Chris Brown didn’t show up for the 2023 Grammys, but the singer still found a way to be heard after he didn’t win the award for R&B album.
Brown, whose 10th studio album, “Breezy,” was nominated, lost out to musician Robert Glasper and his album “Black Radio III.”
The “Run It” singer took to social media to complain, hurling insults at his competition, writing on Instagram, “Y’all playing. Who da f— is this?” over Glasper’s name, accompanied by a row of crying-laughing emojis, according to reports and screenshots of the now-deleted story posts.
He continued his social media tirade by asking “Who the f— is Robert Glasper?” and separate story posts, writing, “Ima keep kicking yall a—! Respectfully,” and a video of him playing the harmonica, with the caption, “new level unlocked, harmonica ‘Breezy.’”
The award for R&B album was presented at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony held at at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, a non-televised event before the main show. Other nominees included Mary J. Blige, who gave an earthshaking performance during the main broadcast, PJ Morton, and Lucky Daye.
Despite Brown’s taunts, Glasper is no stranger to Grammy success, earning 11 nominations and winning five throughout his career.
The pianist, whose collaborations include some of the most influential R&B and hip-hop acts including Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Common, Q-Tip and Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), won the R&B album Grammy in 2013 for his album “Black Radio,” and was nominated again for the top R&B award in 2015 for “Black Radio II.” In 2021, he won the Grammy for R&B song, alongside H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Glasper is aware that he isn’t a household name, sharing a humorous post on his Instagram last week, asking “Who the f— is Robert Glasper?” Brown seized on Glasper’s earlier post, obliviously lifting the self-aware joke during Sunday’s insults. Glasper is known to crack self-deprecating jokes on social media, often mocking his apparent inability to rap or sing.
“My safety pin busted out of my pants, as I was running,” Glasper joked while pulling up his pants on the Microsoft Theater stage after winning the award on Sunday. The pianist didn’t seem to take notice of Brown’s insults on Monday, instead re-sharing to his Instagram story a litany of praise from fans, friends and others in the industry.
Brown has become a controversial figure since pleading guilty to felony assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Last year, Brown’s win at the American Music Awards for male R&B artist drew a mix of cheers and boos. Brown also skipped that awards show, leaving Kelly Rowland to accept the award on his behalf and come to his defense.
Brown claimed on Instagram that his AMA performance — a tribute to Michael Jackson — was canceled “for reasons unknown,” later posting rehearsal footage with the caption “U SERIOUS?” with a face palm emoji.
Despite Brown’s continued critical and commercial success, he continues to fall just short at the Grammys, nabbing 19 nominations with his sole win coming in 2012 for his album “F.A.M.E.”
