Hip Hop News

Cardi B And Megan Thee Stallion’s Wild 2021 Grammys Performance Combined ‘Savage’ And ‘Up’ With ‘WAP’

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After a whirlwind summer that saw their collaboration go No. 1, take over the national discourse, and “piss off a bunch of Republicans for no reason,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion finally got to perform a watered-down version of the raunchy “WAP” on the Grammys.

Opting to use the clean version — which contains one of the three words Cardi says she hates the most — Cardi and Meg hit the stage together for a smashing, roaring 20s-inspired performance. Opening with a jazzy medley of Meg’s “Body” and “Savage,” Cardi appeared via a wild, LED screen, dancing in a gleaming futuristic ensemble to start her performance with her new song “Up.” Then Meg joined her after a very quick costume change for a performance of “WAP” backed by a giant stripper shoe with a heel that doubled as a pole.

After releasing “Up,” the follow-up to “WAP,” Cardi commented on the reaction to her and Meg’s hit, saying she was surprised because it was “really mild” compared to the continuum of randy sex raps from previous female stars like Lil Kim and Trina. The song’s title was censored at the Emmys, confusing and delighting fans, while “WAP” became a political lightning rod, drawing responses from the likes of Republican Congressional candidates, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Cardi even joked she was originally supposed to perform the song at the 2021 Presidential inauguration.

“WAP” isn’t nominated for an award this year, but Cardi made sure to congratulate overlooked, under-the-radar nominees ahead of the ceremony. Meanwhile, Megan actually did win an award before the televised portion of the ceremony for her “Savage” remix with Beyonce, making them the first women to win the Best Rap Performance award.

Watch Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance above.

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

Full March Madness Tournament Bracket Announced For Selection Sunday

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The official bracket for the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been unveiled. The number one seeds include Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan.

Additionally, four teams have been selected as standby teams in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak limiting a team’s ability to participate. Louisville, Colorado State, Saint Louis, and Mississippi will be added if need, in that order.

The tournament will start on March 18th with four play-in games. The exact times are to be determined.

Check out the full schedule below.

West

  • No. 1 Gonzaga No. 16 Norfolk State/Appalachian State
  • No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Missouri
  • No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 12 UC Santa Barbara
  • No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 13 Ohio
  • No. 6. USC vs. No. 11 Wichita State/Drake
  • No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 14 Eastern Washington
  • No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 10 VCU
  • No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon

South

  • No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 16 Hartford
  • No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Wisconsin
  • No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 12 Winthrop
  • No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 North Texas 
  • No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 Utah State
  • No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 14 Colgate
  • No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech
  • No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts

Midwest

  • No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 16 Drexel
  • No. 8 Loyola Chicago vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech
  • No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Oregon State
  • No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Liberty
  • No. 6 San Diego State vs. No. 11 Syracuse
  • No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 14 Morehead State
  • No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 Rutgers
  • No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Cleveland State

East

  • No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s/Texas Southern
  • No. 8 LSU vs. No. 9 St. Bonaventure
  • No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Georgetown
  • No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 13 UNC Greensboro
  • No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Michigan State/UCLA
  • No. 3 Texas vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian
  • No. 7 Connecticut vs. No. 10 Maryland
  • No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Iona
[Via]

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Bring Silk Sonic To The 2021 Grammys Stage With A Throwback Performance

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CBS

During the lead-up to this year’s Grammys, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak made it clear that they wanted their new supergroup, Silk Sonic, to perform during the broadcast. They made a big stink about it on Twitter, trying to convince the Recording Academy to give them a performance slot during the 2021 ceremony. As many surely suspected, it seemed the pair’s faux-bellyaching seemed to have been a ploy to drum up attention for their performance, which the Academy announced days later was locked in.

So, Mars and .Paak took the stage tonight and busted out a rendition of their sole single so far, “Leave The Door Open.” The duo was joined by a pair of background singers and they all made perfect use of the stage, with .Paak and Mars joining their backing cohorts towards the back of the space when they weren’t on lead vocals.

Mars has been relatively quiet over the past few years and consequently, he doesn’t have any Grammy nominations this year. .Paak has a couple of nods for 2021, though: “Lockdown” was nominated for for Best Melodic Rap Performance while that song’s visual is up for Best Music Video.

Watch Silk Sonic’s Grammy performance above and find the full list of this year’s Grammy winners and nominees here.

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

DaBaby Employs A Choir In HIs 2021 Grammys Performance Of ‘Rockstar’ With Roddy Ricch

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DaBaby is a rapper with a gift for puns, but his performance of “Rockstar” at the 2021 Grammys gave host Trevor Noah such a good setup, it’s almost shocking they didn’t shut the whole thing down immediately after. Backed by a choir of silver-haired, elder singers — comparisons were made to the Supreme Court, which still runs overwhelmingly old and white — DaBaby was joined by Roddy Ricch and Anthony Hamilton for a blown-out performance, with Noah dubbing the backup singers “The Baby Boomers” when all was said and done.

DaBaby and Roddy share three nominations this year for “Rockstar,” which has them both anticipating potential wins for Best Rap Song, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Record Of The Year. DaBaby’s “Bop” was also nominated for Best Rap Performance, although Megan Thee Stallion secured that award for herself earlier in the evening in the non-televised portion of the proceedings for her Beyonce-featuring song “Savage.” Meanwhile, Roddy himself is nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Rap Song, and Song Of The Year for his TikTok-favorite solo single “The Box.”

After his performance, DaBaby barely had time to remove his sparkly driving gloves before returning to the stage to support Dua Lipa on her “Levitating” performance, still shining in his all-white suit.

Watch DaBaby’s glorious performance of “Rockstar” above.

Dua Lipa’s Shimmering Grammys Medley Spanned ‘Levitating,’ ‘Don’t Start Now’ And Three Outfit Changes

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Dua Lipa’s 2020 record Future Nostalgia was a beacon of light in what shaped up to be a pretty dark year, and the songs off her sophomore album are still echoing through pop music even a year later. One of the album’s early singles, “Levitating” got an upbeat, rollicking verse from North Carolina rapper DaBaby on a worthy remix, and tonight the pair united on the Grammys stage to deliver a live rendition.

Although another remixed version of the track includes Madonna and Missy Elliott, as part of Dua’s Club Nostalgia remix album that doubles as a love letter to the classic electronic music and club scene, DaBaby’s version is still the one that fans gravitate toward the most. She’s up for six nominations this year, including Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year for “Don’t Start Now.”

For tonight’s performance she sported a massive, fluffy pink princess dress replete with sparkles and massive sleeves, matched with pink eyeshadow and a pink mic, before ditching it for a sparkling pink blazer when DaBaby casually strolled back onstage to deliver his verse. After rejoining him, she pulled off yet another outfit change, stripping down to a pink sparkling bikini to launch into “Don’t Start Now.” A fitting medley for a star who should’ve been performing in arenas all year, Dua proved she earned that Best New Artist Grammy last year over and over again. Watch below.

DaBaby & Roddy Ricch Perform “ROCKSTAR” At 2021 Grammy Awards

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DaBaby added a third verse to his song “ROCKSTAR” during his performance with Roddy Ricch at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday night. “ROCKSTAR” is nominated for Record of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song.

Of the third verse, DaBaby told the Associated Press that he “feels like it’s going to touch everybody.”

Due to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the performances will be held without an audience, something DaBaby says won’t have too big of an impact: “At the end of the day, we still have the ability to express ourselves through camera. So it’s no different than like a music video,” he told the AP.

DaBaby, Roddy Ricch
Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Additionally, DaBaby hopped on stage with Dua Lipa to perform his verse from the “Levitating” remix, elsewhere in the show.

Ricch’s hit song “The Box” is nominated for Song of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song.

Earlier in the evening, Nas won Best Rap Album for his recent project, King’s Disease. Other nominees included D Smoke (Black Habits), Jay Electronica (A Written Testimony), Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist (Alfredo), and Royce 5’9’’ (The Allegory).

For the full list of updated Grammy winners and nominees check here.

[Via]

Megan Thee Stallion Wins Best New Artist At 2021 Grammys

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Megan Thee Stallion was named the Best New Artist at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday. Other nominees for the award included Phoebe Bridgers, KAYTRANADA, Doja Cat, Chika, Ingrid Andress, Noah Cyrus, and D Smoke.

Megan dominated 2020, releasing her debut album, Good News, appearing on Ariana Grande’s  “34+35” remix with Doja Cat, and more. Megan also took home the award for Best Rap Performance with her song “Savage,” featuring Beyonce.

Megan Thee Stallion, Grammy
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Other noteworthy winners thus far include Nas, who won Best Rap Album for King’s Disease, John Legend, who won Best R&B Album for Bigger Love, Thundercat, who won Best Progressive R&B Album for It Is What It Is, and more. For the full list of updated Grammy winners and nominees head here.

On Saturday, Megan announced that she would be partnering with Fashion Nova to donate $100,000 to the Breonna Taylor Foundation on the one-year anniversary of Taylor’s death at the hands of the Louisville Police Department. 

“Breonna’s name continues to be a catalyst for change and a powerful reminder that justice has still not been served,” she said in a statement announcing the partnership. “Fashion Nova and I are proud to give $100,000 to the @breonnataylorfoundation created by @tamikalpalmer to honor the memory of her daughter.”

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Megan Thee Stallion Picks Up The 2021 Grammy Award For Best New Artist

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While there are always complaints about who gets nominated for what at the Grammy Awards, there’s no denying that this year’s set of nominees for Best New Artist is a stacked group. Somebody had to win though, and it has now been revealed that Megan Thee Stallion is taking home the Grammy for Best New Artist at the 2021 awards.

The artists who were nominated for the award this year were Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat, Kaytranada, and Megan.

This year’s field is one of the more stacked list of Best New Artist nominees in recent memory. Both Doja and Megan had No. 1 singles in 2020: “Say So” for Doja and “Savage” and “WAP” for Meg. The first two of those three aforementioned songs are up for Record Of The Year, too. Bridgers had a standout year in terms of Grammy nominations outside of Best New Artist, as she also earned nods for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. The same is true for Kaytranada, who picked up wins in the Best Dance Recording category, for his Kali Uchis collaboration “10%,” and in Best Dance/Electronic Album, for Bubba.

Find the full list of this year’s Grammy winners and nominees here.

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

J. Lo Uses Saweetie To Speak Out After A-Rod Split Reports

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Jennifer Lopez Alex Rodriguez

Hollywood actress Jennifer “J. Lo” Lopez is speaking out and getting a major assist from West Coast rapper Saweetie. The veteran entertainer has come forward with her first words following engagement and breakup rumors with fiancé Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez. J. Lo Uses Saweetie To Make A Statement Miss Lopez went to her Instagram page with […]

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