The 59th annual Grammy Awards is an event many musicians are eager to attend, though there is one rapper who could be MIA from the ceremony. You might even be asking yourself, "Will Kanye West be at the 2017 Grammys?" The possibility of The Life of Pablo creator not going to the Grammys are pretty high for a number of reasons. Basically, don't be surprised if you don't see West walking the red carpet with or without Kim Kardashian by his side in February 2017. Update: On Tuesday morning, the Grammy nominations were announced. West is up for seven awards total, including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song.
Earlier: The most obvious reason he could skip the show is due to his recent hospitalization. In November, West was hospitalized for exhaustion. After a week-long stay at the UCLA Medical Center, on Wednesday, Nov. 30 E! News reported that West was released from the hospital. TMZ also reported that West is at home with Kardashian and their two kids. According to TMZ, the 39-year-old artist "left the hospital under the care of Kim, and his personal physician." Sources also reportedly told TMZ that West still has a long ways to go, specifically claiming there would be "ongoing psychological and medical treatment." At the time of the report of West's release, Bustle reached out to his rep for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
Kendall Jenner spoke with Entertainment Tonight Wednesday, Nov. 30 backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and said about her brother-in-law's status, "Yes, of course [he'll be OK]." The 21-year-old model added, "Everyone is doing OK, just praying."
Even if West has been released and is "doing OK," that doesn't mean he will show up at the Grammys. He may need time to relax and rest at home before getting back into the groove of being a celebrity. There's even the possibility that the "Fade" musician will choose to take a step back from the public eye until he is absolutely ready. Both West and Kardashian have been through a lot over the past two months, so it's understandable if they need more time away from the spotlight.
Another reason he may not attend the Grammys is because of Frank Ocean. In October, West declared during his Saint Pablo Tour concert in Oakland, Calif. that if Ocean didn't get nominated for a Grammy, he would boycott the affair. "The album I listened to the most this year is Frank Ocean's album," he said. "I'll tell you this right now: If his album is not nominated in no categories, I'm not showing up to the Grammys. As artists, we've got to come together to fight the bullsh*t."
Well, Ocean won't be nominated for Blonde and Endless, which were both released in August. He was considered ineligible for the 2017 Grammys because he missed the filing deadline. Both albums were released before the Grammy eligibility cutoff date of Sept. 30, but neither were submitted for consideration.
In a November interview with The New York Times, Ocean opened up about not submitting his work and said, "That institution certainly has nostalgic importance. 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 added, "I think the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated. I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience."
Between West's recent hospitalization and Ocean not being nominated, the chances of the rapper attending the 2017 Grammys seem extremely unlikely. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens come Sunday, Feb. 12.
