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What are the Grammys?

I’m not trying to ramble on about the Grammys or anything but I just kind of wanted to throw out there that there are some so many talented artists out there right now that it really makes it hard to be able to say there’s a clear best. The Grammys just seem to be a pop circus of whatever is still selling in the music industry. I mean great that Bon Iver won and Skrillix was nominated or whatever, but what does that even mean? Does that mean that indie is going mainstream? Probably not.

Underground artists have been a huge part of the survival of the music industry, which has been driven by early adopters since the emergence of the internet. That’s why you saw Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, etc. winning Grammys, but in my opinion “best new artist” doesn’t mean shit since the Grammys definition of “new artist” has nothing to do with the actual beginning of the career of an artist. Both Bon Iver and Esperanza Spalding (last year’s winner) had critically acclaimed albums before releasing one that was recognized by the industry. Am I complaining that the Grammys are about sales? I’m not trying to at least. 

Anyone who spends even an insignificant amount of time searching for new music on the internet will tell you there are more deserving artists out there for many of the awards that were given at the Grammys. I’m not trying to talk shit about Adele or anyone, she’s got talent for sure, but album of the year? Hell no. There were too many great albums to come out in 2011, especially from the perspective of a hip-hop fan. 

But like I said earlier, the Grammys are clearly not about what’s really hot right now, it’s about industrial success. So props on selling shit tons of albums in a dying industry Adele. In all seriousness, that’s a feat. Maybe in ten years the Grammys will look a little different. And that’s my Grammys rant. 

For the record I’m not even a Bon Iver fan.