Frank Ocean Responds To Criticism From Grammy Producers In Tumblr Letter
“YOU KNOW WHAT’S REALLY NOT ’GREAT TV’ GUYS? 1989 GETTING ALBUM OF THE YEAR OVER TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. ”
On Saturday night, Frank Ocean published a letter to his Tumblr, responding to critical comments about his 2013 Grammys performance from Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild made in a Rolling Stone interview this week.
The Grammys makers said they advised Ocean against his performance and Ehrlich said he warned the artist about the performance, telling him “That’s not great TV.” Ocean's all-caps letter hits back hard against those comments directly, saying that the Grammys are not good TV, citing last year's Album of the Year win by Taylor Swift's 1989 over Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly as an obvious example. Ocean ends the letter by questioning the role and purpose of The Grammys entirely: "USE THE OLD GRAMOPHONE TO ACTUALLY LISTEN BRO, I’M ONE OF THE BEST ALIVE. AND IF YOU’RE UP FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CULTURAL BIAS AND GENERAL NERVE DAMAGE THE SHOW YOU PRODUCE SUFFERS FROM THEN I’M ALL FOR IT."
Ocean also explained that despite not wanting to participate in this year's ceremony, he wanted to give special tribute to Prince:
IN REALITY, I ACTUALLY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN HONORING PRINCE ON THE SHOW BUT THEN I FIGURED MY BEST TRIBUTE TO THAT MAN’S LEGACY WOULD BE TO CONTINUE TO BE MYSELF OUT HERE AND TO BE SUCCESSFUL. WINNING A TV AWARD DOESN’T CHRISTEN ME SUCCESSFUL. IT TOOK ME SOME TIME TO LEARN THAT.
Representatives for The Grammys and Frank Ocean did not immediately return a request for comment.