Drakeo the Ruler’s Brother Slams Grammys Over in Memoriam Snub: ‘A Spit in the Face’

The brother of Drakeo the Ruler has slammed the Recording Academy for omitting the late rapper from its In Memoriam segment during the 2022 Grammys. The rapper, born Darrell Caldwell, was stabbed to death in December 2021 at the age of 28 following an altercation near Los Angeles’ Once Upon a Time in L.A. concert.

“It comes off as a spit in the face disregarding the facts that we’ve created an entire movement that generated the momentum for underground emerging L.A. artists to have a platform,” Drakeo’s brother Ralfy the Plug told TMZ Wednesday, three days after the Grammys aired the tribute.

While Drakeo was snubbed from the In Memoriam section, another rapper who was slain last year, Young Dolph, was featured during the montage. Despite that, Ralfy the Plug told TMZ, “Leaving Drakeo out of their tribute and by not giving him any acknowledgment of his existence sums up exactly what we feel the industry has been trying to do. Erase us.”

Drakeo the Ruler wasn’t the only noteworthy artist omitted from this year’s Sondheim-heavy tribute: Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge, Bollywood legend Lata Mangeshkar, and photographer Mick Rock were among those who weren’t mentioned in the segment.

In February, Ralfy the Plug and members of Drakeo’s Stinc Team collective filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and other promoters stemming from the rapper’s death; another wrongful death lawsuit was filed last year on behalf of Drakeo’s young son.