Nicki Minaj is known as the queen of rap. The superstar has sold millions of records and was even recently the first female rapper since Lauryn Hill to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. In addition, Nicki Minaj has inspired a generation of artists of all genders. Despite her success and invaluable influence, she has never won music’s highest honor, a Grammy.
Minaj has released countless songs that should have won her a Grammy award. She arguably has some of the best bars of all time, making her a superior lyricist. Nicki not winning a Grammy has caused many fans to lose trust in the award ceremony. Unfortunately, there is one big reason from music history that most believe is why she has never, and maybe will never, win. In fact, Nicki’s beef with the Grammys continues as the rapper called them out just last year for the category she was to be considered for.
The strife between Nicki Minaj and the Grammys is legendary. She has spoken openly about being blackballed from the ceremony, and The Recording Academy has not refuted her claims. Nicki is super talented and influential, but there is one main reason she has never won a Grammy.
That Infamous 2012 Performance
Of course, there’s no real way to be sure it’s why Nicki Minaj has never won a Grammy. However, most who were around for the fallout of her 2012 Grammy performance would say it’s the cause. The prolific rapper took the stage at the 54th annual ceremony and performed her song "Roman Holiday." Though a fan favorite, the display ruffled feathers as it depicted an exorcism. For context, this was just days after the late great Whitney Houston passed away.
Nicki said Grammy producers wanted her to cancel the performance. They wanted this partly due to Whitney’s untimely passing and the controversy it would cause. In particular, it was Ken Erhlich who wanted her to cancel. As history shows, the performance did bring a great deal of controversy. The Catholic League issued a statement, the show drew disgruntled comments from some viewers, and the Washington Post questioned if Nicki had ruined her career. In discussing Minaj’s performance, Grammy producers used the word “disappointment” to describe it.
Nicki Minaj Has Publicly Addressed The Backlash
Nicki Minaj stayed quiet about the situation with the Grammys for quite a while. However, she decided years later that it was time to shed light on the issue. This came after labelmate Ariana Grande experienced issues with the same Grammy producer and decided to call him out.
First, Nicki responded to a fan on Twitter who wondered why she had never won a Grammy. Then, the multi-talented rapper addressed it on an episode of Queen Radio. Nicki went on to say that she was bullied by the Grammys and by Ken in particular. She also explained why she didn’t want to call off the Grammy performance. Minaj reportedly stated she worked so hard for that moment, and her fans were excited. Nicki didn’t want to disappoint her fans by canceling the performance last minute.
Recent Grammy Drama
Nicki Minaj has been nominated for several trophies despite never winning a Grammy. Unfortunately, her beef with the award ceremony was reignited in 2022 over the category her song was submitted for. Nicki released "Super Freaky Girl" in the summer of 2022, and it quickly shot to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. However, when it was revealed that the song would compete in the pop category and not rap, Nicki once again called out the organization. She also cited Latto’s song "Big Energy" being considered for rap categories as proof they were rigged.
Nicki mentioning Latto caused drama with the up-and-coming rapper. Latto said she couldn’t enjoy her success because of the drama. In the end, despite being No. 1 for multiple weeks, "Super Freaky Girl" received no Grammy nominations for the 2023 ceremony. However, Latto received nods for Best New Artist and Best Melodic Rap Performance for "Big Energy."
There is hope that Nicki will one day take home music’s highest honor. However, she has accomplished a great deal, so winning a Grammy may not be the most important thing for her anymore. Still, it would be sad if such an important figure in music didn’t get a single Grammy before it’s all said and done. Fans should know that Ken Ehrlich is no longer associated with the Grammys.
[Via]