The Grammys Cultivated A Diverse Cast Of Winners — And Then Cut Them Off

Dua Lipa  with her awards for Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording during the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP)

Last year, the Grammys came under fire for underrepresenting hip-hop among the major category winners and lacking female nominees and winners across the board. In the latter case, Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow made matters worse by suggesting the problem was that women needed to “step up.”

Flash-forward one year. The academy expanded the number...