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Frank Ocean Says Skipping The Grammys Is His ‘Colin Kaepernick Moment’

The elusive singer opened up in a rare interview

Last month, Frank Ocean deliberately missed the deadline to submit his two new albums, Blonde and Endless, for Grammy consideration. Now, in his first in-depth interview since 2013, the enigmatic singer has explained his decision to sit the awards show out.

“That institution certainly has nostalgic importance,” Ocean told the New York Times. “It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.”

He's not the first artist to express his qualms about the Academy's values. Kanye West, who supported Ocean's decision not to attend the Grammys this year, has a history of speaking out against the awards show's decisions, like when Beck won Album of the Year over Beyoncé in 2015.

In his Times interview, Ocean "noted that since he was born, just a few black artists have won album of the year."

“I think the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated,” he said. “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.”

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