Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, Kid-N-Play, Slick Rick et al. at the 1988 Grammy Boycott.
“Who gives a f**k about a gotdamn Grammy? Who gives a f**k about what they like?” – Public Enemy
Kendrick Lamar got screwed: simple and plain.
Nobody should be shocked, because the Grammy game as always been a tricky beast when it comes to Hip-Hop. Way back in 1988 (a seminal year for Hip-Hop), Hip-Hop heads like Will Smith, Salt N Pepa and Public Enemy publicly boycotted the award show because they didn’t televise the Hip-Hop portion. Rappers don’t have such solidarity in 2014, but Jay Z did voice his discontent in other ways. Nevertheless, if Kendrick is feeling a way about not winning any of the Grammys he was nominated for, he should rest assured that he’s in the company of true Greats. Below is a list of some of the big names and talented artists that never took home what Jay Z called a “zippy cup” to their home.
Tupac Shakur
Bob Marley
Snoop Dogg
Jimi Hendrix
Diana Ross
Nas
Chuck Berry (The creator of Rock-N-Roll music)
Notorious B.I.G.
Run DMC
Public Enemy
DMX
NWA
Ice Cube
Drake
Bjork
Busta Rhymes
The Who
Journey
The Doors
Led Zepplin
Depeche Mode
Guns N’ Roses
Kiss
Morrissey
Katy Perry
Cat Stevens
Florence + the Machine
Stevie Nicks
Martina McBride
And there are more…but this is a sample of many.