In the piece, co-producer Max Martin notes of the song, “Abel came with the vision of what the song should be, which was a very different tempo and vibe than what is usually done. He took a risk, and that was very impressive to us. We all felt this song was very special even early on in the process.” The Weeknd then added, “GTA: Vice City really opened my eyes to a lot of ’80s music, so there was a nostalgia for when I was a kid playing video games and listening to Hall & Oates and Michael Jackson while driving through the city.”
The Grand Theft Auto games are well known for their soundtracks, which players experience through in-game radio stations. Vice City has nine stations and they all cycle through their own playlists of about 15 songs each (except for the one station that doesn’t play music). Since the game is set in 1986, all of the songs included are from that year or earlier. Hall & Oates has one song in the game, “Out Of Touch,” while Jackson has two: “Billie Jean” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”
Although it’s been a few years since since Rihanna dropped a new single, don’t forget that she’s one of the biggest artists ever in terms of chart performance. Billboard has actually confirmed that: On their new Greatest Of All-Time Hot 100 Artists chart, Rihanna finds herself in the top 10.
The list is as follows:
The Beatles
Madonna
Elton John
Elvis Presley
Mariah Carey
Stevie Wonder
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson
Whitney Houston
Rihanna
Of those, Rihanna is the only artist whose first single — 2005’s “Pon De Replay” — was released in the 2000s. Billboard notes that Drake was really close to also making the top 10, as he ranks No. 11 (compared to No. 22 on the 2018 chart). Also making the top 100 list are Taylor Swift (No. 21), Maroon 5 (24), Bruno Mars (29), and Justin Bieber (38). Additionally, a handful of artists who made their Hot 100 debut in the 2010s are also appearing on the chart for the first time: The Weeknd (No. 43), Post Malone (77), Ariana Grande (78), and Ed Sheeran (87).
As for how this chart was put together, Billboard notes, “Billboard‘s Greatest Of All-Time Hot 100 Songs and Artists rankings are based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 (from its inception on Aug. 4, 1958, through Nov. 6, 2021). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods. Artists are ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all their Hot 100 chart entries.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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!”
WOW!! Thank you God!! I love EVERYBODY! I’m so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors 11! pic.twitter.com/6A2jDlJzSk
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.”
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
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!!”
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!!
Bad Habits got a Song of the Year nomination at the @RecordingAcad awards. Very chuffed thank you. Congrats to @johnnymcdaid and Fred again.., and all the other nominees x
So many awesome new artists (and not so new artists) got nominations at the #Grammys this year! In particular feeling over the moon stoked for @Jbrekkie who made a staggeringly good album, wrote a heart wrenching book and is a rad human and deserves all the praise she’s getting.
we wrote this song as a message of gratitude to everyone in our lives, and it’s only appropriate that this grammy nomination came during thanksgiving week. thank you to everyone at the @RecordingAcad for including us in this category for the 4th year in a row. pic.twitter.com/6HoSZ5XpeL
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards are not too far away now, as the 2022 ceremony is set to air on January 31 on CBS. Ahead of then, though, the Recording Academy has unveiled its list of nominees. (As a reminder, the eligibility window for the 2022 Grammys is from September 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, so only works released during that period are eligible for recognition.)
Check out the full list of this year’s Grammy nominees below.
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
Afrojack and David Guetta — “Hero”
Ólafur Arnalds — “Loom” Feat. Bonobo
James Blake — “Before”
Bonobo and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs — “Heartbreak”
Caribou — “You Can Do It”
Rüfüs Du Sol — “Alive”
Tiësto — “The Business”
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Black Coffee — Subconsciously
Illenium — Fallen Embers
Major Lazer — Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)
Marshmello — Shockwave
Sylvan Esso — Free Love
Ten City — Judgement
Best Rap Performance
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Cardi B — “Up”
J. Cole — “My Life” Feat. 21 Savage and Morray
Drake — “Way 2 Sexy” Feat. Future and Young Thug
Megan Thee Stallion — “Thot Sh*t”
Best Melodic Rap Performance
J. Cole — “Pride Is The Devil” Feat. Lil Baby
Doja Cat — “Need To Know”
Lil Nas X — “Industry Baby” Feat. Jack Harlow
Tyler The Creator — “Wusyaname” Feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla Sign
Kanye West — “Hurricane” Feat. The Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song
DMX — “Bath Salts” Feat. Jay-Z and Nas
Saweetie — “Best Friend” Feat. Doja Cat
Baby Keem — “Family Ties” Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Kanye West — “Jail” Feat. Jay-Z
J. Cole — “My Life” Feat. 21 Savage and Morray
Best New Age Album
Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster and Tom Eaton — Brothers
Stewart Copeland and Ricky Kej — Divine Tides
Wouter Kellerman and David Arkenstone — Pangaea
Opium Moon — Night + Day
Laura Sullivan — Pieces Of Forever
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Cinema — Josh Conway, Marvin Figueroa, Josh Gudwin, Neal H Pogue and Ethan Shumaker, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (The Marías) Dawn — Thomas Brenneck, Zach Brown, Elton “L10MixedIt” Chueng, Riccardo Damian, Tom Elmhirst, Jens Jungkurth, Todd Monfalcone, John Rooney and Smino, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Yebba) Hey What — BJ Burton, engineer; BJ Burton, mastering engineer (Low) Love For Sale — Dae Bennett, Josh Coleman and Billy Cumella, engineers; Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone, mastering engineers (Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga)
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Jack Antonoff
Rogét Chahayed
Mike Elizondo
Hit-Boy
Ricky Reed
This post is being updated.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It has felt like at least once every couple months or so, there was news about some chart record that The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” broke or set. The latest of those came in August, when the single officially became the longest-charting song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now, unsurprisingly, there’s more chart news for “Blinding Lights”: Billboard has declared that the single is the No. 1 song of all time, as it is now on top of the Billboard Greatest Songs Of All Time Hot 100 Chart. It dethroned the previous chart-topper, Chubby Checker’s 1960 hit “The Twist.”
Billboard notes, “[The chart] factors in total weeks on the chart as well as exact chart positions, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. (Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.)”
The Weeknd told Billboard, “I don’t think [the success of ‘Blinding Lights’] has hit me yet. I try not to dwell on it too much. I just count my blessings, and I’m just grateful.”
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hot 100 in 2018, Billboard unveiled the full Greatest Songs of All Time Hot 100 Chart. At the time, the top ten featured, from No. 1 to No. 10, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker, “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin, “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, “How Do I Live” by Leann Rimes, “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock, “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) by Los Del Rio, “Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran, and “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Well, the holidays are rapidly approaching (or, if you’re Mariah Carey, they’ve already been here for weeks). December is right around the corner and as whatever special wintertime occasions you observe creep closer, it’s a good time to start thinking about buying gifts for loved ones. If you have music fans in your life, we have you covered with our 2021 music gift guide.
You want some slick new clothes? There here. How about a fancy vinyl record or two? We got ’em. Maybe you want some, ahem, “mood enhancers” to improve your music-listening experience? Don’t sweat it. Whoever you’re buying for, our guide has something they’re sure to love, so if you want some prime gift inspo, keep reading.
Akashic Books’ Lyricpop Series
Akashic Books
Price: varies
If there’s a youngster in your life you want to raise on the words of your favorite artists, Akashic has you covered with their LyricPop series of books, which adapt song lyrics into adorable children’s books. They released a nice variety of new books this summer: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) (lyrics by Paul Simon), Dream Weaver (lyrics By Gary Wright), I Will Survive (lyrics By Dino Fekaris And Frederick J. Perren), Strawberry Swing (lyrics By Coldplay), and Where Is My Mind? (lyrics By Black Francis).
Really, this gift can be enjoyed by just about anybody, music fan or not, but some “chemical enhancement” has long been tied to both creating and enjoying music. Extract Labs has some new offerings that ought to serve you well, Pure CBD Isolate Tincture and Broad Spectrum Tincture. If you’re not well-versed in the world of tinctures, the Extract Labs store page has some useful information to help you figure out where might be a good place to start.
If CBD isn’t your thing, Wander + Ivy has a compelling proposition for you: single-serve wine bottles. No more dealing with bulky open bottles here, as these smaller portions feature wines from award-winning, family-owned vineyards from around the world, everything from Chardonnay to red wine to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Skullcandy has long been a leader in headphones and now their Dime True Wireless Earbuds are another fantastic option. With multiple colors available, these can look as bold or as understated as you’d like, and they boast features like a 12-hour battery life, noise cancelation, sweat and water resistance, and various sizes of ear gels to ensure you get the perfect fit.
You may have heard about The Beatles and their status as a band that a lot of people enjoy. Well, if you have a McCartney/Lennon/Harrison/Starr stan in your life who does some playing of their own, D’Addario has a selection of Beatles guitar and bass straps available, including the simple but striking vegan Get Back strap pictured above, right in time for the new Disney+ film directed by Peter Jackson.
There are all kinds of portable speakers out there, but if you want one that’s both easy to carry around and comes from a trusted brand, Sonos has a good one for you. An advantage this has over many others is how many options there are for using and controlling it, as you can connect over Bluetooth, or you can hook it up to your WiFi and control it with your phone. If you’re an Apple user, you’ll also be happy to know the Sonos Roam is compatible with Apple Airplay.
You know what you’re getting with Beats: a quality pair of headphones. Their latest offering is perfect for those who have an earbud-shaped hole in their life. The Beats Fit Pro has an impressive 27-hour battery life, wingtips for a comfortable and secure fit, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ, and spatial audio with head tracking, making these perhaps the most advanced headphones in their class.
Much has been made about the 30th-anniversary edition of Nirvana’s Nevermind, and truly, this is a must-have for Nirvana fans. There are a variety of editions, the beefiest of which comes with 8 LPs that feature the original album (newly remastered, of course), four full concerts, a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos, and other goodies. If physical music isn’t your thing, the band also has a bunch of new merch to coincide with the album’s anniversary.
Speaking of anniversary releases, Radiohead had a big one this year, although it’s pretty different from the Nirvana one. Kid A Mnesia, actually celebrates two albums, Kid A and Amnesiac, by collecting both albums as well as B-sides and unreleased tracks from the era. Again, if you’re not looking to buy a record/CD/tape, the gift-able merch offerings here are diverse, including everything from a paint-by-numbers set to holographic stickers.
Black Sabbath managed to cultivate one of the most recognizable aesthetics in music, and that applies to both their sound and visual branding. Now the group has teamed up with DC to celebrate that with a new collection that features everything from button-up shirts to the DC x Black Sabbath Manual High-Top Canvas Shoe, a highlight of the lot.
Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC Noise-Canceling Sport Earbuds
Adidas
Price: $189
If you want to gift a deluxe audio experience, Adidas has you covered. The Z.N.E. 01 ANC wireless earbuds lets listeners switch between active noise canceling and an “awareness” mode and enjoy a customizable fit that promises all-day comfort. These have plenty of juice to get you through your next workout or commute, as each charge will get you 4.5 hours of playtime.
If you happen to follow our monthly round-ups of the best vinyl releases, Vinyl Me, Please is probably a familiar name since they’re usually all over our lists. They offer exclusive pressings of iconic albums, and if you have somebody in your life who would love to get in on this, VMP makes it easy to gift memberships that last three months or longer.
I’ve recommended earplugs in pretty much every music gift guide I’ve ever written, and for good reason: It’s easy to complain about hearing damage/loss as you get older, and it’s just about as easy to prevent it. Vibes offers a great inexpensive option to help with that, so whether you’re on the stage or in the audience (or you remember being impressed when you saw these on Shark Tank), these are an excellent stocking-stuffer and a must-have.
If you’re looking to celebrate the holidays with Dua Lipa, it’s never been easier. This year, she launched her own holiday collection, and if you’re looking to get cozy, most of the gear your need is here (minus the hot chocolate, although there’s a mug to drink it from). You can hang a Lipa stocking over the fireplace, conceal your gifts in Lipa wrapping paper, and open them while donning some Lipa sweats.
Oneohtrix Point Never raised his profile significantly over the past few years with his work on Uncut Gems and collaborations with The Weeknd, so now he has more fans who can get into the expansive Blu-ray edition of his latest album, 2020’s Magic Oneohtrix Point Never. This collectible pressing presents the album (along with four bonus tracks) in both stereo and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and it also includes sixteen music videos and more.
Wolverine x Metallica Scholars 1000 Mile Axel Boot
Wolverine
Price: $400
If you or a loved one is in need of a pair of boots that’s both sturdy and shows off your dedication to one of the finest bands of the past few decades, the new Wolverine x Metallica collection has you covered. Furthermore, half of the sales from this collection “will benefit the Metallica Scholars Initiative, providing opportunities to students looking to build the future they want” through trade education, making this the gift that keeps on giving.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter series is an iconic hip-hop institution, and now he’s collected the highlights all in one place. On Tha Carter Singles Collection, you get 19 of the finest songs from the series pressed on ten 7-inch records, as well as a booklet full of rare photos, two lithos, and brand new art.
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get a Spice (25th Anniversary) LP. This is an aesthetically delightful collection, as each member of the famed group gets their own monochromatic vinyl pressing. The worst part about this is it’s going to be hard to pick which version to pick up.
If you have a songwriter in your life, you also have an opportunity to get them a unique experiential gift that could benefit them big time. Fleet Foxes leader Robin Pecknold recently announced that he’s hosting a songwriting workshop in a live online classroom setting. It runs for four sessions in January and February 2022, and School Of Song, who offers the class, notes, “People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course.”
On a similar note, if you want to get somebody a personal experience but they’re not a musician, Cameo ought to work just fine. There are artists on the platform that ought to fill music fans of any age or style preference with glee when they get their custom video, from Petey to Bootsy Collins to Frankie Avalon to Kreayshawn to Dionne Warwick.
In October, Adele revealed that at that point, one of the only people who had heard her then-unreleased album 30was Drake. It turns out the two are quite close, with Adele going as far as to say that Drake’s friendship is “one of the biggest gifts of my entire career.”
She spoke about Drake and herself with Q‘s Tom Power, noting of their status in the music industry, “We are a dying breed. […] There was like ten of us. You know, I don’t think there will ever be that many of us again, at the top doing it the way we were doing it. We came out before streaming. We came out before all the social media frenzies of, like, you know, ‘You’ve got five seconds to entertain; otherwise, get the f*ck out.’ We existed in the old school.”
Adele says she and Drake are a dying breed in music and you’ll probably never see another artist accomplish what they’ve been able to accomplish, mostly due to the fact that the both came up pre-streaming. pic.twitter.com/AwDsK3iM50
She added, “I can say something to him, and he won’t judge me for it, you know? […] So to have access to someone that’s in the same position as [me] is, like, one of the biggest gifts of my entire career.”
Adele also talked about her relationship with fame, saying that it’s complicated: “My hobby became my job. I was unable to differentiate the two. So why do I want to go and do my hobby when my hobby is my job? […] Fame scares me. And, you know, fame comes with my job.”
So “Have Mercy” was born, and the single has been slowly but steadily racking up a dedicated fan base ever since. The song has already been covered by a HBCU marching band (or two), and Chloe raised eyebrows with an exuberant performance of the song at the VMAs. Tonight, she brought it back out for a performance at the AMAs, and as always, it didn’t disappoint. After descending down to the stage in a swing, the singer debuted her red-tinted hair for another dance-centric performance of her debut solo song. The audience was more than responsive to her high-energy performance, check it out above.
Willow took a risk in pivoting to a more pop-punk sound, but she quickly proved she knows how to excel in the space with singles like “Transparent Soul.” She got Travis Barker to join her on the track, and now she’s added another collaborator to is, as Kid Cudi hops on a new remix that was shared today.
On the track, Cudi gets his own verse, which mirrors the themes of the original lyrics: “”I know you’re not my enemy / In my world, there’s moments seeing through the different lies / It’s all of diminishing / But come on, you know that I’mma try to make it right.”
Willow says of the remix, “I am so grateful for this song because it was created during such an introspective time during quarantine. The solitude allowed me to introspect and really let go of the insecurities I had about making a project in this genre. I am humbled and grateful that Kid Cudi is now able to bring his magic to this remix.”
She previously told Rolling Stone the song was inspired by a quote from Hindu guru Radhanath Swami: “It is said that a saintly person is so pure that he or she acts like a spotless mirror. When we come in the presence of such a mirror-like soul, we can see both the beauty and ugliness of our inner life.” She added, “I read that quote, and it really spoke to me, and that’s kind of how the idea of this song came to be.”
This month is a big one when it comes to the release of new music from today’s top stars. The smash-hit duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, shared their debut album. On the same day, Taylor Swift graced fans with the rerecorded version of her classic LP Red. Though Silk Sonic had one of their singles previously top the charts, Swift’s new album seems to have wildly out-performed Silk Sonic’s when it came to first-week album sales, leaving .Paak with a few regrets.
A few days after the release of his collaborative LP An Evening With Silk Sonic, .Paak shared a screenshot of the projected numbers for this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart. It show Swift’s music at No. 1, having nearly five times the amount of streams as Silk Sonic at No. 2. As a result of the numbers, .Paak joked that he wishes he formed Silk Sonic with Swift rather than Mars.
“Looks like I linked up with the wrong pop star,” he wrote. “Hey @taylorswift13 is your number still the same!? Lmk if you need help with 1989, I’m available! #ShakeItOff”
Despite the joke at Mars’ expense, .Paak has said he really does admire working with the singer. .Paak recently commended Mars as “one of the greatest vocalists” he’s ever worked with, going on to say that Mars has been able to push him “to a different level.” Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
(@LilNasX) 
thank you 
