards….we artists know what that does for our exposure; and for the many, validation. And you want people to continue to discover and play and be inspired by the music. That’s what I get excited about anyway. But, hey….we keep on creating.”
She also shouted out fellow veteran MC Freddie Gibbs, who was also left out the nominations for his collaborative album with Madlib, Bandana, to many fans’ dismay. She called it “one of the best albums,” then congratulated everyone who actually was nominated, concluding, “Art is too important not to share.”
Check out Uproxx’s list of Grammy snubs here and our Grammy hip-hop predictions here.
