Drake Withdraws 2022 Grammy Nominations

Courtesy Republic Records

Longtime Grammy critic and four-time winner, Drake has removed himself from consideration for awards at the upcoming 64th edition of the annual Recording Academy fete — considered by many the industry standard for identifying and celebrating excellence in musical achievement.

Nominated for Best Rap Album for “Certified Lover Boy” and Best Rap Performance for the track “Way 2 Sexy,” the 35-year-old decided to withdraw his 48th and 49th nominations after consulting with his team.

According to Variety, which broke the news, a representative from the Recording Academy confirmed the nominations were withdrawn, but the Canadian rapper did not release any information pertaining to the reasoning behind the decision.

This is not the first time Drake has been at odds with the awards show. He has called for them to be replaced with something more equitable in the past, declined to submit his hit album “More Life” for consideration in 2017, and, perhaps most famously, delivered a blistering rebuke to the academy when accepting the Grammy for Best Rap Song (“God’s Plan) in 2019.

                                     Credit champagnepapi/Instagram

Drake took to Instagram in 2020 to lay out some of his grievances with the Recording Academy. 

“We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” he said. “You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown… Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending money to buy tickets to your shows, you don’t need this right here. You already won.”