It was one of the more head-scratching moments of last Sunday’s Grammy telecast. During the much talked about performance by Lil Wayne, Eminem and Drake, viewers were treated to a rousing set that was marred by excessive censoring. Several times entire lines were muted despite the hip-hop artists themselves providing clean lyrics.
But according to the Associated Press, CBS explained that various verses in the songs “Drop The World” and “Forever” did not fit network criteria.
“It was a rousing musical performance but words were edited from the live telecast that didn’t meet our broadcast standards,” said CBS spokesman Chris Ender. “We have great respect for artists’ creative freedom, but there are certain things you can’t say, or sing, on television.”
Of course, such brazen censorship was not the only thing that had hip-hop fans shaking their collective heads. The winners of the Grammy’s “Best Rap” categories were not even aired during the telecast.