Wait…what?

This was Macklemore‘s text to Kendrick Lamar after last night’s Grammy Awards–which pitted the two upstart west coast artists against each other in several categories, including Best Rap Album and Album of the Year–following the conclusion of the show, in which the “Same Love” singer walked away with four victories, as opposed to Kendrick Lamar’s zero.

Brief thought.

Why didn’t Macklemore apologize to Kanye West (who was nominated for Yeezus), or Drake (who was nominated for Nothing Was The Same), or Jay Z (who was nominated for Magna Carta Holy Grail)? Why was Kendrick Lamar literally the only person who’s texts he screenshot and whose support he publicly sought? Granted, the general consensus was, good kid, m.A.A.d. city was the best rap album to come out in the past few years, let alone the 10/1/2012-10/1/2013 time frame the Grammys uses, but it still seems to be a bit of a force. Using the terminology “it sucks that I robbed you” seems almost as a humble brag gone wrong, as if Kendrick could use any more insults to injury. If I was Kendrick, I wouldn’t have replied to this text, or acknowledge the amount of attention it was garnering on social media, because it’s a clear effort by Macklemore to alleviate the pressure the media has placed on him, and hip-hop in general. Let’s be honest, if he really planned on mentioning Kendrick Lamar on stage at The Staples Center last night, he would’ve.

-Khari Nixon (@KingVanGogh)