Grammys: Drake's 2019 'anti' speech hailed 'greatest ever'

Drake skipped the 2024 Grammys, as he was too busy on tour with J. Cole, but it didn’t stop his 2019 speech circulating the internet, which some claim is “the greatest speech ever.”

The 2024 Grammy Awards were full of glitz, glam, and maybe one or two ‘shady’ speeches from Jay-Z. Despite the rapper being in the running for the greatest Grammy speech of all time, it looks like social media still crowns Drake in that top spot for his 2019 acceptance speech.

Drake’s 2019 Grammys speech hailed ‘greatest ever’

At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, in 2019, the Shot For Me rapper took to the stage to accept his gramophone as he won Best Rap Song for God’s Plan. However, he didn’t give your usual thank you speech at the awards show. Instead, he almost downplayed his own achievements.

“I want to take the opportunity while I’m up here to just talk to the kids who are watching this who aspire to make music,” he said. “All my peers that make music from their heart, that do things pure and tell the truth. I want to let you know that we’re playing in an opinion-based sport. Not a factual-based sport.”

He then went on to explain how the decisions “may be up to a bunch of people who might not understand what a mixed-raced kid from Canada has to say, or a fly Spanish girl from New York, or a brother from Houston,” referencing Travis Scott, who lost out on Best Rap Album in 2024. In 2019, he attended alongside his then girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.

“The point is, you’ve already won if you have people singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown. If there are people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets for your shows, you don’t need this right here, I promise you. You already won,” the Canadian rapper concluded, as cheers erupted in the crowd.

Five years to the date, the video is once again circulating on X, formerly known as Twitter, as users reminisce.

“Best ever Grammy speech, wrote one.

“Give this dude some flowers,” penned another.

A third exclaimed: “Example of a real man!!!”

The rapper seemingly ‘shades’ the Grammys once again

Last night, before hitting the stage for night two in Tampa, the God’s Plan rapper took to his Instagram stories to repost the ‘iconic’ 2019 speech.

Alongside the video, he wrote: “All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t the facts it’s just the opinion of a group of people whose name is kept a secret (literally you can Google it)”

“Congrats to anybody winning anything for hip hop, but this show doesn’t dictate s*** in our world,” the 37-year-old concluded.

Drake isn’t keeping his views to himself lately, as he was ‘slammed’ this weekend for ‘shading’ Rihanna as he took to the stage for the opening night of his It’s All a Blur – Big as The What? Tour with J. Cole.

The Canadian rapper was nominated for a number of awards this year, including Best Rap Album for his 2022 album with 21 Savage, Her Loss.