The GRAMMYs Continue to Shut Out Black Artists In Major Categories, But Should We Be Surprised?

When the 2018 GRAMMY nominations were announced last November, they stood out as being inclusive amid a touchy political climate where diversity is the hot topic. Notably, there were a large number of Black artists being recognized for their work that extended beyond the predictable rap and R&B categories.

But once the awards ceremony carried on, it was evident that a push for diversity was more of a business tactic than a genuine celebration of talent. Jay-Z lead the pack this year with a total of of eight nominations for his stellar 4:44 album, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Kendrick Lamar followed closely behind, scoring seven nods for one of the best albums of the year—DAMN. Childish Gambino got four nominations for the brilliant Awaken, My Love! Luis Fonsi earned three nominations for his international smash "Despacito" featuring Daddy Yankee. SZA became most-nominated female with five nods for her acclaimed CTRL debut album. And for the first time in 19 years, there wasn't a white man nominated for Album of the Year.

As we blindly celebrated the variety of Black artists in the categories, we forgot that our hopes of said artists actually winning in the big categories—Album, Song and Record of the Year—would not be met.