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The 2021 Grammys Made An Effort To Honor Hip-Hop That Normally Gets Overlooked
From the fraught first year that the Grammys acknowledged hip-hop, it was clear that the then-emerging genre and the old-Hollywood music business establishment that puts the show on each year would never see eye-to-eye. Hip-hop is a youth movement; the average age of the Recording Academy was well into middle age until very, very (seriously, like 2018) recently. Hip-hop comes from the experiences of mainly underserved Black, Latin, and Asian creators; the Grammys — again, until recently — have always been very, very white.
And while the Grammys have made a concerted effort to address its shortcomings regarding its treatment of rap and hip-hop, the genre itself has undergone massive changes since The Fresh Prince first led a hip-hop boycott of the 1989 ceremony to protest the Grammys not televising the new Best Rap Performance award. For one thing, The Fresh Prince is now better known for his extensive filmography and the extreme dad energy of his Instagram and TikTok posts than he is for his mic skills.
Meanwhile, the very attributes a rap performer must display to be taken seriously have changed from night to day. Rather than reeling off rapid-fire punchlines about how “Fresh” you are, you’re more likely to switch breezily from chattering double-time cadences to cool crooning. The synthesizers and programmed drums of the early years have given way to cavernous 808s thundering away over warped samples from classical music and drumless soul loops spinning away behind intricate, ultra-violent drug tales.
So, it’d be difficult for the Grammys to “get it right” even under the best circumstances. Yet somehow, incredibly, that’s exactly what the show managed to do this year — even if no one will ever be truly satisfied with the results. The field, which included projects from California newcomer D Smoke, Midwestern coke rap kingpin Freddie Gibbs, New Orleans mystic Jay Electronica, New York veteran Nas, and Motor City rhyme mechanic Royce Da 5’9, represented one of the most balanced group’s in recent memory, pulling from multiple regions, generations, and sounds, with one thing in common: A commitment to the original tenets of “dope rhymes over dope beats.”
And while any rap fan could find plenty to complain about — once again, there was a dearth of women nominated, despite the sharp uptick in overall representation over the past several years, and no artist nominated was under 30 — there’s going to be a breaking point between having legitimate concerns and just plain moving the goalposts. In prior years, the complaint went, “The Grammys are too commercial,” only selecting projects from artists with sales numbers and widespread press, letting the importance streams overtake the value of artistic vision.
While this is a position that’s already hard enough to defend, considering the subjective nature of artistic vision in the first place, the fact remains that the Academy took long strides in addressing those concerns this year. Acknowledging longtime underground favorites like Freddie and Royce, paramount musicianship from D Smoke, and the bulletproof legacy of someone like Nas, the Grammys sent a clear message: That they heard those prior years’ complaints and took them seriously.
So, of course, it’s only natural that rap fans find something else to take issue with — namely, Nas’ win over Freddie. While both albums were collaborative efforts between two of rap’s top technicians and a pair of well-established producers in Alchemist and Hit-Boy, the fact remains that Nas is the more recognizable artist between the two among Grammy voters. He’s been a perennial contender for Best Rap Album, and while playing “what if” is always dicey, it’s almost certain that a win for Freddie over Nas would have drawn just as many vocal protests after the Queensbridge icon was once again “snubbed,” adding to his double-digit list of losses.
The fact someone like Freddie Gibbs could even receive a nod is a victory in itself — especially when you consider how many other artists were considered snubs this year. Lil Baby had one of the most-streamed albums of 2020, a No. 1 single in “The Bigger Picture,” and many rap fans’ hopes riding on him to legitimize the trap rap movement in the mainstream purview. Despite multiple female artists releasing worthy projects in 2020 or late 2019, none were nominated. No year’s field could ever be perfect, but the Gibbs nomination proves the Grammys are trying.
It also shows that maybe just adding more Black, female, or “young” voters isn’t quite enough. There’s no guarantee that these measures will ensure significant variance between voters’ tastes — after all, Grammy voters also tend to run more “intellectual” and “refined,” which helps explain why rough-edged rappers like Lil Baby might fly under their radars. That said, the show’s producers picked up the slack elsewhere; newcomers like DaBaby, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, and Roddy Ricch not only appeared on the show — one of the biggest platforms to help them launch their future bids for mainstream recognition — but Megan also won for other categories, while Chika and Doja Cat were mentioned among the Best New Artists of 2021.
Those moments count too. After all, Nas’ win was as much a result of his stature among Academy voters as it was a consolation for all the other golden gramophones he never got to display on his mantel. Cardi B pointed out as much before the show; just giving these under-the-radar artists the look helps them further their careers, which is the real goal. The Grammys aren’t the be-all, end-all. Like Nipsey Hussle — another Best Rap Album “snub” who won a different award posthumously the next year — said, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Perhaps that’s the view rap fans should take with the Grammys’ halting progress toward a more perfect relationship with hip-hop. While rap is too broad and diverse a genre to ever be able to honor every artist in every nook and cranny of rap’s various versions, there’s nothing wrong with giving them credit where it’s due, even as we ask them to consider angles they haven’t yet. That’s what they’re trying to do — heck, it’s what we should all aspire to do — and when even getting “snubbed” helps artists so much, that’s an effort that should be appreciated.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Azealia Banks Calls Out Doja Cat After Saying She Deserved A Grammy
A few weeks ago, Azealia Banks was bashing Doja Cat at every turn, calling out the rapper on social media and body-shaming her, calling her fat and bullying her on Instagram. After realizing that Doja had previously praised Azealia’s music publicly, her opinion of the “Say So” hitmaker seemingly changed. While Azealia has held less malice toward Doja Cat, she clearly still doesn’t love the Los Angeles-based singer. Still, she recognizes that Doja probably should have won a Grammy Award at Sunday night’s ceremony.
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“Dojacat deserved a Grammy,” wrote Azealia on Instagram Stories, before theorizing that she wasn’t awarded because of her work with Dr. Luke, who was previously involved in a year-long legal war with Kesha, who accused the producer of sexual, verbal, physical, and emotional abuse. “It’s def the Dr. Luke politic.”
Azealia’s commentary over the night was entertaining, including her reaction to Beyoncé winning her record-breaking twenty-eighth Grammy, which Banks says was “deserved”. She also spoke about her arch-rival Kanye West’s win, which she says gives her hope after the artist shared a video of himself urinating inside one of his Grammy Awards last year. “The fact that Kanye won a Grammy after peeing on one in the toilet gives me hope,” wrote Azealia. “I’ve gotta make a gospel song and pee on someones leg.”
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While she previously seemed peeved that Doja Cat didn’t win a Grammy, Azealia later switched her tone again, calling out the rapper for allegedly texting her and asking her to stop body-shaming cupcakKe. “But tbh the nerve of doja to try and check me via text about body shaming cupcakKe (who threatened to shoot sukihana’s three children in the head and also called me a skinny crackhead before I even knew what a cupcakKe was) when doja works for an entire rapist. Maybe that’s the karma she gets for trying to get smart with her mother (me) and not staying in a child’s place. Hmmmph.”
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What do you think about this?
Chadwick Boseman Earns Posthumous Best Actor Nomination
Chadwick Boseman has earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor In A Leading Role. The nomination arrives seven months after his tragic death on August 28th, when he passed away at the age of forty-three. The entire list of 2021 Academy Award nominees can be found here.
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Boseman’s Best Actor nod came following his appearance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which secured a total of five nominations; co-star Viola Davis received one for Best Actress In A Leading Role, while the film took home nods for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup And Hairstyling, and Best Production Design. While it did not receive one for Best Picture, the impressive number of nominations earned by Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom speaks to the film’s quality nonetheless.
In Boseman’s case, he’ll be joined by some prestigious company. Also nominated for Best Actor In A Leading Role as Gary Oldman for Mank, Riz Ahmed (making history as the category’s first Muslim nominee) for The Sound Of Metal, Steven Yeun for Minari, and Anthony Hopkins for The Father. It should be noted that Boseman took home the Best Actor Golden Globe a few months ago, and while they don’t always foreshadow the Oscars, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boseman’s turn as trumpet prodigy Levee Green take home the prize.
The last actor to win a posthumous Academy Award was Heath Ledger in 2008, who won Best Actor for his iconic role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Should you be interested in catching the 2021 Oscars, look for the ceremony to air on April 25th. Rest in peace to Chadwick Boseman — do you think he’ll secure the win for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom?
Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury Finally Sign Two-Fight Deal
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are the two best fighters in the heavyweight division right now. While Joshua has the majority of the championship belts, Fury has some of the more impressive wins, especially his latest against Deontay Wilder. For the last year, rumors have swirled surrounding a potential two-fight deal between Fury and Joshua although up until now, nothing has been determined with certainty.
Well, today, boxing fans finally got what they wanted as boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who works for Joshua, officially told ESPN that the two have signed on for two fights. Essentially, we are guaranteed to see a rematch no matter what happens in the first fight.
This fight will help unify the Heavyweight division and give us an undisputed champion. If the match were to happen today, it’s safe to say that most people would have their money on Fury, although Joshua is still a great technical fighter, and seeing these two in the ring would be a whole lot of fun.
For now, it remains to be seen when these fights will take place although one would have to think that summer of 2021 would be a great time. This would set up a rematch in the following year, and it’s a timeline that goes along well with COVID-19 vaccinations.
Let us know who you think will win this fight, in the comments below.
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Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Kenneth Walker Files Federal Lawsuit Against Louisville PD
One day before the one-year anniversary of her tragic death, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker decided to file a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Police Department on Friday. Walker has another state lawsuit pending over the shooting, claiming that the Louisville PD bears the “direct responsibility” of Taylor’s death.
The death of Breonna Taylor occurred on March 13, 2020, when officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove forced entry into the apartment because they suspected that Kenneth Walker was running a drug-dealing operation. Kenneth claims that the officers did not announce their entrance, so he fired one warning shot that wounded an officer in the leg. The police fired 32 shots back, six of them hitting Breonna and tragically resulting in her death. Police did not find any drugs in the apartment.
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“In view of these manifold failures by LMPD, the events that led to Ms. Taylor’s death and Mr. Walker’s injuries on March 13, 2020 — and other incidents like it — were all but inevitable,” the lawsuit said, according to the Courier-Journal.
Kenneth Walker recently had his charges permanently dismissed with prejudice from the case, meaning that he can never be charged again. The three officers involved in the case have since all been fired from the Louisville PD.
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2021 Academy Award Nominees: Complete List
This year’s Academy Awards are certainly unprecedented. Since the COVID-19 pandemic halted production on many films and television shows, the selections for this year’s Oscars were much slimmer than usual. On Monday morning, celebrity husband-wife duo Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas announced the Academy Award nominees for all 23 major categories. This year’s ceremony will be held in person at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, unlike last month’s primarily virtual Golden Globes ceremony.
The nominations for this year are certainly historic, however, with David Fincher’s Mank leading with 10 nods. Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell have both been nominated for best director, which marks the first time two women have ever been nominated at the same time. Only five women have ever been nominated for best director, and Zhao is the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated.
Read the complete list of 2021 Oscar nominees below.
Best Picture
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari
Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Actor in a Supporting Role
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah
Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Best Director
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
David Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Best Cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Best Film Editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago Seven
Best International Feature Film
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Animated Feature Film
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
Best Animated Short Film
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens
Opera
Yes People
Best Music (Original Song)
“Fight For You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago Seven
“Husavik,” Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
“Io Si,” The Life Ahead
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami
Best Music (Original Score)
Da Five Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Best Sound
Greyhound
Sound of Metal
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Best Documentary Feature
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time
Best Documentary Short Subject
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song For Latasha
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio
Best Costume Design
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio
Best Live Action Short Film
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye
Best Production Design
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Best Visual Effects
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet
Jameis Winston’s Role With The Saints Unveiled After Taysom Hill Deal
Drew Brees is officially a retired man. Now, he will get to enjoy the fruits of his labor, while also getting to broadcast with the likes of NBC. Brees had a Hall of Fame career and at this stage, it was clear that it was time to move on and try something new. Retirement is never an easy decision although Brees has a ton of support at home, and it only made sense for him to want to branch out.
Now, the Saints will have to figure out who their quarterback for next year. Reports surfaced that Taysom Hill would be getting a $140 million contract extension although it was immediately made clear that this was voidable and only done for cap purposes. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Jameis Winston is still a huge part of the Saints franchise and that heading into training camp, they want Hill and Winston to battle each other for the starting role.
Winston is a much better passer than Hill although the latter is a better all-around player given what he can do as a tight end and special teams player. With this in mind, the Saints’ decision is going to be very difficult. However, if Winston gets the starting job, they can still use Hill how they’ve been doing so for the last few years.
Let us know who you think should be the Saints QB, in the comments below.
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Clever Calls Out Cops On “Skittles” With Lil Baby
Clever has been an accomplice from the start of his career in the music business. The Alabama-born recording artist has previously commented on racial equity in his music, most notably on his 2019 song “Wooden Box”. As the fight intensifies against anti-Black racism in the United States, many have spoken out and used their platform to promote the change they want to see in the world. Clever continues being an accomplice to the Black Lives Matter movement, releasing his new song “Skittles” with Lil Baby, which deals with themes of police brutality, anti-Black racism, and more.
“Skittles” is one of the later songs on Clever’s debut album Crazy, featuring Lil Baby as the two artists speak on their own experiences with the law. In Clever’s hook, he references the murder of Trayvon Martin, singing, “When they get you for the Skittles and you pull over/I don’t wanna pull over anymore.” Martin had taken a walk to his local corner store to buy a bag of Skittles and he was fatally shot while returning home by George Zimmerman.
In Lil Baby’s verse, the Grammy-nominated artist continues his work from “The Bigger Picture”, making rhymes adjacent with what he was spitting a few months ago.
Listen to “Skittles” below and let us know what you think. Read Clever’s exclusive new interview with HotNewHipHop here.
Quotable Lyrics:
We don’t really f*ck with them 5-0
Trying to pull me over up on the side road
Got a light blade and I drive slow
Got a Black man in that car with me
They treat me like it’s just a drug thing
It’s just another couple thug thing
Throw ’em in front of the judge thing
Busta Rhymes & Big Sean Celebrate Nas & Hit Boy’s Grammy Win
It’s hard to believe that Nas, easily one of the greatest rappers of all time, spent the duration of his decades-long career having never won a Grammy. Considering he’s the architect of one of hip-hop’s most influential albums, many have felt that the Queensbridge rapper has been long overdue. Therefore, when he ultimately took home the big Best Rap Album prize for his Hit-Boy-produced King’s Disease album, many of his peers were quick to celebrate the milestone occasion.
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Nobody appeared happier than Busta Rhymes, who previously enlisted Escobar for a scene-stealing collaboration on the haunting “Don’t Get Carried Away.” Taking to social media to cheer his fellow lyricist, Busta made it abundantly clear that Nas deserves his flowers now more than ever. “CONGRATS ON THE GRAMMY WIN ALMIGHTY!!! EVERYBODY PLEASE GIVE THE KING @nas HIS ROSES,” writes Busta, who probably should have seen his own ELE2: The Wrath Of God secure a Best Rap Album nod. “WELL DESERVED AND LONG OVERDUE!!”
Having played an integral role in bringing King’s Disease to life, Hit-Boy also received applause for his win. An endearing clip reveals Big Sean breaking the news to Hit-Boy, who had yet to hear that his project took it home. Upon hearing the news, Hit-Boy became visibly emotional, prompting Sean to pull him into a proud embrace. Though some might have been hoping for a different outcome, it’s clear that Nas and Hit-Boy’s victory is a solid win for hip-hop no matter where you stand. Check out some of the praise below.