As reported by Billboard, Frank Ocean will not be winning any Grammy Awards this year. Despite being released prior to September 30, 2016, the 2017 Grammy eligibility cutoff date, neither Blonde nor the visual album version, Endless, were even submitted for consideration. Whether this was an intentional decision or an oversight is still unclear. One possibility is that, because the digital-only release was handled by Apple Music, there may have been confusion as to whose role it was to fulfill the traditional label function of submitting Ocean’s work for consideration. Alternatively, a source close to Ocean’s management claims it was Ocean himself who decided to miss the deadline, which could be in line with Ocean’s general anti-establishment attitude towards the music industry.
Jennifer Marr is an Online Highlight Editor for the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law and a current second year student at Harvard Law School (Class of 2018).