For Kendrick Lamar, it was a Heist of a Grammys moment. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took home Grammys on Sunday, Jan. 26 for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best New Artist, and to the dismay of fans and both frontrunners, Best Rap Album.
“You got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have,” Macklemore wrote via text to Kendrick Lamar, whose good kid, m.A.A.d city was expected to win big Sunday evening, especially in the Best Rap Album category. In a screen shot of the iMessage correspondence between the two rappers posted to Macklemore’s Instagram account, the Seattle native continued to lament K-Dot’s loss: “It’s weird and sucks that I robbed you. I was gonna say that during the speech. Then the music started playing during my speech, and I froze,” wrote the “Same Love” performer, 30, whose real name is Ben Haggerty. “Anyway, you know what it is. Congrats on this year and your music. Appreciate you as an artist and as a friend. Much love.”
Along with the thoughtful text message to the “A.D.H.D.” rapper, Macklemore explained to fans how he felt about his win: “My text to Kendrick after the show. He deserved best rap album. I’m honored and completely blown away to win anything much less 4 Grammys. But in that category, he should have won IMO, And that’s taking nothing away from The Heist. Just giving GKMC it’s proper respect,” he said.
“With that being said, thank you to the fans. You’re the reason we were on that stage tonight. And to play Same Love on that platform was a career highlight,” Macklemore wrote of the 33 weddings that were officiated during his performance with Madonna and Queen Latifah. “The greatest honor of all. That’s what this is about. Progress and art. Thank you. #grammys.” (Lamar, meanwhile, performed a Taylor Swift-approved, crowd-pleasing mashup of “Radioactive” mashup with Imagine Dragons Sunday night.)
Following the Grammys, Macklemore spoke to Hot 97’s Morning Show Monday, Jan. 27 and addressed his controversial win: “Try being the guy that won that award… f—!” he said. “It’s a blessing and curse. A little bit more a curse.”
“First and foremost, Kendrick is a friend of mine — I love his music,” confessed Macklemore. “In my opinion he had the Best Rap Album of the year.” Staying true to his messages the night before, the Heist artist continued, “I think we made a great album — I think Kendrick made a better rap album… What makes it awkward for me, is that, you never want to be the person who robs somebody else.”
Despite his loss, Lamar, 26, looked like he just wanted to celebrate his successful year Sunday night — showing up at the Staples Center “with the biggest entourage of anyone on the carpet,” according to one eyewitness. Before the Grammys, Macklemore shared another correspondence with the “Poetic Justice” hitmaker, this time initiated by Lamar. “Lets get it bro! wake up call! We worked hard as f—,” he wrote to the “Can’t Hold Us” rapper.
“You already know homie,” responded Macklemore. “Time to celebrate!!! Congrats my friend. What a f—ing year.”
