Singer Drake has questioned the Recording Academy’s decision to classify his song Hotline Bling under the rap category at the recently held Grammy Awards.
The 30-year-old spoke to a radio show about his struggle to be taken seriously as a black Canadian artist covering multiple genres.
“I won two awards, but I don’t even want them because it just feels weird for some reason. It just doesn’t feel right to me. I feel almost alienated, or [like they’re] trying to purposely alienate me by making me win rap awards... and putting me in that category because it’s the only place where you can figure out where to put me,” he said.
Hotline Bling won Grammys for best rap song and best rap/sung performance earlier this month.
“I feel like an outsider... it’s usually because I’m not American,” he said.
“I guess maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have quite an eclectic make-up. I am mixed, I am Jewish... at the end of the day, when it comes to everything else, I’m black,” he said.
Drake said that Hotline Bling is not a rap song.
“I am referred to as a black artist, like at [the Grammys]... I’m apparently a rapper, even though Hotline Bling is not a rap song. The only category they can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m black. I can’t figure out why,” he said.
Though he did voice support for Chance the Rapper’s victory in the best new artist category, Drake wondered why his 2016 hit One Dance was omitted from the Record of the Year nominees.
“There’s pop obligations they have, and I fluked out. I fluked out and got one of the biggest songs of the year that is a pop song and I’m proud of that. I love the rap world and I love the rap community... I write pop songs for a reason. I want to be like Michael Jackson.
“I want to be like artists that I looked up to. Those are pop songs, but I never get any credit for that,” Drake said.
