Childish Gambino makes history at the Grammys with wins for Song and Record of the Year

Childish Gambino has made history by becoming the first artist to win Song of the Year and Record of the Year with a rap song, for "This is America".

Donald Glover, who is currently preparing to retire his artistic alter-ego, was not at the ceremony to accept his award in an apparent snub over the Grammys poor relationship with the hip hop community.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that he had turned down an offer to perform at the ceremony, along with Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Lamar was also absent, and while Drake appeared to accept a prize, he was likely irritated at being cut off during his speech.

Childish Gambino also took home the prize for Best Music Video for the striking visuals that accompany "This is America", which went viral last year and racked up more than 35m views on YouTube in just two days.

There was considerable pressure on this year's Grammys ceremony to get it right following a disappointing result in 2018 where Lamar and Jay Z were among the biggest snubs. Jay-Z was nominated for eight awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the the Year, but went home empty handed.

“The fact of the matter is, we continue to have a problem in the hip-hop world,” Ehrlich told the New York Times. “When they don't take home the big prize, the regard of the academy, and what the Grammys represent, continues to be less meaningful to the hip-hop community, which is sad.“