After initially being postponed, the 63rd Annual Grammys Award Ceremony kicks off this weekend. Leading the nominations is Beyonce, who is up for nine Grammys including both Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. The additional nominations makes her the most Grammy-nominated female artist in history with an impressive 79 nominations. But despite her recognition, Beyonce will not be seen performing at this year’s event.
This weekend’s ceremony will be taking place in person across five small stages situated around LA in order to minimize interactions. Several artists have been booked to perform at the ceremony, including Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Doja Cat, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa. One major star not on the list, though, is Beyonce.
The Recording Academy claims that they extended an offer to Beyonce to perform, but she declined. In a statement to the LA Times, Recording Academy interim chief executive Harvey Mason said, “It’s unfortunate because she’s such a big part of the Recording Academy. We absolutely wish we had her onstage.”
Neither Beyonce nor the Recording Academy has addressed her reason for turning down the event. It may have to do with the concern over attending an in-person event, but it could also be due to the backlash the Recording Academy has faced this past year. Back in January of 2020, former Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan alleged that the Recording Academy has a history of sexual misconduct and corruption, and she wasn’t the only one to say so. After being snubbed of an award this year, The Weeknd slammed the ceremony as corrupt and called for greater transparency in the nomination process. Other artists like Ellie Goulding, Zayn, Fiona Apple, and Lil Wayne have made similar, disdainful remarks about the Grammys.
Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Grammy-winning singer Beyoncé is showing huge support for British royal family member Meghan Markle. Queen Bey went online with lots of praise for the married mother after her tell-all interview with TV icon Oprah Winfrey. Beyoncé Shows Her Support To Meghan Markle Bey went online to support Meghan Markle and offer praise for her “courage & leadership”. […]
One of the few ways Beyonce directly communicates with her fans is through her website, Beyonce.com, where the queen of pop frequently posts updates and messages of support to friends and fellow celebrities. Today, she used that space to stand in solidarity with Meghan Markle, the American actress of the show Suits, mother of Archie, wife of Harry Mountbatten-Windsor, and once known as the Duchess Of Sussex. Markle was the first person of color to marry into the British monarchy when she wed Prince Harry in 2018, and as an exclusive interview with Oprah revealed this past weekend, the prejudicial treatment she faced because of this was nearly unbearable.
Luckily, Meghan and Harry’s bond was strong enough that the pair decided to step back from their roles within the royal family, and come to live in America, instead. But as Markle shared in Sunday’s bombshell interview, the environment was so toxic before reaching this decision that she was driven to the point of suicidal ideation. Given all that context, it is probably quite a balm to have a legendary figure like Beyonce stand with her. “Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership,” Beyonce wrote alongside a photo of herself and Meghan at The Lion King premiere. “We are all strengthened and inspired by you.”
Well… we’re finally here. After a brief postponement, the 63rd annual Grammy Awards will be taking place on Sunday, March 14. As with many awards shows nowadays, things will be presented a bit differently than we’re used to. Per The Recording Academy’s website, there will be a virtual red carpet ceremony and premiere ceremony, where artists like Burna Boy, Lido Pimienta, Rufus Wainwright, and more will perform.
The circumstances don’t negate the ceremony’s esteem, however, and some of the biggest names in music could take home some serious hardware. Given The Recording Academy’s commitment to diversifying their business and the industry at large, there are a handful of exciting nominations and possibly historic wins music fans may be treated to this year. They say “it’s an honor to be nominated,” and that certainly rings true this time around.
Read on to discover some major nomination moments and potential milestones that the 2021 Grammys hold.
Legendary Nominations
The Biggest Pool Of Potential Honorees
There were 23,207 entries submitted for nomination consideration this time around, which is more than ever before. After the nominations were announced in November, Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said that this year’s honorees are “proof that the creative spirit continues to be alive and well.”
Women Rule Country and Rock
Here’s a first: never before in the history of the Grammys have there been only women or women-fronted acts nominated in the Best Rock Performance and Best Country Album categories. Phoebe Bridgers, Fiona Apple, Brittany Howard, Grace Potter, HAIM, and Big Thief are up for Best Rock Performance, while Ingrid Andress, Brandy Clark, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and Little Big Town could win the Best Country Album honor.
Best New Artists Bring Heavy Representation
Even more exciting: every nominee in the Best New Artist category is either a woman or a person of color. They include country singer Ingrid Andress, indie rock singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, rapper Chika, alternative act Noah Cyrus, rapper D Smoke, rapper/singer Doja Cat, deejay/producer Kaytranada, and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
BTS Breaks Barriers
BTS is the first K-Pop act and the first South Korean group to be recognized by the Recording Academy. They are nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for the 2021 ceremony, thanks to their song “Dynamite.”
The Potential Milestones
Taylor Goes For Three
If Folklore goes home with an Album Of The Year win, Taylor Swift would become the first woman to win the honor three times. Previously, Swift won the night’s top award in 2010 for Fearless and in 2016 for 1989. She would join Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra as the third solo artist in history to achieve the feat. (Paul Simon has won Album Of The Year three times, but one of those wins came for a Simon & Garfunkel album.)
Queen Bey Watches The Throne(s)
After securing nine nominations this year, Beyoncé became the second-most nominated artist in Grammy history, tying with Sir Paul McCartney. (The only other musicians with more nominations are Quincy Jones and her husband JAY-Z, who are tied for first.) If Bey wins three of those gramophones, she ties with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss for the most wins by a female artist in the show’s history. (If she wins four, of course, that means the record now belongs to her.) We also have to mention that her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, is up for a “Best Music Video” nomination for her appearance in “Brown Skin Girl.” If the video wins, Blue would become one of the youngest Grammy winners ever.
Potential Sister Success
Haim’s Women In Music, Pt. III is up for Album Of The Year. If the group wins the night’s biggest honor, they’d be the first all-female group in 15 years to win the award. The last time this was achieved was at the 49th ceremony in 2006, when The Chicks’ Taking The Long Way nabbed the win. This would also be the first time since then that sisters would be winning Album Of The Year together. (Haim’s members are all sisters, while Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Strayer from The Chicks are sisters.)
Dua and Posty’s Potential Big Three Wins
Dua Lipa and Post Malone have the potential to join an exclusive squad of just eight musicians who have won Album, Record and Song Of The Year in the same night. (Paul Simon, Carole King, Christopher Cross, Eric Clapton, Dixie Chicks, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, and Adele, twice.) Dua’s Future Nostalgia and “Don’t Start Now” and Post’s Hollywood’s Bleeding and “Circles” are up for the honors.
Female Rappers May Reign Supreme
If either Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, or Chika wins in the Best New Artist category, she will become the first female rapper to win in 22 years, and just the second to win (after Lauryn Hill). Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea were nominated in the category in 2012 and 2015, while genre-bending musician Lizzo, who began her career rapping and singing, was nominated in 2020.
Roddy Ricch and Megan Thee Stallion’s Groundbreaking Chances
There are a few possible milestones wins in the Best Rap Song category. If Roddy Ricch wins for “The Box,” he will be the youngest recipient of the award. (He is 22 years old.) If Megan Thee Stallion wins Best Rap Song and/or Best Rap Performance for “Savage (Remix),” she’ll be the first female winner in both of those categories. And how sweet would it be to share the honor with her idol and collaborator, Beyoncé?
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Back in September Beyoncesent flowers to a 13-year-old girl after the singer saw a video of her singing one of her songs. Her name was Lyric Chanel, and she was in the midst of what would be a two-year battle with brain cancer and anaplastic ependymoma. That fight came to a sad end on Friday after news arrived that Chanel unfortunately passed away.
In response Beyonce shared a moving medley of her hits to honor Chanel. The two-minute tribute finds her singing “Brown Skin Girl,” “Halo,” and “Love on Top.” She also replaced the word “baby” with “Lyric” while singing the chorus of the latter song. The medley also comes with a video that shows many pictures and clips from Chanel’s life, including one of her rocking some of Beyonce’s Ivy Park gear, which the singer sent her back in October. “Thank you so much @beyonce this couldn’t have come at a better time,” Chanel wrote in a post celebrating the package. “Just got back from getting Chemo and look at the surprise that was waiting. I love you so much.”
The Go Gold For Childhood Cancer Instagram account shared the sad news on Friday. “Lyric gained her angel wings this morning at the age of 13 years old,” they wrote. “Lyric bravely battled Anaplastic Ependymoma and endured more than a child ever should. She loved singing, listening to music, and dancing. I know she most definitely dancing with all the angels right now. Watch over your family baby girl! You are forever missed!”
Barack Obama has never been one to keep his music interests a secret. The former president has shared numerous playlists over the years, and on Wednesday he delivered another one. After a recent episode of his and Bruce Springsteen’s Renegades: Born In The USA podcast, Barack dropped his shower playlist — all 44 tracks of it — after speaking about one of his favorite habits. “I sing in the shower, I sing outside of the shower. I am unembarrassed about singing,” he said during the episode. “My daughters and my wife sometimes roll their eyes.”
The playlist finds notable contributions from Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce (“Freedom”), The Roots (“You Got Me”), Stevie Wonder (“Living For The City”), Billie Holiday (“Strange Fruit”), and more. Bruce Springsteen himself makes nine appearances on it, including “My Hometown,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” and two versions of “Born In The U.S.A.”
The playlist arrives after Barack and Bruce launched their podcast at the end of last month. So far, the duo has shared three full-length episodes, where they’ve discussed their respective lives, the U.S., and, of course, their love for music.
Two months ago, Barack showed off his wide-ranging music taste with his favorite songs of 2020 playlist. Megan The Stallion, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, and J. Cole were among the many names that appeared on it.
Barack Obama has never been one to keep his music interests a secret. The former president has shared numerous playlists over the years, and on Wednesday he delivered another one. After a recent episode of his and Bruce Springsteen’s Renegades: Born In The USA podcast, Barack dropped his shower playlist — all 44 tracks of it — after speaking about one of his favorite habits. “I sing in the shower, I sing outside of the shower. I am unembarrassed about singing,” he said during the episode. “My daughters and my wife sometimes roll their eyes.”
The playlist finds notable contributions from Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce (“Freedom”), The Roots (“You Got Me”), Stevie Wonder (“Living For The City”), Billie Holiday (“Strange Fruit”), and more. Bruce Springsteen himself makes nine appearances on it, including “My Hometown,” “American Skin (41 Shots),” and two versions of “Born In The U.S.A.”
The playlist arrives after Barack and Bruce launched their podcast at the end of last month. So far, the duo has shared three full-length episodes, where they’ve discussed their respective lives, the U.S., and, of course, their love for music.
Two months ago, Barack showed off his wide-ranging music taste with his favorite songs of 2020 playlist. Megan The Stallion, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, and J. Cole were among the many names that appeared on it.
Beyonce has always been the kind of pop star who is interested in giving back to the communities she’s been a part of or benefits from. So when jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz, who has been responsible for plenty of Bey’s red carpet gem-laden looks, decided to began advocating for diversity and inclusion in the precious gems world, it’s no surprise that Beyonce would be a part of it.
As announced via Beyonce.com, the singer and designer are teaming to launch the Beyonce Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz scholarship at GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. Schwartz has designed jewelry for everyone from Oprah to Lady Gaga to Jennifer Lopez, but Beyonce fans will probably know her work best for the diamond earrings the singer wore on the cover of Dangerously In Love.
“This scholarship is an homage to Beyonce for the inspiration she’s given me through my career,” Schwartz said of the new initiative. “It’s about the love formed from relationships and knowing at the end of the day, we are all the same. Now I have the opportunity to bring that inspiration full circle and show the community the endless possibilities that are in this industry, especially for Black professionals.”
The scholarship will be give “two members of the Black community” the chance to earn credentials at GIA, for the GIA Graduate Gemologist Diploma, with full tuition and paid expenses for the program. The program is primarily online through distance education, and applications for the scholarship are open from March 1 of this year until March 16.
Kanye West may get all the credit for keeping Adidas on a competitive level with Nike, but over the past year, the three stripes brand has been working hard to prop up another huge name in cross-brand collaboration, a name that actually manages to best Ye from a pure fame standpoint. Watch out Ye, because Bey is coming up fast.
Beyonce’s gender-neutral athleisure label, IVY PARK, is a little over a year old now, but in that short time Bey and Adidas have built up quite the catalog of unique sneaker colorways, utilizing some of the Three Stripe’s most interesting silhouettes. Design-wise, Ivy Park has been taking a different approach than what Kanye is doing with Yeezy — rather than create entirely new sneaker silhouettes, the brand focuses on offering remixes of Adidas’ classic styles, offering sleek cuts, exciting material choices, and vibrant color palettes fit for an internet-breaking Beyonce video. A simple celebrity cash grab this is not!
Kanye may be the most successful music- turned designer for now, but with heat like this from Beyonce plus Rihanna killing it with Savage x Fenty, he needs to watch that throne. Let’s dive into every Ivy Park Adidas sneaker, including the latest winter-ready Icy Park collection, ranked from worst to best.
18. Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform
Adidas
The Superstar is hands-down one of Adidas’ greatest silhouettes, but it’s at the bottom of this list. Not because it’s a platform (no, that’s not a screen glitch, the shoe actually looks like that), though that doesn’t help. Because it’s… ugly. And not in that trendy so-ugly-it’s-fashion way.
It’s just straight-up hard to look at.
That’s probably why it wasn’t included in either of the first, second or even third Ivy Park drops. Instead, it landed last year as part of a collection that also featured other Superstar reimaginings by Jonah Hill and Sean Wotherspoon. It’s ultimately forgettable and remains a stain on a near-perfect record.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Superstar Platform at GOAT.
17. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA Black
StockX
I know I was just trashing on the abomination that is the Superstar Platform, but this triple black iteration of the Adidas Ultra Boost comes dangerously close to being just as bad. Released as part of an extension to Ivy Park drop 2, this sneaker has few redeemable qualities. A prime knit upper in core black atop a matching BOOST midsole, and a puzzling radioactive volt outsole, you can get all of this with a stock Adidas drop, so you’re getting little more than a name here, and paying the price for it.
Get the Ivy park Adidas Ultra Boost DNA at StockX.
16. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 White Black
Adidas
Released last year as part of the second Ivy Park collection, the Super Sleek 72 White/Black suffers solely because it isn’t quite as good as drop 1’s Super Sleek, and nowhere near drop 3’s. The colorways are solid, but ultimately it’s going to be impossible to rock a pair of these without being reminded that they aren’t one of the three better colorways.
We’ll get more into the details behind this special silhouette when we talk about the original release. One annoying thing about this shoe is, it was originally called the Sleek Super, and everyone kept calling it the Super Sleek, and Adidas just quietly changed it!
Or did they? It’s a real Bernstein Bears situation with this sneaker.
The Forum Lo debuted in drop 2 of Ivy Park and since then the brand has shifted focus to the Forum Mid, which we admit is much better. . The Forum Lo features a leather and suede upper with a translucent bottom sole and a fastening strap. It’s easily the least flashy sneaker in the entire IVY PARK collection.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But if you can’t get behind a fastening strap, you’re not going to find a lot to love here.
14. Ivy Park Adudas Nite Jogger Maroon/Solar Orange
Adidas
When Ivy Park initially dropped in January 2020, this sneaker was criticized endlessly, and for good reason. It looks like a goddamn traffic cone thanks to its Solar Orange half and half colorway — with a toe box dipped in deep maroon.
This shoe is out there, but we respect Beyonce’s bold design here. They’re impossible to look away from. For better or worse.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Maroon at GOAT.
13. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black
StockX
Released as a short update to Ivy Park drop 2 in November of last year, this triple-black version of the Ivy Park Super Sleek is pretty clean but had Ivy Park opted for an all-black sole over the gum, we’d have bumped it up considerably on this list. The gum sole is nice, but it keeps this design from being the dominatrix (or Darth Vader, if you’re nerdy) sneaker it so desperately wants to be.
The wrinkled core black leather upper is accented nicely by some core black suede accents. Not the worst Super Sleek, but a bit far from the best.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72 Black at GOAT.
12. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Green Frozen Yellow
StockX
This Dark Green Frozen Yellow Nite Jogger suffers from the same problem as the Maroon iteration, only this one isn’t quite as ugly. Instead of a traffic cone, it resembles a Mountain Dew bottle — which is better, if only a little.
All jokes aside, this iteration sold out almost instantly when it launched as part of drop 2. Aftermarket prices have settled around $150 for this pair in 2021. Not a bad pickup if you want to Do the Dew.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Dark Frozen at GOAT.
11. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maroon
StockX
When the first Ivy Park collection dropped, this felt like the signature piece. While it’s not our favorite, it’s still pretty beloved. Featuring a double Maroon colorway atop a Solar Orange outsole, this design nails the futuristic fitness vibe that the Maroon Nite Jogger couldn’t quite master.
Find the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Maron at GOAT.
10. Ivy Park Adidas Nite Jogger Off-White
Adidas
So far the IVY PARK Nite Jogger’s have suffered from a half-and-half presentation that just doesn’t work, but this mix of Off-White (not that Off-White, but wouldn’t that be something?), Ecru Tint and Dark Green just works.
It also brings something new to Adidas’ usual Nite Jogger offerings with a brighter presentation and an alternate lacing system that really shows off the silhouette’s cool geometry.
While the second IVY PARK drop brought a lot new to the looks coming out of the label, it also acted as an opportunity to refresh the first drop’s best designs. This didn’t work for the Sleek Super 72, but this Hi-Res Yellow version of the Adidas Ultra BOOST knocks the original Maroon dip out of the park.
It’s every bit as extreme as the original, but the Hi-Res has some balance as well — with a gum outsole that matches up nicely with the blinding colorway.
8. Ivy Park Adidas Ultra Boost Icy Park White
Adidas
Released as part of Ivy Park’s winter-focused Icy Park drop, this triple white iteration of the Ultra BOOST is an improvement over last year’s all-black version. The Ultra BOOST isn’t quite as hot as it was six years ago, but this Ivy Park iteration is great, offering a prime knit upper with TPU overlays, a BOOST midsole, a rubber gum outsole, and Ivy Park’s comfort-focused draw-string lacing system.
Swapping out that hideous volt outsole for the traditional gum was the right call!
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Ultra BOOST Icy Park at Adidas.
7. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Silver
Adidas
We’re happy to see Beyonce showing more love to the Forum Mid, which first debuted as part of Ivy Park drop 2. This shimmery metallic version was released as part of the Icy Park drop and features ankle straps, a multi-layered leather upper, and a luxurious silver metallic colorway.
As cool as it is, it’s our least favorite Forum Mid colorway out of the Ivy Park lineage.
Get the Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Metallic Siler at Adidas.
6. Ivy Park Adidas Forum Mid Cream
Adidas
Everything we love about the Forum Mid Metallic Silver in a more functional and stylistically conservative cream colorway. But as a person who has owned their fair share of metallic sneakers, I’m here to tell you that these, while tamer, will age so much better.
Metallic colorways go in and out of style, but cream is much more timeless.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This was our original number one pick, but as the years have gone on our perspective has shifted. That’s not a bad thing, it means Ivy Park continues to evolve, as this was the centerpiece of the original drop. The shape is IVY PARK’s most original, as it was adapted from Adidas’ Samba Silhouette to Bey’s personal specifications, and that mix of White premium leather and Dash Grey suede with subtle Maroon and Solar Orange accents works incredibly harmoniously.
The entire first IVY PARK collection might revolve around this same color scheme, but it never works quite so perfectly as it does here. We’re hoping the Sleek Super’s success inspires IVY PARK to dabble in more original shapes.
4. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek Boot
Adidas
We’re glad to see Ivy Park show a lot of love to the Super Sleek silhouette, it’s the brand’s most original design and to see it here in boot form as the centerpiece of drop 3 shows a commitment to giving us something new out of Ivy Park, rather than relying solely on Adidas’ stock designs.
With a cloud white, off-white, and core white colorway, this leather and suede boot sits atop a chunky gum sole, with braided bungee detailing around the heel.
The IVY PARK Forum Mid Green Tint was Ivy Park’s first go at Adidas’ Forum Mid silhouette and it’s still the best! In fact, it’s one of the best colorways to come out of the Ivy Park brand.
The shoe still has that leather and suede construction of the low top, but the fastening strap looks less out of place here and that Green Tint colorway is just too damn fresh.
2. Adidas IVY PARK Nite Jogger Ecru Tint
StockX
The Ecru Tint Nite Jogger isn’t only the best IVY PARK Nite Jogger, it’s the best Nite Jogger colorway Adidas has ever dropped. That’s high praise and, honestly, if this sneaker said “Off-White” instead of “IVY PARK” it’d be going for thousands on the aftermarket.
Be thankful it isn’t!
It looks like something that would come from the mind of Virgil Abloh, only without the gimmicky tags or production numbers. Clean, classic, bold, and damn near perfect.
1. Ivy Park Adidas Super Sleek 72
Adidas
A future classic in the making. This Cloud white, off-white, core white makeup of the Super Sleek 72 is now Bey’s greatest contribution to the footwear game. It took a few attempts, but Bey finally found a way to build on what she did with drop 1’s Super Sleek (Our original number 1) with this all-white iteration out of the Icy Park drop. The way it swaps the originals laces with thicker braided laces, the mix of luxe leather and premium suede — it’s just so damn clean!
Music mogul Beyoncé is leaving everyone’s jaw dropped. She went online to promote her Adidas x Ivy Park collection and give everybody a look at her cake. Beyoncé Shares Booty-Grabbing Shot Beyonce took to her Instagram with a booty-grabbing look at her upcoming clothing line release. In the shot, she rocks a two-piece workout outfit […]
