After his anti-Semitic comments and the public canceling him, fans still wondered whether Kanye West will appear at the 2023 Grammys. Turns out he was not invited. Despite his erratic behavior, and numerous headlining controversies, he remains a towering figure in the music industry. His popularity may have nosedived, but one cannot deny his contribution to the musical scene. 

Equaling him not in stature but in star power and musical talent is Jay Z. Both of them have often collaborated in the past. While both are celebrated rappers, Hov’s career trajectory is poles apart from Ye’s. While both have a record-breaking 24 Grammys to their names, one was snubbed while the other was welcomed to perform at the marquee event.

The Grammys couldn’t spare a seat for Kanye West despite honoring him 24 times in the past

The Donda rapper did not show up at the Grammys because he did not receive an invitation. He was also previously barred over a hate comment about Trevor Noah. Kanye West did not earn any nominations at the 2023 Grammys either. Usually, the organizers typically extend an invitation to heavy hitters like him. However, they chose to snub him this year instead. The musical event’s executive producer, Ben Winston, had earlier expressed his lack of desire to invite the star to The Town podcast. 

The snub was made apparent when bigwigs performed a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop at the event, but Ye was absent from the lineup. However, his name still managed to appear on the screen, alongside songwriter The Dream. 

It was not surprising, considering he pissed off the organizers when he peed on the award in 2020. It was in protest to Universal and Sony, not handing over his music rights to him. 

Holding an equal number of Grammys as Ye, Jay-Z’s performance was one of the most anticipated performances of the night. He performed the Grammy-nominated God Did along with DJ Khaled, John Legend, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne. This was the first time since 2014 that he hit the stage. Although he did not perform a title, the four-minute verse was no less than a whole song!

Do you think the Grammys was unfair to the College Dropout rapper?