Per Variety, sources say the decision was made by Drake and his management team. Drake’s motive for withdrawal is not yet known, but the Grammys honored his request. Drake, 35, was nominated for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance for his single “Way 2 Sexy” with Future and Young Thug. The two categories will move forward with just the remaining four nominees. Nominees for Best Rap Album also include: J. Cole’s The Off-Season, Nas’ King’s Disease, Tyler, the Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost and Kanye West’s Donda. Best Rap Performance nominees also include: Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s “Family Ties,” Cardi B’s “Up,” J. Cole, 21 Savage and Morray’s “M Y . L I F E” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot S***.”

He’s no stranger to receiving and winning Grammys, his latest being 2019 for “God’s Plan” winning Best Rap Song. He’s also been vocal about his thoughts and feelings toward the long-running award show. After The Weeknd was left out of the 63rd Grammy nominations, despite having the biggest-selling album of 2020 with After Hours, Drake shared the following via his Instagram story: “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. “It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways.” His solution? “This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come.” Drake has been nominated a total of 47 times at the Grammys and has won four. In 2017, he opted not to submit his More Life project, despite meeting the requirements. The 64th Annual Grammy Awards will take place on January 31, 2022.