Image copyright Reuters Image caption Drake in Los Angeles in January 2018
Drake has withdrawn himself from consideration for a Grammy for Best Rap Album after failing to receive any of the five nominations he was expected to garner.
He said on Twitter: “I’m not even gonna try and justify it. I’m just gonna leave it at this.”
Back in August, music rights company ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) announced he would be nominated in the rap category.
Other rap artists including Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Cardi B are also in the running.
Drake in the running
© 2018 Getty Images
In a statement, the Recording Academy said it “seeks to honour the best of our musical community and does not intentionally nominate or exclude any artist or group simply because they do not self-identify as a ‘traditional’ ‘Grammy voter’.”
“Drake’s team reached out to the Academy and we were able to reach an agreement,” said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the academy.
Drake’s representative said in a statement to The Times newspaper that the Grammys considered his 2017 album, More Life, to be one of the albums released in 2017, but that was not the criteria by which the producer’s vote was based.
He said the statuette should be used for his “extraordinary body of work since 2009”.