The Weeknd's Creative Director La Mar Taylor Calls Out Grammys Over Snub, Says CEO Is a 'Pawn'

"Abel is one of the greatest artists ever to walk this earth and is still the #1 underdog," creative director La Mar Taylor wrote on Instagram.

La Mar Taylor
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La Mar Taylor

The Weeknd didn't get any nominations for the 2021 Grammys, and now his creative director La Mar Taylor is joining the chorus in calling out the recording academy.

"I can't believe these institutes still exist and move in ways that test human intelligence," wrote Taylor on Instagram. "It's insulting and disrespectful on so many levels. Time and time again, year after year, they embarrass and belittle artists who pours [sic]so much blood, sweat and tears into their craft, only to get snubbed or denied their greatness. Abel is one of the greatest artists ever to walk this earth and is still the #1 underdog."

La Mar Taylor, who is also a co-founder of the Weeknd's arts incubator HXOUSE, accompanied his response with a screenshot of the infamous video of Kanye West pissing on one of his own Grammys. In further comments shared to his Instagram Stories, he added, "'Blinding Lights' is the longest top 10 charting song in history. It's shattered a dozen other records ontop of that. Please explain to me how it's not nominated for song of the year????"

Tayor also took a moment to respond directly to the Recording Academy's interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who has insisted there was no hidden agenda behind the snub. "Harvey Mason Jr., this is the 'black man' who is the new head of the Grammys committe," he wrote alongside a photo of Mason. "He's a pawn and was put in front of the institute to make it seem like they have integrity and are 'changing' their historic oppression ways. Please...LOL. This man is a bandage at best."

He went on to suggest the problems with the Recording Academy run deep enough that the roots of the Grammys are rotten, not just the branches. "The wound is so deep and rotten with infection it's beyond repair," he wrote. "We need to create a new system that is for the people, by the people. How does this man + 20 unknown people decide who gets nominated and who doesn't? THIS MAN IS NOT THE CULTURE AND DOES NOT SPEAK FOR THE CULTURE."

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The backlash to After Hours and "Blinding Lights" not getting a single nomination was loud enough to garner an extensive response from Mason. "For the Weeknd, in every year you only have a certain amount of people you can nominate for each category," he said. "We are excited about some of the other categories where he was nominated. It's never easy to tell where people are going to land."

Elton John, who had his own track "Your Song" interpolated on "Scared to Live" from After Hours, appears to agree with Taylor in that the Weeknd was snubbed. "In my humble opinion... 'Blinding Lights' Song of the Year, Record of the Year #GrammySnub," wrote the 73-year-old owner of five Grammys and 34 nominations.

In his response to the Grammys snub, the Weeknd tweeted on Tuesday, "The grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency." 

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