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Is Bon Iver a band or a 'White man'? Nicki Minaj slams Grammy, Internet says 'they've talent unlike you'

Minaj vowed to 'never forget' the day the academy crowned folk group Bon Iver over her in the coveted category of Best New Artist in 2012
PUBLISHED NOV 25, 2020
Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj (Getty Images)
Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj (Getty Images)

The debate on Grammy’s list of nominees for 2021 has drawn ire with many snubs and allegations. Now Nicki Minaj has dragged the Grammy’s list in her latest tweet where she felt snubbed for zero nominations in the new list. The artist slammed indie folk band Bon Iver who won a Grammy in 2012 for Best New Artist beating crowd favorite Minaj at that time. The band also won the Best Alternative Album during that year.

Now as the new list was released, Minaj expressed her exasperation on Twitter and dragged the band in the tweet referencing it as “White Man”. She wrote, “Never forget the Grammys didn’t give me my best new artist award when I had 7 songs simultaneously charting on billboard & bigger first week than any female rapper in the last decade — went on to inspire a generation. They gave it to the white man Bon Iver. #PinkFriday.” 



 

With this tweet, the 'Tusa' hitmaker vowed to “never forget” the day the academy crowned folk group Bon Iver, led by Justin Vernon, in the coveted category of Best New Artist in 2012. Minaj’s rage can be understood from the fact that the singer had over 10 nominations over the last decade, but has not won the prestigious Grammy yet in her entire career. It cannot be articulated why Minaj called the band White man. However, purportedly she was referencing to discrimination over color due to which Grammy list for 2021 has drawn flak. Previously, the Grammys have been slammed for overlooking women and Black performers in major categories. 

(Getty Images)

In order to address racial bias, the organization attempted to improve its diversity standards. It formed a task force in May 2018 after its January 2018 ceremony that celebrated mostly men and pop music. It promised to examine "barriers and biases affecting women and other underrepresented voices in the music industry and, specifically, the Recording Academy," and pledged to double the number of women voters by 2025.

Cut to the present, this year the Recording Academy invited a whopping 2,300 new voters. Of this, 48% were women and 37% belonged to “traditionally underrepresented communities,” which included Black, Latino, and Asian American people. The move was to herald more inclusiveness in the ceremony. However, the Grammy still has to go a long way. USA Today mentions half of the inductees in the list are White. This can be seen as a reason why Minaj also referenced the all-boy band Bon Iver as White man, however, nothing can be clearly confirmed. 

(Getty Images)

In 2019 Minaj said she has been bullied into staying quiet about why she has never won a Grammy. The star stated that she had 'pissed off' Ken Ehrlich, the Grammys Executive Producer over her controversial 2012 performance of the song ‘Roman Holiday’. While Minaj has dropped hints about why she did not get any Grammy due to a feud and now has targeted the band Bon Iver who got the award in 2012 beating her, here's what we need to know about the band.

All about Bon Iver

Bon Iver is an indie-folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Over the years, the band has seen members come and go. The band’s original members included Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan.

Vernon, who is the lead in the band, is known for his distinct falsetto voice. Previously, he has been a member of bands like Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, The Shouting Matches, and Gayngs. He first came to prominence with ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ by band Bon Iver. In 2012, Justin Vernon expressed uncertainty over the future of the band in an interview. He said, “winding it down. I look at it like a faucet. I have to turn it off and walk away from it because so much of how that music comes together is subconscious or discovering. There’s so much attention on the band, it can be distracting at times. I really feel the need to walk away from it while I still care about it. And then if I come back to it — if at all — I’ll feel better about it and be renewed or something to do that.” 

Jenn Wasner and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver perform on stage (Getty Images)

Sean Carey is best known as the drummer and supporting vocalist in Bon Iver. The artiste released his first solo album, ‘All We Grow’ in 2010 but has devoted much of his time working for the band. With years passing by, the band grew stronger in fame and fortune. It has made four albums that include ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ in 2008, ‘Bon Iver, Bon Iver’ in 2011, ‘22 A Million’ in 2016, and ‘I, I’ in 2019. The band is known for its soft-spoken lyrics and recently collaborated on Taylor Swift’s album ‘Folklore’. It has also worked with stars like Beck, Kanye West, James Blake, Jason Feather in the past. The band has been nominated for eight Grammy awards and won two of them in 2012. This year they got nominated in Pop Duo/ Group Performance for their collab with Taylor Swift on 'Exile' from 'Folklore'. 

Now as they have been referenced as 'White Man' by Minaj, the Internet is bewildered and is asking if the band is a man or a group. Many on the Internet felt Nicki Minaj deserved a Grammy win but some felt she should not write in an insulting way for other artists. A user wrote, “Let Me clarify Nicki def deserved that Grammy. However, it’s over and done with. Calling that man out who never done or said anything bad about Nicki isn't giving what y’all think it’s giving.” Another concurred, “It’s an award show...not that deep Nicki.” A user wrote in favor of the band, “As much as I hate them for snubbing you, please do not drag Bon Iver. He does make quality music. You deserve numerous Grammy's but he deserves as well.” A user wrote supporting Minaj, “Why are people saying "delete this"? She's telling the truth.”  A user wrote against Minaj, "Bon Iver is a great artist with a great body of works and talent unlike you." 



 



 



 



 



 

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