Dec 11, 2015 When the Grammy nominations were revealed on Monday, there were plenty of songs and albums that seemed to be missing, and for some, there was one perceived snub that stood out above all others. Drake’s “Hotline Bling” has become one of the surprise hits of 2015, and the critics seem to love it. So, if the track was successful on the charts and beloved by all, why wasn’t it nominated? It turns out that “Bling” wasn’t nominated because Drake didn’t even submit the track for consideration. A representative for the Recording Academy confirmed to Forbes that the rapper never sent the song in for voters to nominate. This has plenty of people asking, “Why?” It is unlikely that people as on top of their game as Drake and his team simply forgot about the hit, so there must be some reason why it isn’t up for any trophies in February. While it may have made for great headlines and it certainly served as proof that he is one of the hardest working people in the music industry, the fact that Drake released so much music in 2015 may actually hurt his chances at the Grammys, and that’s likely the reason why he didn’t even bother to submit “Bling” for consideration. Drake had a massive year, and Grammy voters are very aware of this, and it will be on their minds as they choose who they believe deserves the final recognition. By submitting only a few options, Drake is funneling all of his supporters to one destination: him winning another award. If Drake had submitted “Bling” alongside his other tracks, it’s possible that none of them would have been nominated. Giving too many options can make support spread too thin, and he doesn’t want that. Grammy voters also seem to have completely ignored his collaborative record with Future, What A Time To Be Alive. While that mixtape/album also went to number one and was well-reviewed, it is nowhere to be seen. It’s possible that Drake passed on sending that in as well. Drake probably learned from a mistake that Kanye West made a few years ago when going for the gold. For the 54th Grammys in 2012, West submitted both his solo album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch The Throne, which was his joint record with Jay Z. Many critics expected his solo record to be up for the Album of the Year prize, but when the nominations were handed down, West’s name was nowhere to be seen. It is likely that by submitting two works, he split the voters, thus ensuring that neither of his albums had enough votes to get one of the five coveted spots. It’s likely that half of those voting went for his solo album, which was considered the best of the year by many, and half gave their vote to Watch The Throne, as it was an opportunity to reward both Kanye and Jay. It’s a shame that politics and strategy need to be a part of the Grammys, but as with any voting process, it’s not as simple as just picking the “best”. http://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2015/12/09/drake-didnt-even-submit-hotline-bling-for-the-grammys/
