Drake withdraws 2022 Grammy nominations
He was up for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance
Drake has withdrawn his two nominations for the 2022 Grammys, representatives for the Recording Academy have confirmed.
As revealed last month, the rapper was nominated for Best Rap Album for this year’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’, as well as Best Rap Performance for his Future and Young Thug collaboration ‘Way 2 Sexy’.
According to Variety, Drake has now withdrawn both of the nominations, and so far given no reason for the action. The Grammys also confirmed that there will be no replacement nominees in either the Best Rap Album or Best Rap Performance categories, as voting has already begun for the 2022 awards.
The nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards were unveiled last month (November 23), with Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber and Jon Batiste leading the way.
With 11 Grammy nominations across record and album of the year, and nods in roots, film score, R&B and jazz categories, Jon Batiste currently leads next year’s list. Batiste is followed closely by Justin Bieber with eight nominations, and Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish, each with seven nods.
Olivia Rodrigo’s nominations include Album of the Year (‘Sour’), Best New Artist, Song of the Year (‘Drivers License’) and Record of the Year (Drivers License’). Billie Eilish, meanwhile, has earned a nomination for ‘Happier Than Ever’ in the Album of the Year and Record of the Year categories, amongst others.
Elsewhere, ABBA received their first ever Grammy nomination with their comeback single, ‘I Still Have Faith In You’, while Jay Z has also become the most nominated person in Grammy history, with two nominations in the best rap song category, bringing his total number of Grammy nominations to 83. The record was previously held by Quincy Jones, who has 80.
Last month, Drake delayed the release of his forthcoming song collaboration with French Montana, ‘Splash Brothers’, out of respect to the Astroworld victims.
The rapper appeared as a special guest at the end of Travis Scott’s headline set at the Houston festival at the start of November, which saw 10 people killed and hundreds injured after a crowd crush.
In a complaint filed by festival goer Kristian Paredes, 23, the rappers and show producer are accused of negligence and “inciting the crowd”, as reported by the Daily Mail.