Rapper Tyler, the Creator’s “Igor” was one of the more celebrated albums of the 2010s. The album represented a change in sound for Tyler to more of a sung, R&B- and pop-inspired vibe, and it became a hit among critics and audiences. “Igor” was also a big step for the queer hip-hop community, as it was Tyler’s more candid album regarding his sexuality. Among its many successes, the album controversially took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album, which was considered a great win by some, but a bit of a misplaced one by others.
“Igor” was considered a possible Grammy contender from the moment it dropped thanks to its acclaim and vulnerability, with the year’s relative weakness also being a factor. The album scored an 81 on Metacritic, and debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200 with over 160,000 album equivalent units. Regarding its competition, the 2020 Best Rap Album race wasn’t necessarily barebones, but many contenders lacked the oomph to make them genuine contenders for the win.
Meek Mill’s “Championships,” while a hit, didn’t have the critical acclaim most category winners have. He might’ve also not been as respected as Tyler, given that “Championships” was his first nomination ever despite multiple hit albums prior. Another nominee was Cordae’s “The Lost Boy,” but that wasn’t even being predicted for the nomination by most pundits. The album being Cordae’s debut and not a big seller also probably didn’t help. “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” by hip-hop collective Dreamville, also probably didn’t pose a huge threat, especially since the group’s main figure, J. Cole, was likely to win in other categories.
The race was likely between “Igor” and 21 Savage’s “I Am > I Was.” These two albums couldn’t have been more different, yet shared a lot of characteristics that many Best Rap Album winners possess. First, both were commercial successes. In 21 Savage’s case, his album also topped the Billboard 200, and had the hit single “A Lot” featuring J. Cole. Both albums were also acclaimed, receiving the same score on Metacritic (81), so not only did they have sales on their side, but highbrow professionals really enjoyed their records.
Both artists also had strong personal narratives going in. In Tyler’s case, after years of speculation, “Igor” served as confirmation of sorts about his sexual orientation. Seeing such vulnerability and queerness expressed by a hip-hop artist was a big deal, especially someone like Tyler who was known for his more abrasive sound. For 21 Savage, it wasn’t so much the album itself but the circumstances in his life: he had recently been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after it came out that he was not an American citizen, but rather was born in London and had overstayed his visa. Many rushed to support him, especially in the hip-hop community. “A Lot,” the album’s big hit single, was also arguably 21’s most acclaimed song, touching on various topics like the U.S. justice system, social inequality, and the music industry.
Leading into the Grammys, “Igor” was predicted to win. Since “I Am” had come out in late December, compared to “Igor’s” release the following spring, the latter was fresher in mind. “Igor” was actually predicted to be an Album of the Year nominee, so many people were furious when the album only got nominated for Best Rap Album. “Igor’s” near-shutout might’ve actually helped Tyler, though, since voters who loved the album had no choice but to vote for it there. It also likely helped that “A Lot” was a heavy contender for Best Rap Song and, like “Igor,” was only nominated in one category. Voters could then go for “A Lot” in Best Rap Song as a way to honor 21 Savage and J. Cole, both of whom were Grammy-less at the time, while giving Tyler his flowers in Best Rap Album.
“Igor’s” win represented a big step for the Grammys and queer hip-hop. Few times in rap history have we seen such an openly emotional and beautiful queer-themed album take the industry by storm. However, as Tyler himself stated, it did feel like the album was unfairly thrown into the rap category. One could argue that if the album had competed in pop or R&B, it would’ve likely been snubbed, but that makes one wonder, why exactly? Why would an album so acclaimed and commercially successful have been passed over in other genres, when it was such a top contender in rap? Perhaps Grammy voters have some work to do in the inclusion department.
Something similar happened in 2022 to Lil Nas X. His “Montero” album was categorized as pop, but despite getting nominated for all the general field awards and in the rap field, missed what should’ve been easy Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album nominations to less impactful records. Perhaps a Black man with hip-hop elements wasn’t considered “pop enough” for the music industry, and thus are usually relegated to hip-hop.
In the end, Tyler’s right. While winning any Grammy is a huge honor, inclusion must be worked on. And inclusion isn’t simply nominating Black artists in “Black” categories, but also giving them the opportunity to thrive in traditionally white-dominated categories too. Especially with an album as uniquely captivating as “Igor” was.
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