The Grammys got a few things wrong this year when it came to their In Memoriam section. But Drakeo the Ruler not being included at all was one of the Recording Academy’s biggest blunders.
Drakeo’s brother, Ralfy the Plug, told TMZ the West Coast staple being left out of the In Memoriam section felt like a “spit in the face.”
“On behalf of Drakeo The Ruler, Ketchy The Great and The Stinc Team, it comes off as a spit in the face disregarding the facts that we’ve created an entire movement that generated the momentum for underground emerging L.A. artists to have a platform,” Ralfy said in a statement. “Let alone the reality that we lost my Brother, Drakeo The Ruler, the poster child for systematic prejudices against rappers by law enforcement using lyrics against our culture and violating what they call our constitutional rights of freedom of speech- The First Amendment.”
Ralfy closed by saying that Drakeo’s omission reflects how little the music industry cares about certain movements.
“Leaving Drakeo out of their tribute and by not giving him any acknowledgment of his existence sums up exactly what we feel the industry has been trying to do. Erase us,” he added.
The Recording Academy also received a lot of backlash for how it honored Virgil Abloh, labeling him a “hip hop fashion designer” when his reach extended far beyond music.
The Academy has yet to address either.
