Do Independent Artists Get the Short Stick When It Comes To The Grammys?

Chance the Rapper is a Chicago native independent artist that has grew in popularity for his mixtapes first getting attention on SoundCloud. Over the past five years, Chance has released three mixtapes and his latest mixtape, Coloring Book, has featured many rappers such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and 2 Chainz. Chance is up for Best Rap Album in this year’s Grammy Awards. But will he be able to grab such an accolade with not being signed with a label? The problem with not being signed with a label is the money that comes with being signed. Chance gets all his money from tours and merchandise. Unlike other artists, Chance has the choice to do whatever he wants when it comes to songs, studio time, and creative input. Chance was the first independent rapper to perform on Saturday Night Live this year and continues to play for people like Ellen and Jimmy Fallon. It’s sad that the chances of him winning a Grammy is so low because of the perks signed artists have and the connections they make while being signed. If it came down to creativity and breakthrough, Chance the Rapper would easily win but bigger names with bigger sales will always win over independent artists like Chance.