Frank Ocean: Rejecting the Grammys is my Kaepernick moment
Many people wondered why Frank Ocean didn’t submit his songs for Grammy consideration. Turns out he did it for a thoughtful reason: this was a political act.
In an interview with The New York Times, he explains that he has rejected the awards show system completely. The 29-year-old goes on to say that musicians of color are largely ignored in the Album Of The Year category in the history of the Grammys shows.
“That institution certainly has nostalgic importance,” Ocean stated. “It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.”
“I think the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated,” he went on. “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.”
— Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ and ‘Endless’ get shut out of the Grammys —
Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, gained notoriety when he refused to stand for the national anthem.
Ocean has won two Grammys in the past and has been nominated eight times in all. He says he likes to have control over his music and is not the biggest fan of the traditional methods of releasing albums and promoting them.
“I believe that I’m one of the best in the world at what I do, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be,” he said. “It’s more interesting for me to figure out how to be superior in areas where I’m naïve, where I’m a novice.”
