Post Malone Gave A Somber, Gothic ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding’ Performance At The 2021 Grammys

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Taking the stage at tonight’s 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, Post Malone transformed his song “Hollywood’s Bleeding” into a Gothic ballad, leaning into the song’s murky subject matter all the way for perfomance that made him look like a vampire hunter. The Texan genre-bender went with a Gregorian choir for backing, appearing in an all-black ensemble, his leather trenchcoat adorned in silver crosses.

Post Malone is once again nominated for a variety of Grammy Awards at tonight’s ceremony, competing for Album, Record, and Song Of The Year for Hollywood’s Bleeding and “Circles,” respectively. Hollywood’s Bleeding, which was the top-selling album of 2019, wasn’t eligible for the 2020 Grammys due to its release after the cutoff in September. However, the album — which also featured the hits “Take What You Want” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, “Goodbyes” featuring Young Thug, and “Sunflower” featuring Swae Lee — continued its chart dominance through 2020, remaining in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 all 52 weeks of the last year. Meanwhile, “Sunflower,” which also appeared on the soundtrack from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, was eligible for the 2020 Grammys, receiving nominations for Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Aside from competing for Grammys, Post’s had a busy year. He performed in a virtual concert for Pokemon Day 2021, celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the original video game’s release and its resulting legacy of cultural ubiquity. He also hopped on the NFT trend, offering fans a chance to join him for a game of beer pong.

Watch Post Malone’s performance above.

Lil Baby Brings Killer Mike On For Powerful Grammy Performance Of “The Bigger Picture”

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Lil Baby performed his massive single, “The Bigger Picture,” at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Sunday. The song, which was also nominated for Best Rap Song, released as protests against police brutality were held across the world in the summer of 2020.

Baby’s performance of the powerful track included a speech from activist Tamika D. Mallory who addressed President Joe Biden and demanded justice for the victims of police violence. Killer Mike also joined the stage to perform his verse from Run The Jewels’ “Walking In The Snow,” which focuses on police brutality.

Lil Baby, Grammys, Killer Mike
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In addition to being nominated for Best Rap Song, Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” also earned him a nomination for Best Rap Performance.

Other Grammy winners included Nas, who won Best Rap Album for King’s Disease. Thundercat left Sunday as a winner as well with the Best Progressive R&B Album award for his newest project, It Is What It Is. For the full list of updated Grammy winners and nominees head here.

DaBaby and Roddy Ricch also performed their hit “ROCKSTAR,” earlier in the night. Dua Lipa brought DaBaby back on stage for their song, “Levitating,” as well, during her performance.

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Caris LeVerts Returns To Pacers After Kidney Surgery To Treat Cancerous Mass

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Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert returned to the court during the team’s 122-111 win over the Pheonix Suns, Sunday, for the first time since undergoing surgery in January to treat a cancerous mass.

“A month and a half ago, two months ago, I didn’t even know if I knew I was even gonna be out here, especially this soon, just with everything that happened, so it’s definitely a level of gratefulness and just happy to be on the court,” LeVert said.

Caris LeVert, Pacers
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After being traded to the Pacers from the Brooklyn Nets, a small mass on his left kidney was noticed during a team physical and medical test prior to the trade being finalized. LeVert was included in the multiple team deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn.

LeVert finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes during the win.

Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren praised LeVert after his first game back: “Absolutely, he energized our team, and his character level is so high. He’s such a good person. He’s been a great teammate throughout this entire time that he’s been out, so our guys were very happy to have him back out there on the court.”

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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.

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Gave A Lively Tribute To Little Richard At The 2021 Grammys

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The Grammys are a time to celebrate all of the achievements in music, from up-and-coming artists to legendary stars. It’s also a time that the Recording Academy pays tribute to all of the iconic musicians that have passed away in the previous year. Unfortunately, 2020 saw the death of venerable songwriters like John Prine, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers, and Bill Withers. In order to honor Little Richard’s legacy, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars performed a lively medley of the late musician’s classics.

In front of a glimmering backdrop, .Paak and Mars, who together form the new duo Silk Sonic, were joined by The Free Nationals for the set. They opened the performance with an energetic rendition of Little Richard’s “Tall Sally” before swiftly moving into a version of “Good Golly Miss Molly.”

Their tribute wasn’t the only time Silk Sonic took the Grammys stage Sunday night. Ahead of honoring Little Richard, .Paak and Mars performed their Silk Sonic debut single “Leave The Door Open.”

Watch a clip of Mars, .Paak, and The Free Nationals pay tribute to Little Richard at the 2021 Grammys above, and find a full list of all the winners here.

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

HER’s ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Wins Song Of The Year At The 2021 Grammys

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Of all the awards the Recording Academy awards at the Grammys, one of the most coveted is for Song Of The Year. This year, they’ve given the sought-after Grammy to HER for her outstanding protest track “I Can’t Breathe.”

While HER’s “I Can’t Breathe” is the official Grammy winner for Song Of The Year, she was facing some major competition in the category. Beyonce was nominated for “Black Parade,” Roddy Ricch for “The Box,” Taylor Swift for “Cardigan,” Post Malone for “Circles,” Dua Lipa for “Don’t Start Now,” Billie Eilish for “Everything I Wanted,” and JP Saxe and Julia Michaels for “If The World Was Ending.”

HER released “I Can’t Breathe” during the Black Lives Matter protests last June. At the time, HER said she wanted to track to promote equality and peace:

“I really want to recognize all of the people across various communities that are promoting justice and equality and peace and passion. We need that unity right now, so this first song is called ‘I Can’t Breathe.’ Just by the title, you know that it means something very painful and very revealing, and I think it’s necessary. These lyrics were kind of easy to write because it came from a conversation of what’s happening right now, what’s been happening, and the change that we need to see. I think music is powerful when it comes to change and when it comes to healing, and that’s why I wrote this song, to make a mark in history. And I hope this song does that.”

Of course, last year’s Song Of The Year Grammy was awarded to Billie Eilish after her track “Bad Guy.” The song had gone No. 1 shortly after it release and knocked Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” off the top spot after it had been there for a record-breaking 19 weeks straight.

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

Some of the 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
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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.

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.