Music

Macklemore almost didn't qualify for a rap Grammy

by Mark Teo

The big story surrounding the Grammys is undoubtedly Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ success. After all, the Seattle duo are up for a whopping seven awards this Sunday, including album of the year, song of the year, best new artist, and best rap album.

Linger on that last category for a second: Best rap album. While Macklemore’s breakthrough success is undeniable, few in the hip-hop world have had their credibility questioned as heavily as Macklemore—in comments sections everywhere, he’s often painted as the product of white privilege, the embodiment of the whitewashing of hip hop, and at absolute worst, an inauthentic representation of the genre.

It turns out that even the members of the Grammy committee are questioning whether Macklemore is an actual rapper.

According to AP, members of the committee—specifically, those responsible for determining the winner of the rap award—argued the “Thrift Shop” MC shouldn’t qualify for the rap category. Why? Because of Macklemore’s success in the mainstream and pop-music spheres.

“Thrift Shop” moved 7.3 million tracks, numbers that have Macklemore brushing up against the Katy Perrys of the world. “Can’t Hold Us” wasn’t far behind, moving 5 million units.

“It’s not that they don’t think he’s a rapper,” an anonymous source, who reportedly had access to the workings of the Grammy committee, told AP. “It’s just that when you’re trying to protect categories and someone has become popular, it should be judged as much. … Where does their music exist? Who are their fans?”

Apparently, the controversy surrounding The Heist‘s eligibility for the rap category became so fierce, the broader Grammy committee—who are responsible for the rock, country, and other genres—became involved. Their conclusion? The Heist still qualifies as a rap album.

Meanwhile, Macklemore’s manager, Zack Quillen, told AP that jurors should focus on the music, not who listens to it. “If you strip away being influenced by the popularity or by who their fans are or by the amount of radio traction their songs got … and just dissect musically what it is, there’s no question it’s a hip-hop album; they’re hip-hop songs.”

Of course, this opens up broader questions: Is this controversy not just about Macklemore—but about the fact that hip-hop is simply dominating pop at large? (Note: The other albums that are up for a rap grammy are Kanye’s Yeezus, Drake’s Nothing Was the Same, Jay-Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail, and Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, all of which spent time on pop charts.) Or must we examine Macklemore’s success more critically—in that, perhaps, part of his success derives not from his talent, but his marketability to white audiences? Is it possible to, as Quillen suggest, strip away hip-hop to its essence and disregard audience, race, and social context?

Regardless of how many Grammys Macklemore takes home Sunday, we expect these questions to frame his success. And rightfully so.