
Grammys flashback: Frank Ocean was first winner of a category before snubbing the awards for good

One of the most acclaimed albums of the 2010s, Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange” was innovative and fresh, but still classic-sounding, and it earned a whopping 92 score on Metacritic. The album was also a commercial success, debuting at number-two on the Billboard 200. So it’s not surprising that “Channel Orange” was a big Grammy player, receiving major nominations like Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for “Thinkin Bout You”).
Ocean’s biggest Grammy achievement may have been winning the first Best Urban Contemporary Album award, now renamed Best Progressive R&b Album. Albeit controversial, the category has given us some amazing winners like Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and, most recently, Steve Lacy’s “Gemini Rights.” And when you look at Ocean’s history, the year he competed, and the state of R&b in the early 2010s, it makes total sense how “Channel Orange” truly was the perfect inaugural winner.
Ocean’s biggest Grammy achievement may have been winning the first Best Urban Contemporary Album award, now renamed Best Progressive R&b Album. Albeit controversial, the category has given us some amazing winners like Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and, most recently, Steve Lacy’s “Gemini Rights.” And when you look at Ocean’s history, the year he competed, and the state of R&b in the early 2010s, it makes total sense how “Channel Orange” truly was the perfect inaugural winner.
- 6/1/2023
- by Jaime Rodriguez
- Gold Derby
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