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Frank Ocean Blasts Grammys for Taylor Swift’s 2016 Album of the Year Win: ‘One of the Most Faulty TV Moments’

Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift
Frank Ocean; Taylor SwiftLarry Busacca/Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Frank Ocean blasted Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich and show writer David Wild in a scathing open letter on Saturday, February 11. The 29-year-old R&B singer's comments came days after the duo called his technical difficulty–ridden 2013 debut Grammys performance "faulty" and "not great TV" in an interview with Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast.

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"Ok Ken (and David). As much as I hate to make you guys famous or even respond to you directly. We all die one day and you're old so f–k it," Ocean, who is skipping this year's show and did not submit his acclaimed album Blonde for consideration, wrote on Tumblr. "Yea yea my 2013 performance at the Grammys was absolute shit. Technical difficulties, blah blah. Thanks for the reminder. Very much appreciated. F–k that performance though. You think that's why I kept my work out of the Grammy process this year? Don't you think I would've wanted to play the show to 'redeem' myself if I felt that way?"

The two-time Grammy winner revealed in his post that he had considered participating in the Grammys' tribute to the late icon Prince, but ultimately decided his "best tribute to that man's legacy would be to continue to be myself out here and to be successful."

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"Winning a TV award doesn't christen me successful," he continued. "It took me some time to learn that. I bought all my masters back last year in the prime of my career, that's successful. Blonde sold a million plus without a label, that's successful. I am young, black, gifted and independent … that's my tribute."

Ocean then slammed the Recording Academy for giving Album of the Year to Taylor Swift's 1989 over Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly at last year's ceremony. "You know what's really not 'great TV' guys?" he wrote. "1989 getting album of the year over To Pimp a Butterfly. Hands down one of the most 'faulty' TV moments I've seen."

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The "Nikes" crooner concluded his letter by urging the show's producers to "use the old gramophone to actually listen bro," calling himself "one of the best alive."

The 2017 Grammy Awards air on CBS Sunday, February 12, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

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