Kanye West’s Tumultuous History with the Grammy Awards Continues
West was barred from performing at the Grammy Awards, but will still be allowed to attend the show.
Even though Kanye West was banned from preforming, he could still take home a number of awards. Source: Josh Lawson on Flickr
Kanye West has had a troubled history with the Grammy Awards, and the drama continues as the Recording Academy has barred him from performing at the popular music awards show on April 3.
The decision to prevent him from performing comes after his recent “concerning online behavior” towards his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and her partner, Pete Davidson, as well as his behavior towards Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who is also slated to host the Grammys.
Last week, West was temporarily banned from Instagram after calling Noah a racial slur, which is a violation of Instagram’s policies on bullying, harassment and hate speech.
The attack came after Noah spoke out against West’s recent online behavior towards Kardashian, and used his own experience with his mother’s abusive relationship to warn viewers that West’s behavior shouldn’t be laughed off and ignored.
“You may not feel sorry for Kim because she’s rich and famous,” said Noah. “But what she’s going through is terrifying to watch and shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.”
This is not West’s first run-in with the Grammy Awards. He has a history of criticizing and condemning the Grammys and the Recording Academy for failing to recognize the work of artists and creators of color, alongside other high-profile black artists.
His criticisms have continued throughout the years. In a move that echoed the 2009 infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift VMA moment, West demanded that alternative artist Beck give his award to Beyoncé after he won album of the year for Morning Phase in 2015.
In 2020, West posted a video on Twitter that showed one of his Grammy Awards in the toilet and, based on the angle, himself urinating on it.
However, despite the decision to ban West from performing, he will still be allowed to attend the Grammys, walk the red carpet and may even win an award. This year, West is nominated for five Grammys, including album of the year for Donda and best rap song for “Jail.”
Members of the Marist College community had mixed reactions regarding Kanye being banned from performing.
Public Relations Professor Babette Fasolino believes that barring West from performing may be a slippery slope and has concerns about what this may mean for the future judgment of music and the arts in general.
“Once you start banning people based on what you think might be questionable behavior, you have to think about who decides what ‘questionable behavior’ is and how does that apply to other artists?” said Fasolino. “Do you keep a laundry list of whose behavior might be ‘questionable’ and does that mean that every person who is going to be at the Grammy’s has to meet the criteria for ‘normal?’”
Others were convinced that barring West from performing was the right move.
Jordan Fletcher ‘23 said, “I think it’s a good time to send a message that no matter how powerful you are, you can’t harass women – physically or mentally.”