Kendrick Lamar and his dancers walked out dressed in blue prison clothes, hands and feet in shackles. A saxophonist played in an iron cage. Lamar moved his chains around so he could grab the mic, and an amazing performance began.
26 seconds into the VidMe video of the performance at the Grammys, a woman can be heard saying, “That’s so racist.” If that’s not missing the point, I don’t know what is.
Last night, Lamar lost the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift. It would be dishonest to say that Swift isn’t talented. She’s taken the music industry by storm and is, arguably, one of the most powerful women in music today, along with Beyoncé and Adele. Kanye’s claim that he made her famous is a misunderstood joke at best and a cruel, inappropriate jab at worst. That said, Swift did not deserve this year’s Grammy for Album of the Year.
Lamar is nothing short of visionary. His four albums have been critically acclaimed, and his second album (after five mixtapes), “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” was famously snubbed at the 2013 Grammys, losing Best Rap Album to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “The Heist.” Macklemore sent a text message to Lamar later where he said, “You got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have.”
Listening to “1989” is fun. Swift pulls her famous charm and special brand of entertaining and drama into every track. It’s a joy to hear.
But listening to “To Pimp a Butterfly” is an experience. Every track is beautiful, and Lamar’s lyrics are packed with social consciousness. He has reached acclaim from old school devotees and modern consumers of the genre.
This isn’t a music review, however.
As a third-wave feminist and music lover, I am both conflicted and frustrated. I’m happy that Swift is breaking records. She’s officially the first woman to win two Album of the Year awards. “1989” is an excellent album, and, in my opinion, her best. She has broken records and become a force to be reckoned with.
I cannot ignore racial issues faced during awards season, however. Last year, Beck’s album “Morning Phase” beat Beyoncé’s self-titled album. There’s no denying Beck’s talent; he’s a visionary and one-man musical innovator. He wrote and composed his entire album by himself.
But the Beyoncé album wasn’t just an album— it was a phenomenon. She dropped it with no hints, and she made the world stop for a moment and live in the unbeatable phenomenon that is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Beck thoroughly earned his Grammys for Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, but the Album of the Year should have been Beyoncé.
History has repeated itself when Lamar lost to Swift. They’re both incredibly talented, but “1989” cannot compete with the social awareness and timeliness of Lamar’s album. Despite racial issues being at the forefront of the nation’s mind, love songs and party jams won over thoughtful lyrics.
I do not think this event is wholly racially motivated. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) has a history of favoring sentimentality. Some have suspected the Beck won in 2015 as compensation for his defeat at the 2001 Grammys when Steely Dan miraculously beat Beck’s “Midnight Vultures,” Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP,” Radiohead’s “Kid A” and Paul Simon’s “You’re the One.”
This cannot be said of Swift. She won Album of the Year at the 2010 Grammys. Her award isn’t one of sentimentality. The NARAS picked a sugary-sweet pop album— albeit a wonderfully written one— over an album that contained significant cultural and social significance. Even President Obama considers “To Pimp a Butterfly” his favorite album of the year.
Time will tell which album will hold up. Likely, we may hold “Blank Space” up in nostalgia much like our parents do with their 1980s pop sensations, but the socially conscious nature paired with how exquisite Lamar’s album is deserves to be revered.
“Best Rap Album” was the minimum recognition allowed. Lamar deserved the grand prize.
Holly Baer is a senior religious studies major from Flowood.
