The nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards will be unveiled in just a few days, on November 10. In the meantime, fans wait in excitement to see if their favorite artists, songs, and albums will receive an acknowledgment from the Recording Academy. Beyond that, the winners will be revealed when the ceremony airs on February 4, 2024.
However, worth considering before all that is the window of time that a piece of work must have been released between that would make it acceptable for consideration. The current nomination window looks at everything from October 1, 2022 to September 15, 2023. (As an example, this means that while Taylor Swift’s Midnights would be in the running, her 1989 (Taylor’s Version) would be included as a possibility for 2025, as it missed the 2024 cut-off.)
Another thing to note is that, according to the Recording Academy’s official website, the recordings had to be “commercially released” in the United States to be considered. Once the nominations are out, voters of the Academy will then cast their ballots for the final round of voting. For more about the selection process, visit their official website here.
The Recording Academy will be livestreaming the nomination announcement both on its official website and on YouTube. More information on how to watch the 2024 Grammy nomination ceremony can be found here.
In just a few days on November 10, artists like Kim Petras, Jeff Tweedy, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and more will be uniting to unveil the nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards. Given that fans have been waiting to see if their favorites will get a nod in any of the major categories, they also might be wondering how to livestream the announcement.
Here’s what to know.
On that day, fans will be able to watch the Grammy nominees get revealed through a stream that will run on both YouTube and their official website here. The ceremony will start by announcing the general and then select categories.
According to Billboard, this year the awards show is limiting the number of nominees in categories like Album Of The Year and more down to just 8. (It used to be up to 10.) Rounding out the general awards are Song Of The Year; Record Of The Year; Best New Artist; and now, the added Producer Of The Year; Non-Classical; and Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical.
The Grammy nominations pre-show will start at 10:45 a.m. ET. At 11, the livestream event will then kick off and will run until 11:25 a.m. ET. For those who miss the stream, the nominees will be posted online immediately after it finishes.
Then, the 2024 Grammy Awards will be held on February 4, 2024, where the winners will be revealed.
The Grammys will again pay tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with A Grammy Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop. The two-hour special will expand on the 50-year tribute from this year’s Grammy ceremony, which included performers like Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Method Man, Missy Elliott, Lil Baby, GloRilla, and more. The new special will expand the lineup to include Big Daddy Kane, Gunna, MC Lyte, Too $hort, T.I., Warren G, and YG.
While the special will tape on November 8 in Inglewood, you will be able to catch it on CBS when it airs on Sunday, December 10.
According to Billboard, the special’s executive producers are Questlove and LL Cool J. After complaints that the original performance was too short and overlooked important figures in hip-hop history, Questlove explained, “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.”
Afterward, the Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., hinted at some more celebrations later in the year. “For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” he said. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
But one of the complaints about the tribute was that it was too short and ignored some rather pivotal moments and acts from hip-hop (especially the late-aughts and 2010s). At the time, the Grammys promised that a longer special would be recorded and aired later in the year. Earlier this month, the Grammys announced when the show would take place, and today, we learned more about which artists would be performing at the Grammy Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop.
According to Billboard, the second round of acts added to the lineup includes Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Digable Planets, DJ Quik, E-40, GloRilla, Gunna, Jeezy, Juvenile, Latto, Luniz, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Spinderella, Three 6 Mafia, Too $hort, T.I., 2 Chainz, Warren G, and YG.
They’ll be added to the existing lineup of Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Lady of Rage, LL Cool J, C Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke and Yo-Yo, many of whom played at the tribute earlier this year.
A Grammy Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop tapes on November 8 at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA, and airs on Sunday, December 10 on CBS.
The Recording Academy’s CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has a tough job. After all, it can’t be easy to oversee “music’s biggest night” — or field the complaints that come from both artists and their fans when those artists miss out on the most prestigious awards at each year’s Grammy Awards. One example is the recent sentiment that Beyoncé should have won Album Of The Year for Renaissance and not just Best Dance Album.
It’s his job to make sure that the Academy’s membership reflects music’s increasingly diverse audience and the rapidly changing landscape, incorporating new musical genres and styles in the categories, and helping to make sure the “right” names compete for these admittedly subjective awards, like Bad Bunny. And even with all that, it still comes down to how the votes shake out, making some losses “inevitable” in his eyes, unless more voices participate in the process.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Mason addressed the perceived snubs of Beyoncé and Bad Bunny for Album Of The Year, and put forth his suggested fix to ensure changes to the oft-criticized Grammys.
“It’s always tough because it’s a subjective award,” he said. “But I take all criticisms very, very seriously, and I look into how we can be better as an academy — we all do. So when somebody’s upset, whether it’s an artist or a fan base, we take it seriously. There’ve been giant steps forward, and we’re going to continue to evolve and grow. We don’t like it when anybody feels snubbed, although it’s inevitable.”
He continued, “We could look at it two ways: If somebody’s feeling like the voting went the wrong way, they can turn their backs or they can say, ‘I’m going to get more involved and make sure our community’s voice is heard.’ In the past, where someone felt something else should’ve won, I’ve asked, ‘Did you vote?’ And they’d say they weren’t a member. We’ve got to get you to be a member because I need your vote. The academy needs the votes of all the different people in all the different genres. We can’t leave the voting to someone else. We have to be voters ourselves.”
Considering the Academy hadn’t always included ethnic minorities or women, Mason’s efforts have focused on getting more membership from those demographics. As he told Rolling Stone, the Academy is 80 percent of the way to its goal of adding 2,500 women to its rolls by 2025. Whether that helps to ensure more contemporary faves actually get what fans believe they’re due remains to be seen.
As The Hollywood Reporter reports, “a source close to the situation” says Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss was submitted for Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album, while songs like “Rich Flex” and “Spin Bout U” were submitted for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Melodic Rap Performance.
THR added a note worth considering, though: “At the Grammys, Academy members involved in albums or songs — including songwriters, producers, and engineers — can submit material they worked on for awards. For example, a producer or engineer who worked on most of Her Loss, who is a member of the Academy, could submit the project for album of the year, or a songwriter who co-wrote ‘Rich Flex’ could submit it for Song Of The Year and Best Rap Song.”
So, it’s possible Drake didn’t submit the album himself or personally approve its submission. Another possibility is that he put his Grammys beef aside to not prevent 21 Savage from being nominated. Neither Drake, 21 Savage, nor the Recording Academy responded to THR‘s request for comment.
Drake is reportedly ending his boycott of the Grammys with hopes of taking home a few trophies. The rapper’s long-standing issues with award shows has been well-documented. However, it seems that with the success of Her Loss, he and 21 Savage are vying for a Grammy. Per Hollywood Reporter, the rappers submitted Her Loss for consideration in the Album Of The Year and Rap Album Of The Year categories. However, given the gargantuan singles it produced, they’re also gunning to get nominated in a number of other categories.
With singles like ”Rich Flex” and “Spin Bout U” gaining significant popularity in the last year, Drake and 21 Savage have submitted those two singles in five other categories including Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. Additionally, collaborations with Travis Scott (“Meltdown”) and Young Thug (“Oh U Went”) have also been submitted to the Grammys. But, as the Hollywood Reporter notes, it’s entirely possible that someone else submitted these records for consideration on their behalf.
Drake’s issues with the Grammys began in 2017 after “Hotline Bling” was nominated in a rap category, despite being a pop record with R&B influences. The rapper revealed that they tried to convince him to drop two concerts in London to attend the award show. In addition to opting out of attending, Drake also withdrew nominations in the past. Certified Lover Boy was nominated for two rap awards but he later backtracked. With Honestly, Nevermind, he simply didn’t submit the project or any of its singles.
In 2020, the rapper stated he felt as though the Grammys were disconnected from the culture as a whole. “I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways.” Do you think Drake and 21 Savage will win a Grammy for Her Loss? Let us know in the comments below.
For All The Dogs by Drake is the talk of the town right now, but for many hip-hop fans, it lives in the shadow of another 2023 album. Moreover, Travis Scott’s UTOPIA is still one of the most played, acclaimed, and talked-about projects this year, and fans love to debate over which one’s better. Of course, there are very different contexts: we had to wait about a year for one and five for the other. But La Flame clearly wanted- and still wants- to go big with this LP, and just officially submitted it for consideration at the Grammys.
Furthermore, this is actually quite the comical and somewhat back-handed move if you think about it. After all, UTOPIA saw Travis Scott saying that losing at the 2019 Grammys “turned” him “to a beast” on the second song on the tracklist. As such, maybe he wants to prove them wrong, simply try just in case, or maybe make a statement. But the more likely scenario is that the Houston MC is like many other massive artists in the game right now: that Grammy is a big goal to reach.
Regardless of all that, though, Travis Scott doesn’t need a Grammy to validate his success, artistry, or lifestyle. He can still live it up as much as he wants, like he recently did at Jay-Z’s blackjack tournament charity event. In fact, there’s a clip that fans found of the 32-year-old walking over various tables to make it to where Hov was at the gathering. Many found it pretty funny, especially the reactions of the New York legend’s entourage. Is that what people mean when they talk about overcoming obstacles?
If so, then Trav’s overcome a lot in his life and career, even if public favor isn’t at an all-time high due to his association with the Astroworld Festival tragedy. Still, it seems like he’s doing his part to sort that out in court and continue his path forward. Whether you agree with that or not, it’s unlikely that UTOPIA will be absent from 2023 conversations, be it from fans or the Recording Academy. For more news and the latest updates on Travis Scott, stay up to date on HNHH.
For weeks, the music was divided after a way of AI-generated songs began circling online. Rappers such as Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne verbalized that they weren’t in the least bit worried. However, things quickly took a turn when The Recording Academy, the organizers behind the Grammys, announced that these works would be eligible for awards during the 2024 season. At the center of these landmark decision is a viral AI track using Drake and The Weeknd’s programmed vocals.
Although the song “Heart On My Sleeve” has been removed from streaming platforms, rumors began circulating that it had been submitted for a highly sought-after Gramophone trophy consideration. Grammy’s CEO Harvey Mason, Jr., fanned the flames by telling The New York Times on September 4 that it did meet the eligibility requirements. But today (September 8), Mason took a moment to clarify his original statement.
“I’m sorry, but I have to clear up some of this bad and really inaccurate information that’s starting to float around. This version of “Heart on My Sleeve” uses AI voice modeling that sounds like Drake and The Weeknd, it’s not eligible for Grammy consideration. Let me be extra, extra clear, even though it was written by a human creator, the vocals were not legally obtained, the vocals were not cleared by the label or the artists, and the song is not commercially available, and because of that, it’s not eligible,” Mason remarked to The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued, “I take this [AI] stuff very seriously. It’s all complicated, and it’s moving really, really quickly. I’m sure things are going to continue to have to evolve and change. But please, please, do not be confused. The Academy is here to support and advocate and protect and represent human artists, and human creators, period.”
Musicians such as Meek Mill and Grimes have responded relatively positively to the track. Drake, on the other hand, hasn’t been as approving. In April, when a fan recreated Ice Spice’s song “Munch” using Drake’s voice (via AI software), he immediately declared his disdain for it. The next Grammy Award ceremony isn’t set to take place until next year, so there’s no telling what the future has in store.
Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Getty Image/Capitol Records/gstudioimagen on Freepik/Derrick Rossignol
The Recording Academy is making a grave mistake in allowing the AI-performed song “Heart On My Sleeve” to remain Grammy eligible. The song was apparently submitted for Grammy consideration by its “creator,” an anonymous social media user calling themselves Ghostwriter977. According to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., “I knew right away as soon as I heard that record that it was going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint, but also from a music community and industry standpoint.”
“When you start seeing A.I. involved in something so creative and so cool, relevant and of-the-moment,” he continued. “It immediately starts you thinking, ‘OK, where is this going? How is this going to affect creativity? What’s the business implication for monetization?’”
And herein lies the error in that thinking: Because in nearly every instance in which the implications of new technology have been “considered,” rarely has the potential harm given tech cheerleaders enough pause to prevent legitimate disaster. In the just the past three years, we saw election tampering through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter (Nazis!), the collapse of the NFT/cryptocurrency bubble, and housing and transportation crises exacerbated by apps like Airbnb, Lyft, and Uber (to say nothing of the exploitation and abuses inherent to the workings of apps like these or the massive delivery infrastructure of Amazon).
But let’s just stick to how tech has impacted the music industry for now. Last year around this time, I wrote that the virtual rapper FN Meka, which was allegedly created through AI and voiced by a human performer, presaged an incoming industry push to make performers and writers alike obsolete. I hate to say “I told you so,” but it’s beginning to look like the next phase of that push is peeking over the horizon. While “Heart On My Sleeve” is unlikely to earn a nomination — there’s little about it that’s truly innovative aside from its use of a burgeoning technology that many of us only barely understand — legitimizing it will undoubtedly inspire future imitators.
With listeners’ attention spans already stretched to the limit by a near constant deluge of new content from artists who themselves can barely keep up with demand in the struggle to remain relevant, how are any of us going to contend with robots that can churn out as many new songs as quickly as prompts are written? Computers don’t need to take vacations — and let’s be honest here, they don’t need any inspiration or real-life experiences, either. They can just trawl our tweets (posts, TikToks, whatever) and “create” songs algorithmically programmed to crawl inside our brains and get stuck there, tickling our cortexes with mathematical precision.
Now, as Mr. Mason points out (perhaps inadvertently), this won’t be a problem for anyone on the business side of the equation. A sleepless machine churning out an endless stream of content is a perfect money generator in the streaming economy. The labels will, of course, see infinite profits in investing in these technologies, because we’ve seen CEOs pull out the same playbook in industries like auto manufacturing, construction, and even now, in the ongoing struggle between the movie and television studios and their writers and actors. They’ll drive profits by cutting overhead — meaning labor — trying to squeeze blood from stones.
We see the problems with this approach, even if the CEOs never seem to. Elon Musk thought he could run Twitter (I am NEVER calling it “X”) with a skeleton crew of devoted loyalists; the site barely runs, and this plan has been executed with all the forethought and thoroughness of a game of Calvinball. Label heads might see AI music as a great investment initially, but as they realize that entire departments become superfluous as a result, they’ll cut those jobs too — right up until they’re being asked to perform basic administrative duties by themselves, with no idea how exactly to manage the “artists” whose inner workings they have only a baseline understanding of.
If this seems like catastrophizing or slippery slope rationalizing, just look at every other time a new technology has rumbled the foundations of the music industry. When .mp3s came along, there was mass panic until the innovation of the 360-degree deal — a proposition that took more wealth out of artists’ pockets and sent it up the pyramid to the shareholders and CEOs. As Spotify became the default source for fans to enjoy the music they love, labels not only worked out favorable deals to ensure they got the bulk of the revenue, but also bought parts of the platform itself to get paid both ways. And as TikTok became the music discovery watering hole of the digital age, labels swooped in to monetize that too.
All of this came at the expense of the artists who actually create the product that drives the profits. How many artists have complained in the past two years that they’ve been pushed to “go viral on TikTok” instead of making music (the answer: a lot)? How many stories have we seen about artists losing money as their slices of streaming get thinner and thinner? And that’s not to mention the peripheral industries, the managers, the lawyers, the promoters, the touring bookers, and the venues, all losing out as the streaming space gets more and more crowded with viral one-hit wonders and wannabe superstars whose attentions are being pulled in a thousand different directions — sync licensing, sponsorship seeking, merchandising, and social media management/monetization — just so they can make rent.
Imagine that this is all a house of cards built on one shaky foundation: human creators relating human experiences to human listeners. Streaming and social media have already sent tremors through this foundation by gaming algorithms and creating overnight stars with few credentials and even less credibility. But adding AI to the equation just might kick that foundation out entirely, taking the entire industry with it. And it all starts with seemingly insignificant moves like considering AI songs for awards that committees already rarely get “right” in the eyes of fans.
Legitimizing work like Ghostwriter977’s — whether they truly wrote the song or not — wouldn’t just hurt the artists it imitates, although Universal Music Group was quick to issue a takedown request for “Heart On My Sleeve,” since it would clearly violate likeness rights in a sane society. It would also hurt practically every other artist in the industry, devaluing their work for what’s basically a novelty. Then, like dominos, dozens of peripheral industries could fall, until the only thing left is the AI. Then, when the bubble inevitably bursts, all that’ll be left is deafening silence.
