Music

Louis C.K. And Dave Chappelle Getting Grammy Nominations Is Making People Wonder If Maybe ‘Cancel Culture’ Isn’t Real

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It’s become fashionable, even profitable, to come out against what is known as “cancel culture.” Opponents to this practice, whose very existence is debatable, claim people, usually young progressives, destroy the lives of those who say or do things they problematic. Others argue it’s a fiction, invented by culture warlords to protect those who don’t want their controversial views called into question. So when Dave Chappelle, under fire for anti-trans comments, and Louis C.K., who confessed to multiple cases of sexual misconduct in 2017, wound up with Grammy nominations on Tuesday, some wondered if “cancel culture” was perhaps not as powerful, or as real, as some have claimed.

C.K., who’s been playing big shows again, wound up fêted with a Best Comedy Album nom for Sincerely Louis C.K. Meanwhile, fellow comic Chappelle received a nom not for comedy but for Best Spoken Word Album, for 8:46, which he released mid-pandemic, and which addressed the murder of George Floyd. That means he’ll be competing against no less than Barack Obama, for A Promised Land.

The two weren’t the only “cancelled” artists who wound up with Grammy nominations. Marilyn Manson, who’s facing sexual assault lawsuits from several women, wound up recognized for his work on Kanye West’s Donda. Kevin Hart, whose homophobic comments led to him withdrawing as host of the 2019 Oscars, will compete with C.K. for the comedy album Zero F***s Given.

Chappelle has not apologized for his anti-trans comments, which he’s made across numerous specials for Netflix. After his most recent controversial special, The Closer, dropped, he even told a roaring crowd, “If this is what being canceled is like, I love it.” Perhaps it was a joke on how “cancel culture” isn’t real, that it doesn’t destroy lives but make them stronger. Or perhaps he was just reveling in his infamy.

But when word broke out that C.K., Chappelle and other “cancelled” artists were being celebrated by a major awards body, some people on social media wondered if “cancel culture” was just a bunch of BS.

Some wondered why Chappelle was nominated but not Bo Burnham’s acclaimed Inside.

Others pointed to another “cancelled” celebrity who recently revealed good career news: alleged Lethal Weapon 5 director Mel Gibson.

Jay-Z Just Broke The Record For The Most Grammy Nominations Ever

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Who could’ve predicted that the man who famously rapped “Tell the Grammy’s f*ck that 0 for 8 sh*t” — referring to his complete snub in 2018 — is now the all-time record holder for the most Grammy nominations? With three more nominations under his belt for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, Jay-Z is now jus that.

The rapper previously tied the record with Quincy Jones at 80 nominations, but he’s now is alone at the top. For the 2022 Grammys, he’s nominated twice in the Best Rap Song category, for his appearances on DMX’s “Bath Salts” and on Kanye West’s “Jail.” He’s also included as part of Kanye West’s Donda, which was nominated for Album of The Year.

While Jay-Z called out the Recording Academy in 2018, he still has 23 total award wins across his previous 80 nominations and could very well be in line for more to come when the show airs on January 31st. His 23 wins are fairly spread-out, as the most he’s ever won in a single year is three awards, in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Now with Jay-Z sitting at the top, the leaderboard has seen a bit of a shake-up. Jones has actually dropped to third place as Paul McCartney’s two nominations today put him at 81 all-time nominations, with Jones at 80. Beyoncé didn’t gain any ground this year and is sitting in fourth with 79, but is still both the female artist with the most wins, at 28.

Polo G’s ‘Hall Of 2.0.’ Tracklist Features Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, NLE Choppa, And More

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Nearly six months after Polo G dropped his third album, Hall Of Fame, he’s gearing up to share its deluxe reissue. The record, which houses “Rapstar,” Polo G’s first No. 1 song, also became his first chart-topping album, having spent two weeks on the Billboard 200. The rapper announced the deluxe version, which is titled Hall Of Fame 2.0, earlier this month and later shared the first single for it: “Bad Man (Smooth Criminal).” Now, with a little over a week left until it arrives, he unveils the tracklist.

Hall Of Fame 2.0 adds 14 songs to the album’s original 20, while bringing on Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, Yungliv, NLE Choppa, and Lil Tjay as additional guests. At the time of its announcement, Polo G shared a trailer where he spoke about the inspiration behind it. “Hall Of Fame 2.0…That was me beating my chest, really coming into my own as an artist and showing I’m gonna stay,” he says. “But before I just close out this chapter, I feel like we should turn up this one more time.”

You can view the deluxe tracklist for Hall Of Fame 2.0 below.

1. “Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)”
2. “Don’t Play” Feat. Lil Baby
3. “Start Up Again” Feat. Moneybagg Yo
4. “Heating Up” Feat. Yungliv
5. “Black Man In America”
6. “Young N Dumb”
7. “Unapologetic” Feat. NLE Choppa
8. “Fortnight”
9. “Decisions”
10. “With You”
11. “Partin Ways”
12. “Suicide” Feat. Lil Tjay
13. “Piano G”
14. “Alright”

Hall Of Fame 2.0 is out 12/3 via Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.

NLE Choppa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Car Used In Young Dolph’s Murder Has Been Linked To Another Shooting Near Memphis

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Investigators are still working to find the two suspects responsible for Young Dolph’s murder last week. Authorities have already shared photos from surveillance camera footage that capture the shooters moments before they fired into Makeda’s Cookies, a bakery in Memphis that Dolph frequently visited. Now, Tennessee police officials have connected the vehicle used in Dolph’s murder to another shooting that occurred earlier this month. The white Mercedes Benz that the suspects used in Dolph’s shooting was also used during a November 12 shooting in Covington, Tennessee, which is about 40 miles north of Memphis according to NBC News.

Captain Jack Howell of the Covington Police Department says the Mercedes followed another vehicle after a high school game earlier this month. When it came to a stop at an intersection, two individuals exited the Mercedes and fired about 40 rounds from high-powered rifles into the other car, which was occupied by two women. One of the car’s occupants died from their injuries while the other remains hospitalized. Howell said Covington police are working with Memphis officials in order to find the suspects, who they believe are from the Memphis area. The connection between the two crimes was made when the Mercedes was discovered in a Memphis neighborhood on Saturday.

The news comes after Dolph’s longtime partner Mia Jaye and Key Glock, who was Dolph’s cousin by marriage and is also signed to the later rapper’s label Paper Route Empire, both shared touching tributes to Dolph on Instagram.

Violinist Yuli Is Defying Expectations And Changing Perspectives Through Music

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As soon as she picked up a violin for the first time, Yuli knew it was the instrument for her. The musician has been playing violin since a young age, but her passion for the music meant she was the kind of kid who never had to be told to practice. Now, years later, Yuli tells Uproxx how she hopes to defy expectations and show that violin “is for everybody.”

For Uproxx’s New Normalists series presented by Instagram, Yuli explains that she began playing violin by accident. Hailing from Detroit, she got involved in her public school’s music program in second grade where she was presented with the option between several different instruments. Yuli was revolted by wind instruments upon seeing their spit valves, so she instead picked up a violin as her instrument of choice.

Though she’s been playing since elementary school, Yuli knows that people don’t expect her to be a talented violinist upon seeing her. “When most people think of violin, viola, they think it’s a certain class that you can’t be a part of,” she told Uproxx. “I’m a Black woman, I’m playing this instrument. Maybe you haven’t seen this but you’re going to enjoy it and you’re going to feel connected to it. I want to show people that this is for everybody.”

As a seasoned musician, Yuli is most proud of her craft when she plays for kids. “I love to make them aware that there are people who look like them who can play these instruments and do it well,” she said. Though she does enjoy “changing people’s perspective” with her craft, she always remains her most authentic self — no matter what.

Watch Yuli detail her passion for violin in Uproxx’s New Normalists series above.

Jon Batiste Has The Second-Most Grammy Nominations In A Single Year Ever And He’s Jazzed Up About It

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When watching the livestream of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards nominations being announced, some viewers noticed that they were hearing Jon Batiste’s name a heck of a lot. In fact, when all was said and done, Batiste actually had more nominations than anybody else, as he racked up an impressive 11 of them: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Album, Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and Best Music Video.

That’s a historic achievement, as it ties him for the second-most Grammy nominations in a single year. Michael Jackson had 12 nods in 1984 and Babyface had the same amount in 1997. Batiste is currently tied with Kendrick Lamar, who had 11 nominations in 2016. Also worth noting is the variety of the categories in which Batiste is nominated, as he’s up for consideration in R&B, jazz, American roots, soundtrack, contemporary classical, and visual categories.

After Batiste, this year’s leading nominees are Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and HER, who all have eight nods each, followed by Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, who both got seven nominations.

Batiste is pretty psyched about the whole thing, as he tweeted today, WOW!! Thank you God!! I love EVERYBODY! I’m so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors [crying emojis] 11!”

Check out the categories in which Batiste is nominated below to see who he’s up against and find the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

Record Of The Year
ABBA — “I Still Have Faith In You”
Jon Batiste — “Freedom”
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga — “I Get A Kick Out Of You”
Justin Bieber — “Peaches” Feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Brandi Carlile — “Right On Time”
Doja Cat — “Kiss Me More” Feat. SZA
Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”
Lil Nas X — “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
Olivia Rodrigo — “Drivers License”
Silk Sonic — “Leave The Door Open”

Album Of The Year
Jon Batiste — We Are
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga — Love For Sale
Justin Bieber — Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)
Doja Cat — Planet Her (Deluxe)
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
HER — Back Of My Mind
Lil Nas X — Montero
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Taylor Swift — Evermore
Kanye West — Donda

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Jon Batiste — “I Need You”
BJ The Chicago Kid, PJ Morton and Kenyon Dixon — “Bring It on Home to Me” Feat. Charlie Bereal
Leon Bridges — “Born Again” Feat. Robert Glasper
HER — “Fight for You”
Lucky Daye — “How Much Can a Heart Take” Feat Yebba

Best R&B Album
Snoh Aalegra — Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies
Jon Batiste — We Are
Leon Bridges — Gold-Diggers Sound
HER — Back of My Mind
Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
“Sackodougou,” Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, soloist
“Kick Those Feet,” Kenny Barron, soloist
“Bigger Than Us,” Jon Batiste, soloist
“Absence,” Terence Blanchard, soloist
“Humpty Dumpty (Set 2),” Chick Corea, soloist

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
“Jazz Selections: Music From and Inspired by Soul,” Jon Batiste
“Absence,” Terence Blanchard featuring the E Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet
“Skyline,” Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
“Akoustic Band Live,” Chick Corea, John Patitucci and Dave Weckl
“Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV),” Pat Metheny

Best American Roots Performance
“Cry,” Jon Batiste
“Love and Regret,” Billy Strings
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” The Blind Boys of Alabama and Béla Fleck
“Same Devil,” Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile
“Nightflyer,” Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song
“Avalon,” Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson and Francesco Turrisi, songwriters (Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi)
“Call Me a Fool,” Valerie June, songwriter (Valerie June featuring Carla Thomas)
“Cry,” Jon Batiste and Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
“Diamond Studded Shoes,” Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Yola, songwriters (Yola)
“Nightflyer,” Jeremy Lindsay and Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
“Bridgerton,” Kris Bowers, composer
“Dune,” Hans Zimmer, composer
“The Mandalorian: Season 2 – Vol. 2 (Chapters 13-16),” Ludwig Göransson, composer
“The Queen’s Gambit,” Carlos Rafael Rivera, composer
“Soul,” Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
“Akiho: Seven Pillars,” Andy Akiho, composer. (Sandbox Percussion)
“Andriessen: The Only One,” Louis Andriessen, composer. (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nora Fischer & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
“Assad, Clarice and Sérgio, Connors, Dillon, Martin and Skidmore: Archetypes,” Clarice Assad, Sérgio Assad, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin and David Skidmore, composers. (Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion)
“Batiste: Movement 11,” Jon Batiste, composer (Jon Batiste)
“Shaw: Narrow Sea,” Caroline Shaw, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish and Sō Percussion)

Best Music Video
“Shot in the Dark,” (AC/DC); David Mallet, video director; Dione Orrom, video producer.
“Freedom,” (Jon Batiste); Alan Ferguson, video director; Alex P. Willson, video producer.
“I Get a Kick Out of You,” (Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga); Jennifer Lebeau, video director; Danny Bennett, Bobby Campbell and Jennifer Lebeau, video producers.
“Peaches,” (Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon); Collin Tilley, video director.
“Happier Than Ever,” (Billie Eilish); Billie Eilish, video director; Michelle An, Chelsea Dodson and David Moore, video producers.
“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” (Lil Nas X); Lil Nas X and Tanu Muino, video directors; Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Marco De Molina and Saul Levitz, video producers.
“Good 4 U,” (Olivia Rodrigo); Petra Collins, video director; Christiana Divona, Marissa Ramirez and Tiffany Suh, video producers.

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

Nominees For A Curiously Missing 2021 Grammy Category Were Finally Announced Today

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Last year’s Grammy Awards were miraculous to say the least. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, that even an awards ceremony — albeit a socially-distanced one — was able to go down, was a testament to the Recording Academy taking every possible measure to ensure that Beyoncé could surprise Megan Thee Stallion on stage as the pair claimed their Best Rap Song award for “Savage.”

But a lot goes into the awards process, including a number of committees meeting ahead of time to parse out the awards nominees for each of the then 84 categories, and now 86 overall. But given the unpredictability of the pandemic, one of these committees couldn’t meet and the 2021 nominees for Best Immersive Audio Album were not announced. So the award was pushed out to 2022. Here’s how a statement from the Grammy’s read last year explaining what happened:

“Due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Best Immersive Audio Album Craft Committee was unable to meet. The judging of the entries in this category has been postponed until such time that we are able to meet in a way that is appropriate to judge the many formats and configurations of the entries and is safe for the committee members. The nominations for the 63rd GRAMMYs will be announced next year in addition to (and separately from) the 64th GRAMMY nominations in the category.”

So that later date turned out to be today, along with the nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards as well. The Best Immersive Audio Album nominees for the 63rd annual awards can be seen, along with the full list of all nominees, here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘WandaVision’s ‘Agatha All Along’ Is The First TV Show Song In Years To Get A Grammy Nod In Its Category

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Tuesday marked a big day in music as the Recording Academy shared its full list of nominations for the 2022 Grammys. The announcement saw some historic wins, like how Tony Bennett’s Lady Gaga collaboration Love For Sale made him the oldest-ever nominee for Album Of The Year, or how ABBA received what is somehow their first-ever nomination. But Marvel Cinematic Universe fans can also rejoice because a song from their WandaVision series also received a Grammy nod, and it was the the first time in nearly a decade that a song from a TV show was recognized in the category.

Episode 7 of the 2021 series WandaVision features the catchy jingle “Agatha All Along,” written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (aka the duo behind Frozen‘s “Let It Go”). The song is sung by Agatha Harkness actress Kathryn Hahn, and while the song is just over a minute long, it took the internet by storm upon its release. So it’s only fitting that the Recording Academy nominated “Agatha All Along” for a Grammy in the Best Visual Media category. It marks the first time a TV show has been in the category in eight years, seeing as most of the nominations come from movies. The last TV show to appear in the category was Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Visual Media for their 2014 song “You’ve Got Time” by Regina Spektor.

Hahn was surprised at the popularity of “Agatha All Along” when it first came out. Hahn told Seth Meyers in an interview that she wasn’t aware of it’s viral success until her team informed her. “I don’t have social media, so the whole thing was like filtered down through all this,” Hahn said. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?!’ It’s so funny. Meanwhile, I’m outside scooping dog crap, scooping cat crap. The whole thing is so bonkers right now.”

Listen to “Agatha All Along” above.

See the full list of 2022 Grammy nominations here.

The Music World Reacts To The 2022 Grammys Nominations

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Today, the music world is focused on the list of nominees for The 64th Annual Grammy Awards, which was unveiled this morning. There’s a lot going on with this year’s list: Jon Batiste leads the pack with 11 total nominations, which is actually tied for the second-most in a single year ever. Tony Bennett became the oldest artist ever nominated for Album Of The Year. Barack Obama and Dave Chappelle are competing in the same category.

Across all categories, a lot of folks got nominated, and naturally, a lot of them have taken to social media to share their reactions to the news.

Batiste was pretty thrilled with his feat, writing, “WOW!! Thank you God!! I love EVERYBODY! I’m so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors [crying emojis] 11!”

Lil Nas X took a break from joking on Twitter to tweet, “don’t have to win a single award, truly thankful for all the insight this year has brought me. and thankful for the journey. love u guys.”

Japanese Breakfast, who was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, was floored, as she wrote simply, “WTF!!!!!!!!!”

Saweetie was also moved, as she tweeted, “I’m speechless I wish I had the words to express how I feel but I’m just so grateful!!! Being acknowledged for all the hard work me & my team have been doing feels AMAZINNNNNG thank you #TeamIcy for stickin with me through thick and thin y’all some real ride or dies IKDR!!”

Check out some more reactions below.

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

Fresco Trey Is ‘Fresh Off A Heartbreak’ As He Delivers A Melancholy ‘UPROXX Sessions’ Performance

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Memphis-born Fresco Trey is “Fresh Off A Heartbreak,” so of course he stopped by UPROXX Sessions to deliver a melancholy performance of the Heartbreak Diaries single. Half crooning, half rapping, Trey details his efforts to get over a bad breakup by adopting an indulgent lifestyle of drinking and materialism.

Like many of today’s up-and-coming hip-hop talents, Trey made the switch from college athletics — he was recruited to play college basketball before deciding to instead pursue his dream of rap stardom. After self-releasing an EP and networking behind-the-scenes for a few years, he was able to parlay an underground buzz into a record deal with Warner this year, under which he released his debut major-label EP, Heartbreak Diaries. He’s still just at the outset of his career, but he’s proven a gift for catchy melodies and relatable subjects. When he finds a sound that sets him apart from the crowd of like-minded rising talents, he could very well be a star.

Watch Fresco Trey perform “Fresh Off A Heartbreak” for UPROXX Sessions above

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Fresco Trey is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.