XXXTentacion Was Rejected For Grammys In Memoriam Segment: Report

XXXTENTACION was purposely left out of the 2019 Grammys "In Memoriam" tribute Sunday (February 10).

The 20-year-old rapper, who was tragically gunned down outside a motorsports store in June 2018, was among notable exclusions, including: BuzzcocksPete Shelley , Frightened Rabbit ’s Scott Hutchison , Pegi Young , Richard Swift , and Anticon co-founder Alias , per Pitchfork , from this year's tribute. X's absence though sparked the most outrage on social media, with many slamming the Academy for not including the "SAD!" rapper despite his tragic and untimely death. While at first it was not known whether X's exclusion was intentional, a source told Variety X was, in fact, rejected from the Grammys’ "In Memoriam" segment. Representatives for the late rapper reportedly "requested repeatedly that the Recording Academy recognize the artist," but because of the rapper’s history of domestic violence, "the show opted not to include him alongside such acts as Avicii and Mac Miller ," Variety reports.

Back in December, after Grammy nominations were revealed, Academy President Neil Portnow spoke to Rolling Stone about how the Academy was unsure if the late rapper would be included in the segment. "I will tell you it’s a daunting challenge," he admitted. "We track those that we lose in our industry in any given year and then we have a process by which we go through it. Our on-air in memoriam — we’re lucky if we wind up [featuring] 10 to 15 percent of those we lose. Because it’s always hard choices. All of that is to say, I don’t have any answers for you now, but obviously artists who were prominent and well-known by the public are people who are recognized and we’ll just wind up having to see how it plays out."

As previously reported, a secret recording of the late rapper confessing to various violent crimes surfaced in October 2018, four months after his death. The audio, which was obtained by the Miami-Dade County state attorney's office, featured the 20-year-old rapper, who was awaiting trial for a 2016 abuse case involving a former girlfriend, admitting to abusing his then-girlfriend , who he believed had cheated on him. Also in the 27-minute tape, which was recorded around the time of his October 2016 arrest, he admitted to stabbing his former manager (the incident led to him being arrested, however, he was ultimately released on bond), and he also took credit for a January 2016 stabbing, which he was never charged for given that police were unable to lock down a suspect. 

Before his death, X was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant victim, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. The "SAD!" rapper maintained his innocence up until his death. 

Photo: Getty Images


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