Hip-Hop
Kanye West and Taylor Swift Were Last-Minute Grammy Nominees for Album of the Year
An 11th hour decision by the Recording Academy to expand the number of finalists in the Grammys’ “Big Four” categories from eight to 10 resulted in Kanye West and Taylor Swift each receiving Album of the Year nominations. According to the New York Times, West’s Donda and Swift’s evermore were absent from an early version of nominees that had been circulated prior to last week’s official announcement. Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, told the Times that the last-minute expansion in the number of Grammy nominees was done “to make room for more music, more artists and more genres, and to embrace the spirit of inclusion.” Mason said that the artists added to the list were the ninth and tenth most voted by the Recording Academy’s members. “For us this is all positive movement,” M...
Dionne Warwick & Chance the Rapper Team Up for ‘Nothing’s Impossible’ Duet
“Nothing’s Impossible,” a duet between Dionne Warwick and Chance the Rapper, has arrived. “For those of you asking about the song with @chancetherapper… well, it’s out NOW,” Warwick announced on Twitter on Friday (Nov. 26). “I gotta tell you, I am so excited,” Warwick said in a video clip she tweeted. “Yes, I am.” The pair revealed the song was in the works back in January, after connecting on Twitter a month before. Warwick had first initiated contact by poking fun at Chance with some pointed comments that had her trending on Twitter: “Hi, @chancetherapper,” she wrote on Twitter on Dec. 5. “If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I am now Dio...
Kanye Gets Real About His Mental Health, Temper, and “Misactions” in Thanksgiving Prayer
Kanye West has shared a Thanksgiving prayer to his Instagram page. In the five-minute spoken-word piece, the rapper speaks openly and honestly about his mental health, politics, religion, and narcissism, and the strain it has put on his family. At the onset, Kanye says, “All I think about every day is how I get my family back together, and how I heal the pain that I’ve caused” his wife, Kim Kardashian. (Kanye and Kim separated following a six-year marriage in February 2021. She has since begun dating Pete Davidson). “I take accountability for my actions,” Kanye continues, adding that he’s coined a new term: ‘misactions.” He goes on to admit that “the one thing that all my successes and failures have in common is me,” and proceeds to detail each of his failures: alcohol, episodes, ego, temp...
Who Profits From the Posthumous Album Release?
“Do not continue anything in my name if I die. You got this on record,” Tyler, the Creator told XXL in October 2021. “If I ever die, I don’t want people to put my music out… [with] features with people I do not fuck with. The companies are over with. Everything’s done.” Amid a continuous tide of posthumous releases, where quality and quantity battle against each other in the streaming era, that sentiment is becoming louder. In fact, Tyler’s fellow Californian Anderson .Paak went as far as to tattoo his perspective across his right forearm back in August: “When I’m gone, please don’t release any posthumous albums or songs with my name attached. Those were just demos and never intended to be heard by the public.” Tyler and .Paak are two of the more outspoken artists on this increasingly...
Travis Scott Goes Golfing with Michael Jordan and Mark Wahlberg in First Public Appearance Since Astroworld
Travis Scott surfaced publicly this week for the first time since the tragic events at Astroworld. As TMZ reports, on Tuesday the rapper hit a Southern California golf course with an all-star pairing that included Michael Jordan and Mark Wahlberg. Prior to this week, Scott had been laying low in his hometown of Houston, Texas, dealing with the aftermath of Astroworld. During Scott’s headlining performance at the festival, a crowd surge left 10 people dead and hundreds of others injured. While a criminal investigation is still ongoing, already there’s been a bevy of civil suits filed against Scott, the festival’s promoter Live Nation, and others. Scott has offered to cover the funeral costs for all 10 individuals killed at Astroworld, and is providing free counseling for attendees impacted ...
Rolling Loud Makes California Festival 18+ Following Astroworld Tragedy
Earlier this month, 10 people ranging in age from nine to 27 died at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival after being trampled in a large crowd surge. Now, in an apparent response to the tragedy, the hip-hop festival Rolling Loud has announced that its upcoming California event will only be open to audience members age 18 or older “in light of recent events.” In a statement posted to Twitter noting they “want everyone to rage safely,” the Rolling Loud organizers wrote: “We welcome everyone to experience our festivals, however, in light of recent events, we will be implementing an 18+ policy specific only to our upcoming 2021 California festival. We will be giving all ticket purchasers who are under the age of 18 the option to either roll their tickets over to next year’s 2022 California fest...
Marilyn Manson and DaBaby Receive Album of the Year Grammy Nominations Due to Rule Change
Thanks to a new rule change, Marilyn Manson and DaBaby each have the opportunity to take home their first Grammy next year. They are both nominated for appearing on Kanye West’s latest effort, Donda, which received a nod for Album of the Year. Prior to an amendment announced by The Recording Academy in late May, only contributors credited on at least 33% of the album’s playing time were eligible in the prestigious category. This restriction was lifted with the intent of acknowledging the work of traditionally overlooked collaborators like songwriters, producers, and engineers, who often go unrecognized for their key participation in recording an album. As a byproduct, two of the more toxic figures in music are eligible to pick up a Grammy win next year. West recruited DaBaby and Manson to ...
JAY-Z Surpasses Quincy Jones as Artist with Most Grammy Nominations
JAY-Z has set a new Grammys record, passing pioneering producer and composer Quincy Jones for most nominations in the history of the awards. He earned three nominations for the 2022 ceremony, pushing his total to 83. Previously tied with Jones at 80 nominations, the Brooklyn rapper added to his total thanks to collaborations with DMX (“Bath Salts”) and Kanye West (“Jail”), both of which are up for Best Rap Song. Thanks to the latter guest appearance, Jay earned an additional nod as part of Donda’s Album of the Year nomination. Thus far, he has collected 23 Grammys. Paul McCartney kept pace as the runner-up for most Grammy nominations, picking up a pair of nods in the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album categories. He was previously tied for second place with Jay-Z’s arguably more famous wif...
Rapper Is Suspected Driver in Wisconsin Parade Tragedy That Killed Five, Injured 40
The driver of a red SUV that tore through a Waukesha, Wisconsin parade on Sunday evening, injuring over 40 people and leaving at least five dead, has been identified as 39-year-old Darrell Brooks, Jr. by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. TMZ reports that Brooks raps under the stage name MathBoi Fly, and a fews years ago he prominently showcased the same red SUV in a music video for his song “Half a Tikket.” The song has recently been deleted from YouTube, replaced with the statement, “This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.” Before that happened, the video was downloaded and re-uploaded on other accounts, and for the moment can be viewed below. This year’s Waukesha Christmas parade was themed “Comfort and Joy,” a...
Azealia Banks Slams Kanye West, Says Cancel Culture Doesn’t Exist: ‘Only God Can Cancel Something’
Azealia Banks took aim at Kanye West on Monday (Nov. 22), sharing her uncensored thoughts on the rapper in a new interview. Chatting with Rolling Stone, the topic of ‘Ye came up, as the “212” MC discussed how she came this close to naming her recent track “F— Him All Night” after her nemesis. The reason? “Because Kanye trolled me a lot,” she said. (Instead, the single’s cover art points all 10 fingers at West thanks to some creative nail art.) “Listen to my music. Listen to the last five years of Kanye West’s music. I’m superior,” Banks continued. “I don’t have to talk about that which is beneath me. He’s been, I guess, selling sneakers and doing outrageous shit, everything but the music. When Kanye puts some music out that is important, then I guess we can have that conversation. But righ...
Tyler, the Creator Performs “MASSA” at AMAs: Watch
Not that we expected anything less, but Tyler the Creator brought the heat during his performance at the 2021 American Music Awards tonight. The rapper ran through “MASSA” in front of a snow-covered home. Watch the replay below. While the former Odd Future member didn’t receive any nominations himself at the AMAs this year, his performance was just one more addition to his growing list of unforgettable live moments (remember when he fell into a pit of fire at the 2020 Grammys?). Watch it go down below. Next year, Tyler will hit the road on an extensive North American tour in support of his latest album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. You can get your tickets via Ticketmaster. Tyler the Creator performs “MASSA” at the 2021 #AMAs pic.twitter.com/aH2CHT7Mo5 Advertisement Related Video — Rap Al...
Young Dolph Honored at Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway He Helped Organize Before His Death
Friends and associates of slain rapper Young Dolph handed out Thanksgiving turkeys at a neighborhood church Friday (Nov. 19) in Memphis, Tennessee, two days after he was gunned down in broad daylight inside his favorite bakery. Known for acts of charity in his hometown, the hip-hop artist and label owner had helped organize the event at St. James Missionary Baptist Church and was going to participate before he was fatally shot Wednesday. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Undaunted, members of his music label, Paper Route Empire, along with church volunteers and community activists, distributed dozens of turkeys, stuffing mix and cranberry sauce — and said “happy Thanksgiving” — to people driving past the church. It was the type of event Young Dolph, who grew up in the Castalia nei...
