Doechii won her first Grammy on Sunday in the Best Rap Album category with her August 2024 release, Alligator Bites Never Heal. The 26-year-old was pitted against some of the all-time greats, Eminem and J. Cole, among others in the category. Eminem losing out on the win for The Death of Slim Shady gave fans a reason to revisit his comment about the 2018 Grammys.
After releasing his tenth studio album Kamikaze, the rapper sat down with Sway Calloway for an interview. During the fourth and final part of their conversation, Sway brought up the Grammys to get Eminem’s take on the once-reputed award show.
On that album, Eminem had some brutal things to say about the Grammys. On “Lucky You,” he said, “I done won a couple Grammys, but I sold my soul to get 'em / Wasn't in it for the trophies / Just the f----ing recognition / F---s the difference?” He doubled down on the Grammys on “Fall,” comparing them to leeches.
Eminem said, “And then tell the Grammys to go and f--k themselves / They suck the blood from all the biggest artists like some leeches / So they nominate 'em, get 'em there, get a name to MC the show / Every parasite needs a host.”
His long-standing issue with the Grammys has always been about their failure to recognize real talent. Eminem believes that they cater too much to the ‘media darlings’ instead of showing appreciation to the ones making waves in the industry. He referred to the time when the Grammys didn’t honor 50 Cent in the Best New Artist category.
After years of watching them repeat their own failures, Eminem decided that he had enough of it. Even when he was asked by Sway if he’d like to have a say in the voting process, Em declined. He said, “First of all, that vote is fake as f--k. That’s not a real vote …They give it to who they want to give it to. They give it to their “darlings.” The f------g, ‘Oh this got critical acclaim, but it sold two records.’”
Don't be upset if your favorite artist didn't win a Grammy.
— Shady Times (@ShadyTimes) March 14, 2021
Eminem exposed how the award show "work" and how fake they are back in 2018 👏#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/2nx7VVqlbq
Eminem acknowledged that selling records can’t be the only parameter to judge the quality of music. However, he believes that the Grammys can hand their awards even to an unknown artist as long as they are in their corner. The Detroit rapper also explained what can be an honorable and a respectable loss for him.
He said, “I’m fine if I lose to f-----g’ Kanye or someone that I’m like, ‘Okay, I respect that. I know who that is and Kanye has a huge following and he has made a massive impact on music.’ Fine, I’m good with that.” The "Rap God" rhymer also stated that he would never go to the Grammys, and his answer was ‘No’ for “a hundred million years.”
Since that interview, Em has kept his word and has stayed away from the award show gathering. It’s worth noting that he holds the record for most wins in the Best Rap Album category with six victories. So, his rant was actually about the lack of recognition for the hip-hop talent pool and not for himself.