Drake withdraws his 2022 Grammy nominations

Drake withdrew his two Grammy Award nominations on Monday. The rapper was nominated for Best Rap Album for “Certified Lover Boy” and Best Rap Performance with “Way 2 Sexy.”

The request to withdraw his nominations was made by the rapper and his team, a representative for the Recording Academy said. However, they did not reveal the reasons for the decision.

Last year Drake criticized the Grammys for not considering The Weekend’s album “After Hours” despite commercial and critical success.

"I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after," posted Drake on Instagram in 2019. "It's like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can't change their ways."

In 2019, Drake declined to perform at the event. That year, however, he won Best Rap Song with “God’s Plan.” During his acceptance speech he criticized the Grammys, prompting producers to cut off his mic.

“We play an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” he said. “You already won if you have people singing your songs word for word, if they’re singing in your hometown. You’re already winning, you don’t need this right here.”

Drake has been nominated for 47 Grammys and has won four of them. “Certified Lover Boy” was one of the top-selling albums of 2021.

The official Grammy ballots for this year were released on Monday. The winners of the Grammys will be announced on January 31 in Los Angeles.