Despite being banned from performing at the 2022 Grammys, Kanye West made history after taking home the wins for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the April 3 show. With 24 trophies, the Donda rapper now ties Jay-Z as the two most-awarded rappers in Grammys history.
Though it was a big night for the Yeezy founder, he was noticeably absent from the event. Last month, a rep for Ye—still in the middle of his public divorce battle with Kim Kardashian—said the “Jesus Walks” rapper’s Grammys performance was pulled due to what Meta called “concerning online behavior.”
In the weeks leading up to music’s biggest night, Kanye made several posts on Instagram that were directed at his ex-wife, her new boyfriend Pete Davidson and Trevor Noah—who hosted the 2022 Grammys.
Kanye was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours on March 16 in response to calling the Daily Show host a racial slur for speaking about his behavior towards Kim and the Saturday Night Live star on his show. The social media platform said the rapper violated its policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment.
Following Ye’s offensive post, Trevor expressed sympathy for the Chicago native under his now-deleted post, writing, “There are few artists who have had more of an impact on me than you Ye…Which is why it breaks my heart to see you like this.”
Adding that he believes Kanye is “on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain,” Trevor continued, “You have every right to fight for your family, But you have to know the difference between that and fighting your family…If you’re just joking about it all and I’m an idiot for caring, then so be it. But I’d rather be the idiot who spoke up and said something to you in life, than the cool guy who said nothing and then mourns for you in prison or the grave.”
