Rapper Drake was cut off mid-sentence during his acceptance speech after picking up his award for best rap song for “God’s Plan” at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
The Canadian rapper surprised the audience by emerging from under the stage to personally accept his trophy. But rather than thank record label execs or his mother, the sensitive rapper took a moment to console fellow rap artist Travis Scott, who lost the 3 awards he was nominated for.
To date, Scott, 26, has received six Grammy nominations with no wins in his brief but remarkable rap career. Drake – who was also snubbed early on his career – felt Scott’s pain from the podium.
Drake, 32, told the audience that his 4th Grammy win was “the first time in Grammy history where I actually am who I thought I was for a second, so I like that.”
He urged “the kids watching, those aspiring to do music, and all my peers that make music from their heart, that do things pure and tell the truth” to “know we play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport. It is not the NBA.”
Then he turned his attention to a devastated Scott sitting in the audience.
“This is a business where sometimes it is up to a bunch of people that might not understand what a mixed race kid from Canada has to say, or a brother from Houston right there, my brother Travis. You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you are a hero in your hometown. If there is people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here, I promise you, you already won.”
A second later, during mid-sentence, the Grammys cut to a commercial – leaving the television audience to assume Drake’s mic was cut for some shade he threw at the Academy.
According to Variety.com, when the Grammys cut Drake’s mic, “a groan from the media room could probably be heard all the way into the arena.”
via Variety —
Coming back to the press room after the segment, presenters Dan + Shay seemed unaware Drake had been cut short. Whether he knew or not, Drake wasn’t in a hurry to leave; he was seen later bopping to a performance by pal Travis Scott.
After the show, a representative for the Grammys clarified that producers did not intentionally cut off Drake but were under the impression that he had finished his speech.
Photos by Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
