Killer Mike Speaks Out Following His Detainment At The 2024 Grammys

Killer Mike Atlanta Chapter Member Nominee Celebration 2024
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The 2024 Grammy Awards were full of surprises. Killer Mike was one of the most discussed emcees in the rap categories for several reasons.

Firstly, the “Motherless” rapper shocked attendees when his album Michael swept three major categories (Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song for “Scientists & Engineers,” and Best Rap Performance again for “Scientists & Engineers”), which he didn’t mind pointing it out in his acceptance speech.

However, his victory lap was cut short after authorities whisked away Killer Mike in handcuffs. Rumors quickly began to circulate online speculating why he was detained.

However, today (February 5), Killer Mike has but the whispers to rest by releasing a statement regarding his arrest. According to Killer Mike, his arrest was the result of a rocky encounter with event security.

Read Killer Mike’s complete statement below.

I first want to extend my appreciation to the Grammy’s Committee for recognizing me and my team for the work that went into ‘Michael.’ We are incredibly proud and are basking in this moment. I am also grateful that one of my prayers has been answered – the day after my Grammy win – I learned that my son, who has been on the list for a kidney for years, finally has a match. Obviously, we are elated.

I do want to note that last night, my team and I fielded a number of calls from concerned fans and colleagues wanting to know if I was OK. I greatly appreciate the concern and support, but I am better than OK. As you can imagine, there was a lot going on, and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing. Until that time, keep listening to ‘Michael,’ and keep going after your dreams.

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Spotify’s Best New Artist Party Put The 2024 Grammy Nominees’ Star Power On Full Display

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The Best New Artist category at the Grammys each year is one of the most coveted trophy. It’s an artist’s first time being nominated for a Grammy. For many of them, it’s their first foray into the awards circuit, kicking off a whirlwind of press, events, and other industry recognition. For others, it’s an acknowledgment that their years of hard work have paid off. Many past winners were budding artists who quickly made their way into superstardom, like Adele, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, and Billie Eilish.

The 2024 Best New Artist nominees represent a wide assortment of genres, styles, and levels of fame. From a rapper being introduced as “the biggest artist in the world” (Ice Spice, of course), to an artist who beat the odds and has climbed the Country music charts (Jelly Roll), Spotify’s Best New Artist Party spotlighted the range of talent in this years’ Best New Artist category at the Grammys.

The event kicked off Grammy weekend by bringing each Best New Artist nominee to the stage (with the notable absence of Fred Again..) to give a taste of their catalog with a handful of songs. The husband and wife folk duo The War And Treaty were the first to take the stage, setting the tone for the remainder of the evening with stunning, soulful songs and messages of love and unity. The duo wasn’t the only Nashville-based artist represented on the stage. Rising country star Jelly Roll made it clear he’s come a long way since selling mixtapes from the trunk of his car. With his earnest charisma and confessional ballads that speak to addiction and finding faith, the musician had the crowd singing along to songs like “Need A Favor” and “Son Of A Sinner.” He even brought out fellow country singer Lainey Wilson, who, adorned in a cowboy hat and classic Western get-up, delivered their joint track” “Save Me.”

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Confessional music seemed to be the unofficial theme of the night as folk favorite Noah Kahan took the stage to the delight of many screaming fans in the audience. The Vermont-based singer whose 2022 album Stick Season catapulted him into fame showcased a few of his cutting ballads like “Dial Drunk,” which he clearly had a blast performing despite the somber subject matter. Kahan also brought out fellow Best New Artist nominee Gracie Abrams, who had taken the stage just before him, for a rendition of their recent collab “Everywhere, Everything.”

Other musicians like Victoria Monét and Coco Jones proved they were made to live in the limelight with their expertly choreographed sets. Jones, who has found success on the Disney-Channel-star-to-Grammy-nominee-pipeline showed off her impressive vocals with a swooning performance of “ICU” and “Double Back.” Monét gave perhaps the most energetic set of the night, managing to land challenging dance moves while putting her entire heart into a sultry rendition of “Jaguar” and the Grammy-nominated “On My Mama.” (She would go on to win the award for Best New Artist at the Grammy’s ceremony.)

Victoria Monet Spotify Best New Artist Party
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Ice Spice was perhaps the most-anticipated (and as it turned out, the shortest) set of the night, according to the snippets of conversations I picked up on in the crowd. The rapper, who has received cosigns from everyone from Taylor Swift to Nicki Minaj, took the stage with her usual swagger. Nearly everyone’s phone was up as she delivered her most recent track “Think U The Sh*t (Fart)” and TikTok hit “Deli” before thanking everyone for their support and sauntering off the stage.

Whether they were nominated for just one category or, like Monét, one of the most-nominated artists at the 2024 Grammys, each artist was beyond grateful to be a part of the lineup. Kahan thanked the audience and the Recording Academy for his recognition, while also joking he’s still waiting to hear back from the Kids’ Choice Awards: “I’m still waiting to get slimed.” Similarly, Abrams noted how much she idolizes everyone she shared the stage with. Jelly Roll was also honored to be a part of the lineup, but for different reasons. Straight from Nashville, Jelly Roll noted the difference between his humble Nashville beginnings and the ritzy Los Angeles industry event. “I’m surprised y’all are rocking with me,” he said to the crowd, many of whom knew every word to his songs.

Win or lose, being nominated for Best New Artist is an honor in of itself. But whoever wins, Spotify’s Best New Artist Party showed that any of the ten deserve the trophy.

See the full list of Grammy nominees here.

[WATCH] Jay Z Calls Out The Recording Academy and Sparks Controversy at The Grammy’s

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In a night filled with celebration and recognition, the 2024 Grammy Awards took an unexpected turn as Jay Z, while accepting the prestigious Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, used his platform to call out The Recording Academy for what he perceived as a snub towards his wife, Beyoncé. The Brooklyn mogul didn’t hold back as he addressed the audience, highlighting the discrepancy between Beyoncé’s unparalleled success and the Academy’s failure to honor her with Album of the Year accolades.

During his speech he said, “I’m just saying, we want y’all to get it right. We love y’all; we love y’all; we want you to get it right, or at least get it close to right, and obviously it’s subjective … because it’s music and it’s opinion-based, but some things — I don’t wan to embarrass this young lady” — referring to Beyoncè — “but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys and never won an album of the year. That doesn’t work.

“Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed,” he continued. “Some of you may get robbed, some of you don’t belong in the category — when I get nervous I tell the truth.”

His words resonated deeply with fans and fellow artists alike, igniting a conversation about the criteria used by The Recording Academy to determine nominees and winners.

In a seemingly unrelated but equally impactful statement, he made a comment about artists feeling “robbed,” a remark that some interpreted as a veiled reference to Nicki Minaj and her fanbase, the Barbz. This offhand comment quickly caught attention on social media platforms, with fans speculating about potential underlying tensions within the music industry.

The Barbz, known for their unwavering support of Nicki Minaj, took to social media to express their disappointment and frustration, interpreting Jay Z’s comment as a direct jab at their favorite artist. The controversy surrounding Jay Z’s speech added fuel to the ongoing debate about fairness and transparency in music award shows, with fans and artists alike questioning the integrity of the selection process.

While Jay Z’s intention may have been to advocate for greater recognition of artists like Beyoncé and highlight the need for a fairer system within The Recording Academy, his comments inadvertently spark

ed controversy within the music community.Thoughts?

Watch below.

The post [WATCH] Jay Z Calls Out The Recording Academy and Sparks Controversy at The Grammy’s first appeared on The Source.

The post [WATCH] Jay Z Calls Out The Recording Academy and Sparks Controversy at The Grammy’s appeared first on The Source.

Noted Grammys Hater Drake Slammed The Awards With A Message To The 2024 Nominees: ‘This Show Doesn’t Dictate Sh*t In Our World’

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Drake has had a contentious relationship with the Grammys over the past few years. His and 21 Savage’s album Her Loss spawned four nominations at the 2024 ceremony, which Drake, who has withdrawn Grammy nods before, presumably only allowed to not deprive Savage of the opportunity. He didn’t show up to last night’s (February 4) show, but he had a message for those who did.

In an Instagram Story posted shortly before the ceremony started, Drake wrote, “All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t the facts it’s just the opinion of a group of people who’s name are kept a secret (literally you can google it) congrats to anybody winning anything for hip hop but this show doesn’t dictate sh*t in our world.”

Drake’s message was shared alongside a clip of his acceptance speech at the 2019 Grammys, when he won Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan” (his most recent Grammy win). He said, “We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport. […] You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown… Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here, I promise you. You already won.”

Drake 2024 grammys Instagram Story
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As for who won in hip-hop, Killer Mike had a big night, taking home all three awards for which he was nominated.

Find the full list of 2024 Grammys nominees and winners here.

Taylor Swift Has The Most Album Of The Year Grammys In History With Her Win For ‘Midnights’

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The 2024 Grammy Awards field for Album Of The Year included some stiff competition, even as the number of nominees in the “Big Four” General Field categories was reduced from ten to eight. From Jon Batiste to Taylor Swift to SZA, all of the albums could easily qualify for the award and put up a sturdy argument for winning it. But in the end, only one artist could walk away with the gold gramophone: Taylor Swift for her album Midnights.

During her speech, Swift gave praise to Lana Del Rey, who stood nearby, but downplayed the award, saying that she got the same feeling for every small achievement when it comes to songwriting and recording. With the award win, the Midnights singer became the most-awarded Album Of The Year winner with four wins. She has won for Fearless (at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards), 1989 (at the 58th Grammy Awards), Folklore (at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards), and now, Midnights. Ironically, earlier in the evening, Jay-Z read the Recording Academy the riot act while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, criticizing the sheer number of snubs of his wife Beyoncé.

Watch Taylor Swifts’ Album Of The Year acceptance speech above and check out the rest of Uproxx’s 2024 Grammy coverage here.

An Emotional Victoria Monét Wins The Best New Artist Award At The 2024 Grammys

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Each year, music fans and critics alike try their best to guess who will walk away with a trophy during the Grammy Awards. This year was quite exhausting, considering the massive number of categories (98 in total). The 2024 Grammys most nominated acts, like SZA and Victoria Monét are shoo-ins for several major categories. But, the Best New Artist category is elusive.

During this year’s ceremony, Victoria Monét took home the win (as most predicted). The “On My Mama” singer beat out Coco Jones, Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, and The War And Treaty.

As she headed to the stage to accept the award, she couldn’t help but hold back tears. In her speech, she thanked her collaborators, including producers Deputy, D Mile, and more. When the nominations were first announced, Victoria and her family shared their live reactions to hearing that she secured seven nods (which made her the second most nominated act).

Earlier in the evening, Victoria’s Jaguar II album snagged two wins for Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Last year’s winner, jazz prodigy Samara Joy, did the honors of handing Victoria the ward this year.

View Uproxx’s complete coverage of the 2024 Grammy Awards here. Check out the complete list of winners during the evening here.

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

Burna Boy’s Grammy Performance Of ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’ With Brandy Continued His Role As Afrobeats Ambassador

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Late last year, Uproxx called Burna Boy the perfect ambassador for Afrobeats to the rest of the world, especially the United States, after his sold-out arena tour stop in Los Angeles. Tonight, he continued in that role with a medly performance of his songs, “On Form” and “Sittin On Top Of The World” on the 2024 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

Burna was joined in the latter by Brandy, whose song was sampled her 1998 hit “Top Of The World,” and 21 Savage, who performed a laid-back verse in the vein of Mase, who was featured on the original.

The performance — and Burna’s four nominations this year — proved why Burna has held the role since Afrobeats’ breakout stateside, as his magnetism emanted off the stage. Burna’s been one of the genre’s biggest artists for the past seven years after singing to Atlantic Records in the US in 2017 and releasing a string of critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite albums, which includes African Giant, Twice As Tall, Love, Damini, and 2023’s I Told Them….

The latter garnered Burna his four nominations this year: Best Global Music Album; Best African Music Performance for “City Boys”; Best Global Music Performance for “Alone”; and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Sittin’ On Top Of The World.” Going into tonight’s ceremony Burna held one previous win for Twice As Tall , which took home Best Global Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021.

Watch Burna Boy’s performance above and check out Uproxx’s full 2024 Grammy Awards coverage here.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Grammys In Memoriam Included A Tony Bennett Duet, A Call For Ceasefire, And A Stunning Tina Turner Tribute

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The Grammys’ In Memoriam tribute for 2024 was necessarily a rough time, as so many legends passed away since early 2023, including Sinead O’Connor, Tina Turner, and more. The segment saw Stevie Wonder deliver a simulated duet of “For Once In My Life” with Tony Bennett, as well as “The Best Is Yet To Come.” Then Annie Lennox covered Sinead O’Connor’s Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Fittingly, Lennox used the moment to call for a ceasefire in West Asia (commonly called the Middle East) in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palenstine over the Gaza Strip. It was a fitting moment because O’Connor notably used her platform to make passionate political statements, including criticizing the Catholic church. She took a lot of punishment from the media and the public for her positions, finding vindication years later.

Meanwhile, there were spoken tributes to Clarence Avant, the “Godfather of Black Music,” form Lenny Kravitz, and Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock & Roll, by Oprah Winfrey. Meanwhile, Jon Batiste performed Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Optimistic” for the former, while Fantasia Barrino performed “Proud Mary” for the latter, decked out in a classic Turner look. Fantasia even left the stage to dance with the audience, including Dua Lipa.

You can keep up with Uproxx’s Grammys coverage here.

Travis Scott Took The 2024 Grammys To ‘Utopia’ With A Moody Performance Of ‘My Eyes’ And ‘Fein’ With Playboi Carti

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The 2024 Grammy Awards took a trip to Utopia as Travis Scott brought his usual raucous energy to his performance.

Opening with a moody rendition of the introspective “My Eyes” and then broke out into a more energetic performance of “Fein,” replete with flamethrowers and strobing spotlights as mist surrounded his asteroid stage. He was joined by the song’s featured artist Playboi Carti, who worse a creepy mask, and spent the back half of his performance throwing chairs.

Travis is nominated for one award this year: Best Rap Album for Utopia, which dropped July 28, 2023, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 496,000 album-equivalent units sold/streamed. 252,000 of those units were pure album sales.

The album arguably marked a return to form for the Houston rapper, who had been largely absent from the spotlight in the year following the tragic incident at the 2021 Astroworld Festival in which 10 fans were killed by a crowd crush and hundreds more were injured.

Since his return, Travis has been more of a ubiquitous marketing presence than ever, crisscrossing North America on his Circus Maxiumus tour for Utopia, releasing a new Nike collaboration alongside tennis legend John McEnroe, and even starring in a new film by Harmony Korine shot entirely in infrared false color.

Travis has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards over the course of his career, including Best Rap Album for 2018’s Astroworld, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for that album’s Drake-featuring single “Sicko Mode,” and Best Melodic Rap Performance for his 2021 single “Highest In The Room.”

Watch Travis’ performance above and check out the rest of Uproxx’s 2024 Grammys coverage here.

SZA Debuted A New Song, ‘Saturn,’ From Her Upcoming Album ‘Lana’ In A New MasterCard Campaign During The 2024 Grammys

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MasterCard

SZA has had an incredible night at the 2024 Grammy Awards tonight (February 4). During a special performance from the Grammy House, the prolific hitmaker — who already won two Grammys tonight, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her Phoebe Bridgers collaboration, “Ghost In The Machine” and Best R&B Performance for “Snooze” — debuted a new song, “Saturn” from her upcoming album, Lana.

On the song, SZA laments her time in an environmentally unconscious world.

“Stuck in this paradigm / Don’t believe in paradise / This must be what hell is like / There’s got to be more, got to be more Sick of this head of minе / Intrusive thoughts, they paralyze / Thе fun is done, to summarize,” she sings on the song’s hook.

The accompanying advertisement features SZA joined by dancers, moving to the music in a greenscape. It ends with SZA announcing her partnership with MasterCard and the Priceless Planet Coalition. The Priceless Planet Coalition aims to restore 100 million trees in forests around the world that have the greatest potential positive impact on the climate, for communities and for nature.

“It takes more than one person or one company to create scaled impact for the planet,” said Rustom Dastoor, EVP of Marketing and Communications, Mastercard North America, in a statement. “Music does more than unite us, it inspires us to take action. Through our GRAMMY Awards campaign, we are merging passion and purpose in a way that, through a major cultural event, rallies people to come together through the power of music to create collective action for the planet.”

You can see the MasterCard ad above.