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The Recording Academy has made some questionable decisions over the years... Join us as we count down the most iconic artists who've been slighted by the Grammys! From legendary rock bands that never won a competitive award to contemporary stars overlooked for their best work, these snubs have left music fans scratching their heads for decades.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic artists that
00:08have been slighted by the Recording Academy, one way or another. For this list, we'll be looking
00:20at musicians that have never won, lost for certain projects, or were never nominated at all.
00:2520. ABBA Popularity doesn't always equate to award success. Although ABBA has sold around 150 million
00:34records during their career and has become a multi-generational favorite, they've consistently
00:39been snubbed by the Academy. Their work in the 1970s and 80s was disregarded, despite it still
00:53holding cultural significance today. They didn't receive their first nod until 2021 with their
01:04comeback single, I Still Have Faith In You. Though they didn't win, it set the stage for the subsequent
01:17album to be nominated the following year. All four prospective awards may have slipped through
01:22their fingers, but they were recognized in a way they hadn't been previously. We can only hope
01:27they'll reunite one more time for the chance to finally win one of those coveted trophies.
01:3219. The Velvet Underground Some artists aren't recognized until
01:44long after they stopped creating new music. That was, unfortunately, the case for the Velvet Underground.
01:5019. Although they're regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the most impactful rock groups of
02:00all time, you'd never know it by their lack of major awards. Their avant-garde 1967 debut album was
02:07completely ignored by the Academy, most likely due to its abrasive sound and themes.
02:1220. Their subsequent releases didn't receive much fanfare either, and by the time they disbanded in
02:221973, they hadn't been nominated once. The group was eventually honored with a Lifetime Achievement
02:28Award in 2017, but their work and influence should have been recognized long before that point.
02:3518. Lana Del Rey Legacy acts aren't the only ones that
02:45have been pushed aside by the institution. Lana Del Rey has been passed over several
02:56times since her breakthrough in 2011. She has been nominated 11 times, with zero wins.
03:03Though the snubs date back to 2014, some of the most egregious occurred in the past few years.
03:15She released two critically acclaimed projects in 2019 and 2023, both of which were up for
03:21album of the year. However, she was bested by her contemporaries in both instances. This has led to
03:27her fans theorizing that she'd been blacklisted by the organization. Despite their suspicions,
03:33they're still holding out hope that she'll one day be recognized.
03:4217. Run DMC
03:45Despite shaping the sound of hip-hop as we know it, they've still been left in the dust by the Academy.
03:5018. Run DMC are widely beloved and, indisputably, one of the most influential acts in the genre. Yet,
04:03all they have to show for it from major associations are two nominations spaced out by decades.
04:08The first loss came in 1987, when Prince and the Revolution's Kiss bested Raising Hell.
04:23Their next nod occurred in the 2020s, not for their music, but for their contributions to their
04:28biographic miniseries, Kings from Queens. They were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016,
04:35a first for a hip-hop group. However, the fact that they weren't recognized at their peak
04:40is baffling. 16. The Beach Boys
04:50Wouldn't it be nice if they had won? Fans of The Beach Boys may think so,
04:55but the Academy doesn't seem to agree.
04:5717. Wouldn't it be nice to live together in the kind of world where we belong?
05:05Good Vibrations and Kokomo were nominated at the 9th and 31st ceremonies, respectively,
05:10but both failed to nab the group a win.
05:1217. Bermuda, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take us to Bermuda, Bahama, come on, pretty mama.
05:20Otherwise, their catalog went overlooked at their peak. What's even more bizarre is that their seminal
05:26album Pet Sounds wasn't acknowledged by the organization at all, despite it now being
05:30considered one of the greatest albums in music history. They did receive a Lifetime Achievement
05:35Award in 2001, but they should have gotten far more recognition.
05:3915. Frank Ocean
05:49Some artists may have taken home a trophy for a specific category, but have been seemingly shut out
05:54of the general feel.
06:04Frank Ocean has experienced this firsthand with his album, Channel Orange, only winning Best Urban
06:08Contemporary Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. He lost Best New Artist, Record of the Year
06:14and Album of the Year to Fun, Godier, and Mumford & Sons, leading to the Academy being accused of
06:21biased against certain genres. The losses have jaded him to the awards ceremony entirely. When he
06:32released Blonde in 2016, he intentionally didn't submit it. He even explained that he found the
06:38whole system to be out of date. And considering some of the snubs on this list alone, we can't say he's
06:44wrong. 14. Bjork
06:51Across a span of nearly three decades, she's been considered a whopping 16 times, yet Bjork has yet to
06:58actually win a single Grammy. Her contributions to the alternative genre have solidified her legacy
07:10to both fans and critics. As such, she's been put up for a variety of awards from the Academy,
07:20from Best Female Pop Vocal Performance to Best Alternative Music Album. Despite seven of her albums
07:26being nominated in the latter category, they've all been bested by other works released by her
07:31contemporaries. She's still releasing new music and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
07:42This has reignited hopes that she will win her first trophy sooner rather than later,
07:47and get the recognition she deserves.
07:5813. Kendrick Lamar
08:01With 22 trophies under his belt so far, it's clear that the Recording Academy now understands and
08:06recognizes his talents. Yet when Kendrick Lamar was first nominated by the organization at the 56th
08:19annual ceremony, he was passed over for every award he was up for.
08:23His losses to McLemore for Best New Artist and every award in the rap category were seen as so
08:33egregious that the winner even reached out to him to apologize. The snub also led to backlash from
08:40viewers, some of whom felt the moment had exposed the industry's biases against certain artists and
08:46genres. They've more than made up for it in the years since, but the fact that he still has yet to win
08:51Album of the Year is mind-boggling.
08:5412. Amy Winehouse
09:01All it took was one category to completely derail her sweep at the 50th annual Grammy Awards.
09:07Amy Winehouse cleaned up throughout the night, collecting trophies for Best New Artist, Best
09:17Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
09:22With a run like that, it seemed she was a shoe-in for Album of the Year as well.
09:26Instead, it went to Herbie Hancock for River the Joanie Letters.
09:31She didn't release another project during her lifetime, and her next nomination was a posthumous
09:36one for a duet with Tony Bennett in 2011, which she won. Though Hancock's win was important in its own
09:43right, it prevented her from dominating the only Grammy ceremony she'd experienced in her lifetime.
09:5511. Tupac Shakur
09:57Whether it's in life or death, the Academy has seemingly refused to give him his flowers.
10:0312. Tupac Shakur
10:08Though his career was cut short by his untimely death, Tupac is still considered to be one of the
10:14best rappers of all time. 12. Tupac Shakur
10:15I finally understand, for a woman it ain't easy trying to raise a man.
10:20That translated into two Grammy nods for Dear Mama and Me Against the World in 1996,
10:25which he lost to Coolio and Naughty by Nature. He lost his life that same year, but his impact and
10:32talent carried on. In the years since, he has received five posthumous nominations,
10:37but hasn't won a single one. With the 30th anniversary of his death coming up,
10:42some have to hope that he will soon be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
10:5310. Beyonce
10:55Since breaking out as a solo star in the 2000s, she's become a mainstay both in pop culture and
11:01within the awards circuit.
11:0210. Beyonce
11:07Though Beyonce is no stranger to winning at the Grammys, particularly in the R&B category,
11:12she's no stranger to being snubbed either. For years, the general field remained out of her reach,
11:17with hits like Halo and Irreplaceable losing record of the year. Her long-form work hasn't fared much
11:23better. Her self-titled release, controversially, lost to Beck in 2015. And just two years later,
11:33Lemonade lost to Adele. The Lemonade album was just so monumental, Beyonce. It was so monumental.
11:41The slights continued in the 2020s, with Renaissance losing to Harry Styles. She finally won Album of the
11:48Year for Cowboy Carter in 2025, in what was widely regarded as a long-overdue victory.
11:54I just feel very full and very honored.
11:579. Diana Ross
11:59She's been awarded everything from a Golden Globe to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
12:0410. Diana Ross
12:10However, a competitive Grammy award still remains out of her reach. Since launching her solo career,
12:16Diana Ross has been nominated 10 times by the Recording Academy. Whether it was for the R&B
12:21category or the general field, she has always been overlooked by the voters.
12:26I'm proud of the work that we've done. And the work that I've done, I'm happy about.
12:30The snubs carried on from the 20th century and into the 21st century, when she lost a
12:35Grammy on the same night she was awarded her second Lifetime Achievement Award for her work
12:39with the Supremes. Between that and the one she received in 2012 for her solo work,
12:45it's clear the association has prioritized her legacy over her current work.
12:528. The Who
12:54After decades in the industry, the fact that they've only been nominated twice is astounding.
13:009. The Who
13:06The Who have been beloved as rock legends for generations. Unfortunately,
13:11that acclaim seems to have been missed by the Recording Academy.
13:1410. The man who spurred his arm
13:18said to judge when I'm all wrong.
13:21Despite their rich catalog, the only nods they've received during their tenure was for best long-form
13:26music video at the 33rd and 51st ceremonies. The fact that a band could be so influential yet so
13:33overlooked at the same time is baffling to say the least. The Who were awarded a Lifetime Achievement
13:39Award in 2001, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to all the rewards they've lost out on
13:45during their prime. 7. Bob Marley
13:55Considering the award for best reggae album wasn't created until after his untimely death,
14:00his absence of wins from that time is slightly more understandable.
14:0410. Bob Marley was criminally overlooked by the Grammys during his tenure, even as he and the
14:14Wailers were being recognized by other institutions. Considering the undeniable quality of his work and
14:20the fact that there have been posthumous releases under his name in the form of live and compilation
14:25albums, the fact that he hasn't been nominated even once is a travesty. He was honored by the
14:37organization in 2001 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Other than that, the only acknowledgement
14:43he received from the organization was when the film's soundtrack to the biopic One Love won the
14:48reggae category in 2025. 6. Jimi Hendrix
14:58Even an absolute legend can be pushed to the side by the awards circuit.
15:09Throughout Jimi Hendrix's tragically short career, his albums were met with resounding
15:14critical and commercial success. This apparently wasn't good enough for the recording academy,
15:20which only nominated Hendrix's rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner for Best Contemporary
15:25Instrumental Performance.
15:37His tragic passing in 1970 cut his blossoming career short and devastated a generation of rock fans.
15:44Twelve years after his death, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award, but his legendary work should
15:50have earned him at least one trophy long before then.
15:585. The Doors At their peak, they were rightfully one of the best-selling
16:03bands of their time and released records that are still considered to be the best in the genre.
16:07The Doors' initial impact may have been significant, but it didn't have much bearing on their reputation
16:19with the recording academy. They have never been nominated at any stage of their career,
16:23both during frontman Jim Morrison's life and afterwards.
16:27The only recognition they received from the Grammys was in 2007,
16:37when they were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
16:40Though it didn't atone for the years of being ignored, it showed they held their work in some
16:44regard.
16:534. The Weeknd
16:55An artist being previously rewarded by the academy doesn't lessen the pain of their best work being
17:00ignored.
17:07The Weeknd has seen some success with the organization in the past, winning the Urban
17:11Contemporary and R&B categories. He was left shocked when his 2020 album After Hours didn't
17:17receive a single nomination, despite it being a critical and commercial success.
17:28He lambasted the voting body in a series of posts, calling them corrupt and even saying it felt like
17:33a personal slight. Some sources even alleged he'd been shut out for performing at the Super Bowl.
17:38He was snubbed again at the 2025 ceremony, and it's unclear if his public grievances have caused him
17:44to be blacklisted for good.
17:493. Nirvana
17:52They marked the clear transition into the 90s for rock music and continued to endure.
17:57Yet the recording academy has given Nirvana minimal recognition.
18:00Their albums Nevermind and In Utero were nominated but lost to REM and U2. Two of their singles,
18:14including the iconic Smells Like Teen Spirit, were nominated but failed to snag a single trophy for
18:19the band. They finally won in 1996 for their performance on MTV Unplugged after Cobain's
18:29untimely death and their subsequent disbandment. They also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
18:35But with how influential they were in such a short time, the fact that they were hardly recognized for
18:40it is a slap in the face to their artistry.
18:482. Led Zeppelin
18:50Some wins are too little too late. In their prime, Led Zeppelin had an undeniable impact on the genre and
18:57the music industry as a whole. They received their first nomination for Best New Artist at the 12th
19:09Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Crosby, Stills & Nash. The loss wouldn't have been so bad had they
19:16not been shut out completely. Despite a string of successful releases, the Academy never put them
19:22up for another award in the 20th century. It wasn't until 2014 that their live concert album,
19:32Celebration Day, won Best Rock Album. The track list consisted of songs they'd recorded during their
19:37heyday, allowing the Academy to atone for years of snubs with one win.
19:421. Queen
20:05They may not have a competitive Grammy, but they're still champions of the world and our hearts.
20:102. Even with Freddie Mercury's otherworldly vocals and the band's impressive skills,
20:18they were never able to snag a trophy during the biggest night in music.
20:22Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites the Dust both received nods at the 19th and 23rd ceremonies,
20:28but were bested by other releases. They wouldn't be nominated again, despite still releasing work
20:36throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. It wasn't until 2018 that they were properly acknowledged
20:42for their contributions with the Lifetime Achievement Award. However, fans and casual
20:47listeners alike can agree that they should have won as a whole unit much sooner, before Mercury's
20:52tragic passing in 1991. Have any of your favorite artists ever been snubbed by the Grammys?
21:06Let us know in the comments below.
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