The Grammys Allegedly Reached Out To Drake For "ICEMAN" Submissions

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Grammys Reached Out Drake ICEMAN Submissions
Nov 2, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canadian recording artist Drake (center, black outfit) watches the action between the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Drake has previously declined submitting his work for Grammys consideration on multiple occasions, and UMG is allegedly pushing for a change.

Drake is dominating commercial metrics with his new albums ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR, and it seems like critics-based institutions want in on the fun. There are rumors floating around that the Recording Academy reached out to Drizzy, OVO, and their major parent label UMG regarding potential submissions to the Grammy Awards next year.

According to Kurrco on Twitter, alleged sources within the OVO camp allegedly claimed the Recording Academy wants the 6ix God to submit his new material for Grammys consideration. Historically, Drake has declined Grammys submissions multiple times, although he's been nominated a few times recently.

These have been for his collab albums with PARTYNEXTDOOR and 21 Savage, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U and Her Loss, respectively. But the last time The Boy submitted solo work was for the Scorpion era, as all subsequent submissions were for collabs on other folks' projects or loosie collabs.

How Many Grammys Does Drake Have?

Overall, he has five wins to his name from 56 nominations at press time. These wins include Best Melodic Rap Performance for "WAIT FOR U" with Future and Tems, Best Rap Song for "God's Plan," Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Hotline Bling," and Best Rap Album for Take Care.

What's more is that this alleged Grammys reach-out might result in more trouble between Drake and UMG. For those unaware, he's appealing a dismissed defamation lawsuit against the label for releasing the Kendrick Lamar diss track "Not Like Us."

According to these new rumors, Drizzy cited a longstanding lack of belief in the awards process in his declination of submissions. The alleged OVO sources reportedly claimed UMG is joining the Recording Academy in pushing strongly for these submissions. In fact, the alleged sources allegedly claimed he threatened UMG with legal action over this matter.

Drake's rocky relationship with UMG has been a significant focus of this ICEMAN era. Many fans suspect the triple album drop finally got him out of his deal with them, opening the door for independent status. With this new context in mind, it seems like this dynamic isn't getting any easier for either party to navigate.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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