It was announced earlier today that Drake chose to withdraw his two Grammy nominations, and his nominations were removed from the official Grammy site.

According to Variety, the rapper and his management came to the decision but his reason for withdrawing hasn’t been specified. Rolling Stone later confirmed that Drake was behind the move.

The Canadian born performer received nominations in the Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance category with Certified Lover Boy and “Way 2 Sexy,” respectively, the latter of which was performed with fellow rappers Future and Young Thug.

Drake was clearly included in each category earlier today, but by this evening his nominations were removed. That left each race with just four nominees.

Nominations for the Grammy are submitted via record label. For Drake to withdraw means at one point everyone was in agreement with the nomination. The Grammys are less than two months away, so pulling out of consideration this late in award season is rare. 

Drake has often criticized the Grammys, especially last year when he took to Instagram to express his frustration against the award show. 

“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after,” Drake wrote on Instagram shortly after the nominations for the 2021 ceremony were announced. “It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways.”

Though Drake is seen as a rapper, he has created several pop-hits that the Grammys hasn’t considered him for, thus adding to his vexation which he expressed in Billboard in 2017.

“I’m a Black artist, I’m apparently a rapper, even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song. The only category that they can manage to fit me in is in a rap category, maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m Black.”