Sometimes a Grammy Award win feels like a given. Other times, the win goes to someone nobody expected to win. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and break down a few of the most controversial Grammy wins of all time!
1. Macklemore
The year 2013 was a wild one for rapper Macklemore and his buddy Ryan Lewis. The two took home a few wins for “Same Love”, which was pretty understandable. The song was absolutely everywhere.
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However, nobody expected Macklemore to take home the win for Best Rap Album, especially over big names like Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. Even Macklemore himself was shocked when he won, and later texted Lamar to let him know that he should have won.
2. Shelby Lynne
Remember Shelby Lynne? No? You’re not alone there. This is one of the most controversial Grammy wins of the early 2000s, namely because Lynne was up against some pretty big up-and-comers in country music, such as Brad Paisley. Lynne also wasn’t a “new” artist at the time either, so her win was considered quite strange at the time.
3. Jethro Tull
This is one of the most controversial Grammy wins of all time, especially in the context of metal history. The year 1998 marked the very first time the Recording Academy included hard rock and metal in their lineup of lucrative awards. It seemed obvious that Metallica was going to win.
While Metallica did win the following year, they were surprisingly bested in 1998 by Jethro Tull. And everyone was completely shocked, including award announcers Alice Cooper and Lita Ford.
4. Christina Aguilera
Ah, the Britney vs. Christina years. The early 2000s was the golden age of girly-pop music, and iconic Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears were at the top of their game.
This instance of Aguilera winning over Spears in 2000 is one of the most controversial Grammy wins of all time. Both artists had massive releases that year, including …Baby One More Time and Aguilera’s self-titled debut. One can’t deny that Spears’ record was the bigger and more legendary release… Yet Aguilera was the one to take home the coveted Best New Artist award.
Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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