For decades, the Grammy Awards have been the paradigm of musical achievement. The Recording Academy, the non-profit in charge of the award show, has played an enormous role in setting trends and spotlighting artists that have changed the course of American music history. Mariah Carey, Amy Winehouse, Adele and the Beatles are all examples of artists that were baptized into iconic careers by the Grammy’s Best New Artist award.   
However, a plague of accusations has rocked the Academy’s reputation in recent years, causing many to reevaluate the award show’s relevance to musical merit and culture on the whole. New allegations of corruption and abuse made by former Recording Academy CEO, Deborah Dugan, might be the final nail in the coffin for the organization’s credibility.
The show’s deteriorating public perception has evidently made a serious impact on its audience, as ratings have consistently decreased for the past decade. With its status and viewership in rapid decline, I think we are witnessing the Grammys’ last moments.  
One sign of the show’s downfall can be seen in the strange and confusing choices of nominees and winners. Perhaps the most infamous example of this in recent memory was when Macklemore’s “The Heist” won over Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.Ad city” for Best Rap Album in 2014.
Incidents like these, in which an artist of color gets snubbed despite enormous critical acclaim, provoke suspicion of racist attitudes or alternative agendas that might hold sway in the Academy behind closed doors.  
In the years following the Macklemore-Kendrick debacle, the public, including artists themselves, has subjected the Grammys to unprecedented scrutiny. Examples of supposed snubbing were being identified and criticized left and right. In protest, many mainstream musicians, like Drake, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, have, at one point or another, opted to boycott the award ceremony altogether.
At a pre-Grammy gala last Saturday, rapper and record executive Sean “Diddy” Combs added to the litany of celebrity rebellions against the Recording Academy. In his acceptance speech for a lifetime achievement award, in front of hundreds of other musicians and Academy executives, he expressed some derisive remarks about hip hop’s historically poor relationship with the Grammys.
He stated, “Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys to the point that it should be . . . And for years we’ve allowed institutions that have never had our best interests at heart to judge us. And that stops right now.”
With its own industry in revolt, I don’t see how the Grammys can continue to sustain any significant cultural influence without making some sweeping changes to award processes and overall transparency. 
In a formal complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), about ten days prior to Diddy’s scathing speech, recently ousted Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan essentially exposed the Grammys for tampering with results, confirming the corruption that has been suspected for years.
Her accusations ultimately boil down to what she calls “a boys’ club” at the helm of the Academy. She asserted that this elite, all-male pack of executives prioritize their own interests over the integrity of the awards and the artists they claim to be honoring.
Dugan alleged this “boys’ club” is not beyond bypassing the Grammys’ voting process by choosing winners and nominees that best suit their financial investments or personal motives. She confirms the likelihood of racist and sexist undertones behind many of these dishonest decisions.  
I don’t see how the Grammys can recover from this. Beyond the obviously problematic bigotry that seems to haunt the Academy’s inner workings, the mere revelation that the show’s results are not totally based on merit is enough to do irrevocable damage to its reputation as the music industry’s premier prize.
As someone who has grown up making an event of award nights, it’s particularly disheartening for me to watch the Grammys deteriorate like this. Although I don’t think it’s likely, I genuinely hope that the Recording Academy will come to its senses and get its act together. Institutions that authentically elevate and honor great art are so important for the vitality of our culture.
Evan Leonhard is a 19-year-old English and philosophy major from New Orleans Louisiana.