In 1991, Public Enemy and Russell Simmons turned down their invites to the Grammy Awards because there were no hip-hop performers and the presentation for hip-hop awards were not shown on air.
Jay-Z made a profound statement in 2002 by boycotting the Grammy Awards because of its refusal to honor hip-hop acts who deserved to be nominated.
But, the Grammy producers have begun to show a bit of respect for the hip-hop genre.
At this year’s Grammy Awards, Jay-Z and Eminem each won two awards. The Roots won three, and Cee Lo Green, who started his career as a member of the Goodie Mob, and Swizz Beatz each took one award home.
Eminem, Drake and B.O.B. all performed at this year’s ceremony.
Although this year’s Grammy Awards honored hip-hop artists who made valuable contributions to music in 2010, it snubbed Guru. The former lead rapper of the group Gang Starr died in 2010, but was not mentioned in the tribute of deceased musicians. –amir shaw
