Drake actually showed up to accept his Grammy Award Sunday night for Best Rap Song (“God’s Plan.”) Then he really made his presence felt, telling music hopefuls that awards don’t validate you as a performer.
“If there is people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here. I promise you, you already won.”
After a pause, the performer was suddenly silenced as he started a sentence, and the show cut to commercial.
It appeared as if producers cut off the Toronto-based “Fake Love” rapper just as he was dissing the awards show.
But a ceremony rep told told Variety that producers thought Drake was done and that the rapper declined an invitation to finish his speech because he was satisfied.
“During Drake’s speech, there was a natural pause and at that moment the producers did assume that he was done and then cut to commercial,” said Sunshine Sachs’ Michael Samonte. “However the producers did speak with Drake following his speech and did offer him to come back on stage to finish whatever his thoughts were. But Drake said he was happy with what he said and didn’t have anything to add.”
A Drake rep did not immediately respond to a request for comment.