2023 Grammys

Questlove Reveals Why Will Smith Skipped Grammys Hip Hop 50th Tribute

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We know your timelines must be overrun with Grammys highlights, and we’re offering another from Questlove. The Roots icon helped co-curate the ceremony’s tribute for Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, and it was a sight to behold. Generations of the culture shared the stage as pioneers revisited their classic hits. Younger artists like Lil Uzi Vert even did their famed TikTok dances. It’s just one of the many ways Hip Hop will be celebrated this year, but fans noticed there were hitmakers missing from the Grammy honor.

Understandably, not everyone could be included in the tribute. Some artists have already taken to social media to verbalize their disappointment after being excluded. According to Questlove, Will Smith was supposed to join the dozens of other Hip Hop pioneers on stage. However, his prior engagement kept him from the Grammys this year.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar’s Kids React To Grammy Win For “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”: Watch

“I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting ‘Bad Boys 4’ this week,” Quest told Variety while on the Grammys red carpet. “There were a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will.” He also recognized that getting Smith was a “shot in the dark” because the actor consistently works on films. Additionally, others like LL Cool J, Ice-T, and Queen Latifah dipped out on filming their television shows to make the tribute.

When chatting with Essence, Questlove further shared that the original collaborative performance was slated for a longer running time. “It took about four weeks to put this together,” he said. “My first draft was closer to 20 minutes, and Jesse Collins wasn’t having that. He was like, ‘There’s not enough budget in the world to clear all these songs and all these flights.’”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 5: 65th GRAMMY AWARDS An array of rappers perform a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip hop at the 65th Grammy Awards, held at the Crytpo.com Arena on February 5, 2023. — (Photo by Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Read More: Grammy Voters Didn’t Cast Ballots For Beyoncé Because She Wins Too Many Awards

Although he may not have received the time he wanted, he made it work. “Still, it’s 14 minutes and we’re starting from the beginning. From Grand Master Flash to Future — from Flash to the Future and everything in between. And I’m glad that I started out when Hip-Hop was taboo and now we not only have a seat at the table, we are the table.”

Smith’s appearance at the Grammys would have been his first live music performance since his infamous Oscars moment. Last year’s controversy set him in a negative light, but it seems that he has put it all behind him.

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Why Wasn’t Your Favorite Rapper In The Grammys’ Hip-Hop Tribute? Questlove Has A Thorough Explanation

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At the Grammys last night (February 5), the Recording Academy paid tribute to 50 years of hip-hop history with a 10-minute, all-star performance from a number of the most important rappers ever. With anything of this sort that attempts to be all-encompassing, though, some people are bound to be upset. It’s impossible to include every rapper, and as for why some didn’t make the cut, Questlove, who put the whole thing together, offered a lengthy explanation.

He began by generally breaking it down on Twitter today, tweeting, “general ?s answered about last night: (some are asking if we are playing erasure games so uh….yeah I don’t play that so—in answering the questions of ‘why wasn’t dada there?) 1. already booked 2. declined our offer straight up 3. or a third option im not gonna get into.”

He then teased a bigger endeavor in this realm coming up: “or we made a decision to wait for the 2 hour August taping.”

After going into more depth, he addressed questions some Twitter users had. One person asked, “Why was there no representation of talent from the 2010’s,” and Questlove replied, “because they said ‘no’, or they walked out.” Another said, “I’m sure there were all types of circumstances, but Ice-T as the Only LA representative, in Staples Center, in Los Angeles… is WILD!! Great performance otherwise.” Questlove answered, “welp: I asked like 10 legends so….sometimes you gotta go with the one who wants you. again might not be your preference but most of hip hop has side gigs. Acting was the main issue. lotta movies being shot.”

Meanwhile, in an interview, he explained Will Smith’s absence specifically, saying, “They started shooting Bad Boys 4 this week, so he couldn’t make rehearsals. He wanted to do it.”

Find Questlove’s original thread below.

“general ?s answered about last night: (some are asking if we are playing erasure games so uh….yeah I don’t play that so—in answering the questions of ‘why wasn’t dada there?)

1. already booked
2. declined our offer straight up
3. or a third option im not gonna get into

or we made a decision to wait for the 2 hour August taping

—we decided to eschew those who passed away, & give flowers to the living —for starters I learned with VH1 Honors not all rappers are good MCs and bad karaoke is a danger slope. And WAY too many legends passed so someone’s estate was gonna be heated.

this went through a crazy evolution. all my suggestions were 20 min presentations with Breakbeats/Graf Legends/Dancers/DJ/Beatboxers—-you’ll be shocked how fast 25-40 secs goes by and you don’t even get the halfway mark of 1995l remember 1973 to 2023 was the goal

we were aware of playing our biases out (if it were me alone? idda just skewered to my teenyears). at one point I said ‘we should do ALL women!!’ —that idea didn’t get too …..far (we didnt have time to do a ‘Some Kind Of Monster’/Kumbya thing to make that a reality)

& this is NOT leading to a tired narrative that women don’t get along because there MORE concerns on the men side of things too (happiest moment seeing LL & Ice T just chillin—)—but yeah the most asked question was ‘who all gone be there?’ which is understandable.

we had a criteria we wanted to follow: alive? harmonizing? turntablism? fighting shape? NYC? LA? BAY? ATL? NAWLINS? HOUSTON? MIDWEST? born before 1960? born after 1995? Superlyrical? Stylistic? Original? generally known by at least 2 generations?

now granted they might not be your favorite (and there were 2 crucial 11th hour (more like 10 mins before taping) cancellations that mighta made it look like we were biased in our choices. but just understand we literally tried to SQUEEEEEEEZE everyone in.”

Amber Rose Lists Ice Spice & GloRilla As Dream Collabs, Blames Men For Female Artist Drama

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It’s been nearly 24 hours since the 65th annual Grammy Awards began yesterday (February 6). Somehow, the internet is still catching up on the evening’s biggest moments, from the hottest looks on the red carpet to the juiciest celebrity interviews. In terms of the latter, Amber Rose spilled plenty of tea while chatting with Hollywood Unlocked ahead of the show.

For her saunter down the “runway,” the model donned a stunning black dress, also covering her eyes with signature black oversized sunglasses. The bottom half of her gown was sheer, subtly exposing her leg, and she wore sparkly silver heels to finish the look. Elsewhere, Rose added cutout gloves and bulky chains around her neck.

Amber Rose attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

As per usual, she looked fabulous and confident. While chatting with reporters she exuded the same energy, dishing about her dream collaborators and thoughts on female rap beef. “If somebody were to hop on the remix with you for ‘Surprise Me,’ who would it be?” the mother of two was asked last night.

“Oooh, oh my goodness. I would like Ice Spice,” she gushed to the outlet. “I like GloRilla too though,” she quickly added, shouting out the southern superstar. Nothing has been confirmed, but now that both up-and-coming stars know of Rose’s interest in them, we could hear something come together down the line.

The Philadelphia native also teased the possibility of an appearance on Jason Lee’s new podcast. “I have to mentally prepare first,” she joked about sitting down with the media personality. On the bright side, she did agree to be his Grammys date, which is a strong first step.

Amber Rose and Jason Lee attend the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Later in their chat, Rose made it clear that “[she] don’t wanna date nobody” right now. “Don’t be in my DMs, don’t bother me, I’m good. I’m happy, she told viewers. Finally, the 39-year-old answered a question about female artists, such as Rihanna and Beyoncé, so often being pitted against one another.

“I think men decide that,” Amber told Hollywood Unlocked. “The patriarchy! Men don’t do that, like, maybe Biggie and Tupac. But other than that? Every man continues to flourish,” she went on. “I feel like, when it comes to women, it’s Cardi B and Nicki, or Beyoncé and Rihanna. Just let everyone be great and support and love them for what they do.”

As far as collaborations go, Ice Spice has been killing it lately. For her own Like..? EP, the Bronx-born rhymer worked with her good friend Lil Tjay on “Gangsta Boo.” More recently, she joined Pink Pantheress for “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2,” the remix of the English singer’s popular title from her Take Me Home EP.

In the accompanying music video, the two artists travel around New York City with their friends. See it for yourself here. Afterward, tell us who you hope Amber Rose makes music with next in the comments below.

[Via]

Chris Brown Apologized To Robert Glasper While Suggesting A Change That Could Make The Grammys Better

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Robert Glasper may not be a household name — something the producer has jokingly alluded to while promoting his own music — but he certainly gets his due from the recording industry establishment (i.e. those in the know). However, one of the artists he defeated in the category for Best R&B Album at last night’s Grammys wasn’t joking when he blew up at Glasper over the win.

Chris Brown, whose album Breezy was nominated against Glasper’s Black Radio III, threw a bit of a hissy fit on Instagram, wondering “who da f*ck is this?” and joking that he would “start playing the harmonica” to get recognition from the Recording Academy. (Truthfully, he’s lucky they’re still considering him at all after being basically persona non grata for upwards of a decade after assaulting Rihanna.)

Glasper acknowledged Brown’s meltdown, posting a graphic on his own Instagram that read “Who the f*ck is Robert Glasper?” “If y’all have questions, I have answers,” he captioned the post, smoothly highlighting his impressive resume which includes production for Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and a who’s-who of Black music royalty in addition to composing the score for The Photograph starring Issa Rae.

Fans on Twitter seemed to align more with Glasper than with Brown’s outlook, censuring the more popular artist for not doing his research. Since then, he apparently has, as he sent Glasper a DM on Instagram apologizing for his outburst, according to a screenshot he shared on his Story.

“Congratulations my brother,” he wrote. “I would like to apologize if you took offense to my reaction at the Grammys.. you were not the Intended target and I know I came off really rude and mean. After doing my research I actually think your amazing.”

However, he didn’t stop there. While acknowledging how his tantrum came off, he recommended a change to the Grammys’ format which actually might make things better for R&B artists in the future. “THE ORGANIZATION ISNT DOING US BLACKS OUR DUE DILIGENCE,” he wrote. “YOU AND I SHOULD never be in the Same category… two totally different vibes and genres. So from one black man to another.. CONGRATULATIONS.. HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR LIFE.”

Interestingly enough, R&B has had a fraught history at the Grammys — after all, what Black genre hasn’t? From 2003 to 2011, it was split into separate categories, Best R&B Album and Best Contemporary R&B album, to allow for the differences in production between those albums styled after the genre’s roots and those with more hip-hop influence and electronic production. After the categories were re-merged, a Best Progressive R&B Album award was introduced in 2020. Glasper’s Dinner Party bandmate Terrace Martin was nominated in that category this year, although Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights took the award.

For what it’s worth, pitting Brown’s much more pop-influenced album against a field that included more soulful entries like Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, Lucky Daye’s Candydrip, and PJ Morton’s Watch the Sun does make it stick out like a sore thumb. Perhaps the Grammys could figure out another category for more uptempo, dance-centric R&B records in the future.

Doja Cat Debuted Her ‘First Tattoos’ At The 2023 Grammys And It Seems Legitimate This Time

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Doja Cat is in an experimental mood. Isn’t she always? Recently, she was a lightning rod for attention in Paris with outfits hinged on fake eyelashes and 30,000 Swarovski crystals. Doja attended the 2023 Grammys in Versace on Sunday, February 5, but she raised eyebrows with a tweet before the event.

“Got my first tattoos today,” she tweeted in the early hours of February 5.

Some fans might recall Doja Cat claiming she’d gotten her “first tattoo ever” on July 23, 2022. It was actually just a temporary tattoo. This time, though, the ink seems real.

One of Doja Cat’s Grammys looks came from KNWLS. She posed for various photos in the custom tarnished leather gown, and if you zoom in, you can see delicate tattoos of a cat holding a pitchfork and a spider. The tattoos were previously covered up by her Versace black latex elbow gloves.

Doja Cat was nominated five awards at the 2023 Grammys: Best Music Video (“Woman”), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“I Like You [A Happier Song]”), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Woman”), Best Rap Performance (“Vegas”), and Record Of The Year (“Woman”).

She didn’t emerge victorious in any category, unfortunately, but we’ll always have her Best Pop Duo/Group Performance acceptance speech for “Kiss Me More” from last year’s Grammys. Plus, more music is on the way.

“I know that I’ve done a lot of pink and soft things, a lot of pop and glittery sounds,” Doja told Variety as their latest cover star. “But for this next era, I’m going in a more masculine direction.”

She added, “I feel like we have enough pop-punk artists right now. And if there needs to be more, then let there be more, but I don’t think I’m the one to do it. I want to explore more of a raw, unfiltered, hardcore punk sort of thing. It’s just something that I’m doing for my own personal fun — getting some drummers and guitarists together. And I don’t even know if that’s gonna make it out there.”

Chris Brown Apologizes To Robert Glasper, Says They Shouldn’t Be In Same Grammy Category

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It’s tough losing one of the most celebrated awards of the year, but Chris Brown’s reaction was heavily criticized. Brown lost out on Best R&B Album to industry giant Robert Glasper. On Instagram, he wrote, “Y’all playing. Who da f–k is this?” and “Who the f–k is Robert Glasper. I’ma keep kicking y’all a– respectfully.” A few more mocking comments were also made.

Glasper is an industry vet with several accolades under his belt. Black Radio III, the Grammy-winning album, hosted appearances from hitmakers like Jennifer Hudson, Common, and Erykah Badu. Brown’s reaction went viral, and soon, fans—as well as industry professionals—called him out for being a sore loser. The criticisms weren’t lost on the Breezy star.

Read More: Jay-Z On Beyoncé’s Grammys Loss: “It’s Just A Marketing Thing”

The wave of pushback was almost palpable, and on Brown’s Instagram, he offered an update. The singer took to his Stories to share a screenshot of DM he sent to Glasper apologizing for his public behavior. “Congratulations my brother,” he began. “I would like to apologize if you took offense to my reaction at the Grammys. You were not the intended target and I know I came off really rude and mean.”

People quickly questioned why Brown wasn’t aware of Glasper’s work, especially if they were nominated for the same category. Others chastised him with remarks about needing to get into the studio with Glasper. “After doing my research I actually think your amazing… THE ORGANIZATION ISNT DOING US BLACKS OUR DUE DILIGENCE.” Brown then said that he and Glasper shouldn’t ever be in the same category because they are “two different vibes and genres.”

Read More: Chris Brown Disses Robert Glasper After Losing Grammy For Best R&B Album

Brown added, “So, from one black man to another.. CONGRATULATIONS.. HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR LIFE. God bless my G.” This didn’t quite get Brown out of hot water because many weren’t thrilled about how he apologized, but you can let us know your thoughts. Check out more reactions below.

Bad Bunny Fans Are Furious With The Grammys Over Their Closed-Captioning During His Speech And Performance

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Bad Bunny set the bar high for the 2023 Grammys by kickstarting the broadcast with performances of “Titi Me Pregunto” and “Despues De La Playa,” which had everyone at Crypto.com Arena attempting to merengue dance. But CBS’ closed-captioning dampened the otherwise awesome moment.

As Bad Bunny was reminding everyone why he’s the biggest artist on the planet right now, closed-captioning read, “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH].” The same thing happened when Bunny spoke in his native Spanish while accepting the award for Best Música Urbana Album (Un Verano Sin Ti).

The lack of inclusivity did not go over well.

“Seeing [SPEAKING IN NON-ENGLISH] in closed captions in 2023 is a great reminder that a lot of us can’t separate our accessibility from our culture, which is why those conversations need to be inclusive as all hell,” Adweek’s Shannon Miller tweeted.

Miller was joined by countless others in pointing out the disappointing misstep:

Bunny was also nominated for Album Of The Year, which controversially went to Harry Styles, and Best Pop Solo Performance (“Moscow Mule”). Despite losing out on those awards, it didn’t seem to dampen his mood at all based on how he posed for photos with Taylor Swift.

Watch Bad Bunny’s Best Música Urbana Album acceptance speech below.

Offset Denies Reports He Got Into A Fight With Quavo At The Grammys: ‘What TF I Look Like?’

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It appears that reports of Offset and Quavo fighting backstage at the Grammys may have been exaggerated. After the TMZ-reported rumor circulated online, Offset himself put in a rare appearance on Twitter to put paid to the speculation, tweeting, “What tf look like fighting my brother yal n****s is crazy.” Quavo, meanwhile, hasn’t made a comment yet.

However, he could just be doing damage control as Entertainment Tonight reports seeing camera phone footage from backstage yelling at someone off-camera, “Both of y’all wrong. This is not right.” While it’s unclear per ET who she’s talking to, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she could have been addressing her husband and his cousin, who reportedly had to be separated after Quavo declined to allow Offset to join him onstage for his tribute to Takeoff during the ceremony.

The two have been on the outs since last year, when rumors of Migos breaking up hit social media after Offset unfollowed his bandmates on Instagram. Then, Quavo and Takeoff announced their joint album as Unc And Phew, while Offset announced what appeared to be a competing album, and reportedly took the trio’s label, Quality Control Music, to court over the rights to his solo music.

Quavo and Takeoff addressed the split in October, suggesting that the falling out was personal. “We stand on real deal loyalty, and sometimes that sh*t ain’t displayed,” Quavo said. “This ain’t got nothing to do with no label, no paperwork, no QC, nothing. This got something to do with the three brothers. And sh*t, it is what it is. Right now, we gon’ be the duo ’til time tell.”

Before the group could reconcile, though, Takeoff was shot dead in Houston at the start of November, and since then, both remaining Migos appeared to have been mourning separately. They haven’t been seen together except at Takeoff’s funeral.

Grammy Voters Didn’t Cast Ballots For Beyoncé Because She Wins Too Many Awards

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We may know who took home last night’s coveted trophies at the Grammys, but the public doesn’t often get firsthand insight into the voters. The group of industry professionals who voted for this year’s Grammys was grilled by Variety, and their comments about their choices set off the internet. Several of the anonymous voters openly admitted they steered clear of voting for artists like Beyoncé or Adele because, well, they’ve won so much already.

The conversations with the voters surrounded the Top 4 categories of the night: Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. A person described as “a Grammy-winning producer-engineer who has been a voter for almost 20 years” explained their choices. They claimed they voted for Lizzo for Record of the Year because of her impact. They also seemed tired of Bey always being on top.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 5: 65th GRAMMY AWARDS Beyonce accepts the award for best dance/electronic music album at the 65th Grammy Awards, held at the Crytpo.com Arena on February 5, 2023. — (Photo by Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Read More: 2023 Grammy Awards: Kendrick Lamar Wins Best Rap Album, Full List Of Winners Inside

“I felt very strongly that Lizzo has changed this culture a lot,” they told Variety. “‘About Damn Time’ was a great track that everyone responded to. I also look at who’s been there and go, ‘OK, Adele, Beyoncé — they always win; it’s the same people over and over again.’ So I went for Lizzo.” This person further admitted that they are “out of touch with where the Academy is right now.”

Another voter described as “a music business veteran in his 70s” was accused of shading Beyoncé and the response her projects have received. “With Beyoncé, the fact that every time she does something new, it’s a big event and everyone’s supposed to quake in their shoes — it’s a little too portentous.” They also criticized Harry Styles, admitting to holding his “boy band” days against him.

Read More: GloRilla Meets Beyoncé, Her Dream Collaborator, At The Grammys

Additionally, a “thirtysomething female singer voting for the second time” believed Adele and Beyoncé’s award-winning reputations were a hindrance. “I didn’t vote for either Adele or Beyoncé in any of the top categories. I love Beyoncé’s album and have been a fan of Adele, but I feel that they have already won a lot of Grammys.”

The Recording Academy’s nomination and voting process has long been criticized. However, social media has brought more of these complaints to the forefront. We’re seeing more artists choosing to boycott the ceremony or not submit their music at all—a la The Weekend and Drake. Yet, we’re still seeing those artists take home the gold regardless of their submissions or attendance.

Check out a few reactions below and let us know if you think the Academy should be revamped.

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Who Is Samara Joy? Meet The Grammy’s 2023 Best New Artist Winner

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Best New Artist is subject to mockery because the nominees are usually established artists by the time they are nominated for Best New Artist. Olivia Rodrigo won the award in 2022 after her record-breaking 2021 entrance with “Drivers License” and Sour.

Rodrigo presented the Best New Artist category at the 2023 Grammys last night, February 5, and in a refreshing turn of events, it was likely the first time most of the audience had heard the name Samara Joy.

Joy, 23, claimed the title over more mainstream nominees Anitta, Domi & JD Beck, Latto, Måneskin, Molly Tuttle, Muni Long, Omar Apollo, Tobe Nwigwe, and Wet Leg. The New York jazz singer also won Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile.

Joy has been in the spotlight before now, though. She performed “Nostalgia (The Day I Knew)” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and “Warm In December” on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December. She also recently graced Spotify’s Best New Artist event.

As relayed by The Los Angeles Times, “Joy grew up the granddaughter of Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, who performed with a Philadelphia gospel group, the Savettes. Yet as a kid Joy also sang in school musicals and absorbed the soul and R&B music of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. In 2019, while studying at the State University of New York at Purchase, she won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.”

Joy paid homage to her musical influences during her endearing Best New Artist acceptance speech.

“I am so, so — oh my gosh, I can’t even believe. I’ve been watching y’all on TV for so long,” she said. “To be here with you all, born and raised in the Bronx, New York, my family is here. I’ve been singing all my life.”

She continued, “Thank you so much for this honor. Thank you to everyone who has listened to me, who has supported me. All of you are so inspiring to me, and so to be here because of who I am — all of you have inspired me because of who you are. You express yourself exactly who you are, authentically, so to be here by just being myself, by just being who I was born as, I’m so thankful.”

Watch below.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.