the projects* Grammys Recap

In this article, we will discuss the 2020 Grammys recap. It’s safe to say that the 2020 Grammys arrived in an awkward stumble rather than a glorious stride. There have been internal allegations of corruption, public outcry over major snubs in the nominations (notably zero noms for BTS), and the unfortunate coinciding of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant with the ceremony’s location at Staples Center, the home to the L.A. Lakers. An uncomfortable situation, to say the least.

This year’s ceremony furthers the ongoing conversation about the relevance of awards shows in validating or celebrating artistry. Some very well-deserving artists racked up awards, like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and the projects* fave Lil Nas X, but the overall excitement from this past year in music seems to have been misrepresented. Tyler, the Creator pointed out the racialized element of the nomination categories, after his Best Rap Album win for IGOR, which to those who’ve listened to it…isn’t really a rap album. Considering the multi-genre influences and plethora of sung melodies, Tyler rightly asks, “Why can’t we just be in pop?”

The conversation of genre has needed to happen for a while. Not only is most musical innovation nowadays resistant to the conventional boundaries of genre, an artist’s race is highly (and unfairly) influential in how their music is classified. The Grammys have been particularly slow to adapt to the fluctuating genres of the last decade, and even worse in stratifying artists of color in certain categories, like rap, Latin, and urban (whatever that means). Our culture is steadily embracing fluidity more and more, and thinking in these rigid categories and binaries is not only outdated–it fails to capture the creative power of the culture.

But we’re not here to engage for the sake of outrage–we’re sticking to our goal of engaging with intention. It’s a modern-day renaissance for music, and we’d like to honor the genre-breaking, boundary-pushing power of today’s musicians. We’ve compiled a playlist of songs for you to dance to, work to, contemplate, appreciate, or just to brighten your day in the midst of an already chaotic decade.

Check out our Grammys recap, Revised playlist here.

If you’ve got any hot tracks that you’re listening to at the moment, send them our way.

With love,

the projects*