Are the Grammys rigged? According to one recording artist who is a member of the Recording Academy, the answer is “yes.”
TMZ reports that Victor Willis of The Village People sent an angry letter to Recording Academy head Neil Portnow, accusing the organization of creating a “special committee to override the voters.” He claims it was put in place in the mid-1980s, after Lionel Richie‘s Can’t Slow Down won Album of the Year honors in a field that included Bruce Springsteen‘s Born in the U.S.A.
Willis says that committee’s existence — never mentioned on the Grammy telecast, on which Portnow appears — manipulates the vote and creates a situation where Adele can win Album of the Year.
Apparently, a special committee does exist — but its purpose is to vet the list of potential nominees before the ballots go out to Grammy voters.
Fasho Thoughts:
- While he doesn’t mention Beyonce specifically, Willis seems to hint that a sinister effort prevented her Lemonade album from winning Album of the Year.
- Who cares what a member of the Village People thinks?
- It’s nuts to believe the Recording Academy feels that Beyonce — one of the most awarded musicians in its history — should be overlooked.
- The Recording Academy doesn’t release its actual voting, so the public never knows how much support each nominee gets.
- Hey, presidential elections can be surprising — so why not the Grammy winners?
- TMZ posted a copy of Victor Willis’s letter online.
Source: Radio One / Don Juan Fasho
