Emeka Nweze
The 62nd annual Grammy awards is set to take place tonight, and always there is sure to be controversies and shocks that spark debates, especially in the hip hop categories. The award is often described as the most prestigious music award ceremony in the world, but its credibility has often been questioned, especially as several iconic artists have been surprisingly overlooked.
Here is a list of 11 of those iconic rappers never to have won a Grammy award.
Snoop Dogg – 16 nominations
Snoop Dogg has received an amazing 16 nominations so far but is yet take home the prize. The rapper has not only received nominations in the Hip Hop categories, in 2013 he was nominated in the ‘Best Reggae Album’ category for his 2013 album ‘Reincarnated’.
2Pac – 6 nominations
Arguably the greatest and most influential rapper of all time, 2Pac until his death did not win a Grammy award, despite receiving six nominations between 1996 and 2000. Three of his nominations came in 1997 while two came in 1996 for best rap album and rap solo performance.
Notorious B.I.G – 4 nominations
All through Biggie’s short career, the rapper was nominated four times but never took home the accolade despite his countless back to back hits.
Nas – 13 nominations
Despite receiving an impressive thirteen nominations so far in his career, including four in 2013, Nas has failed win a Grammy. His best chance probably came in 1994 for his iconic album ‘Illmatic’. Unfortunately, the Grammys didn’t introduce a ‘Best Rap Album’ category until 1996.
UPDATE: Mar 15, 2021 – Nas finally won a Grammy for King’s Disease.
DMX – 3 nominations
Despite receiving three nominations between 2000 and 2001 DMX has never won the shinny award. His controversial omission from any nominations sparked a boycott from his pal Jay Z in 1999.
J.Cole – 10 nominations
Prior to tonight’s 4 nominations, J.cole had previously received seven nominations, winning none. Since his 2016 loss for his 2014 Forest Hills Drive fans have have raised eyebrows regarding the Grammy voting process. All eyes are on him tonight as he bids for his first win once again.
UPDATE: JCole won a Grammy for A Lot.
Busta Rhymes -12 nominations
Busta Rhymes has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards during his solo career, including two back to back loses to Will Smith. He also lost the best rap performance and best rap song categories in 2011 to Kanye West.
Niki Minaj – 10 nominations
From 2010 to 2015, Nicki Minaj was nominated for 10 Grammys. She lost best new artist to Bon Iver in 2011, and to Kendrick Lamar in all three of her nominated categories in 2015.
Run-D.M.C. – 1 nomination
Iconic hip-hop artists Run-D.M.C. have only been nominated for just one Grammy, which they lost in 1986 to Prince for best R&B performance by a duo or group — the hip-hop category wasn’t added until 1989. They finally received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2016.
The Game – 2 nominations
The Game’s only two nominations came in 2006 and he notably lost the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category to The Black Eyed Peas.
Ice Cube – No nominations
Despite being regarded as one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, and pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music, Ice Cube has never received a Grammy nomination
