Tag: Kendrick Lamar

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Kendrick Lamar’s new album tops 2022’s Apple Music first-day streams

Pulitzer prize winner and the 2014 Grammy snub Kendrick Lamar released his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers on Friday, May 13th, and in pure Kendrick fashion, his music is already setting records.

Apple announced via Twitter that Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers broke the streaming service’s worldwide record for the most first-day streams for a record released in 2022.

Apple didn’t reveal  the album’s complete streaming numbers:

“When Kendrick Lamar popped up on two tracks from Baby Keem’s The Melodic Blue (“range brothers” and “family ties”), it felt like one of hip-hop’s prophets had descended a mountain to deliver scripture. His verses were stellar, to be sure, but it also just felt like way too much time had passed since we’d heard his voice. He’d helmed 2018’s Black Panther compilation/soundtrack, but his last proper release was 2017’s DAMN. That kind of scarcity in hip-hop can only serve to deify an artist as beloved as Lamar. But if the Compton MC is broadcasting anything across his fifth proper album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, it’s that he’s only human.”

Check out the new album here.

Source: @AppleMusic

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Pink tells Grammy President ‘women don’t need to step up’

Pink has hit back at the Recording Academy President Neil Portnow following his comments that women in music need to "step up" if they want to win at the Grammy Awards.

Portnow made his comments following the criticism that male winners dominated the ceremony held at Madison Square Garden in new York City on Sunday night (01.28.18).

He was quoted as saying after the ceremony: "It has to begin with … women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level. [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome."

Pink, 38, was furious with Portnow for his alleged slight against all the female recording artists and women working in the music business and posted a handwritten letter on Twitter in response.

The letter read: "WOMEN IN MUSIC don’t need to ‘step up’. Women have been stepping since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside. Women OWNED music this year. They’ve been KILLING IT. And every year before this.

"When we celebrate and honor the talent and accomplishments of women, and how much women STEP UP every year, against all odds, we show the next generation of women and girls and boys and men what it means to be equal, and what it looks like to be fair."

Only one woman, Alessia Cara, who was named Best New Artist, won a major award at the Grammys.

Pink – whose real name is Alecia Moore – performed ‘Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken’ at the ceremony but lost out on the Best Pop Solo Performance to Ed Sheeran, the only male artist nominated in the category.

Bruno Mars was the big winner at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, picking up six prizes including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for ’24k Magic’, and Song of the Year for ‘That’s What I Like’, as well as Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Single for ‘That’s What I Like’.

In addition, his LP was also recognized as Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

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Pink tells Grammy President ‘women don’t need to step up’

Pink has hit back at the Recording Academy President Neil Portnow following his comments that women in music need to "step up" if they want to win at the Grammy Awards.

Portnow made his comments following the criticism that male winners dominated the ceremony held at Madison Square Garden in new York City on Sunday night (01.28.18).

He was quoted as saying after the ceremony: "It has to begin with … women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level. [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome."

Pink, 38, was furious with Portnow for his alleged slight against all the female recording artists and women working in the music business and posted a handwritten letter on Twitter in response.

The letter read: "WOMEN IN MUSIC don’t need to ‘step up’. Women have been stepping since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside. Women OWNED music this year. They’ve been KILLING IT. And every year before this.

"When we celebrate and honor the talent and accomplishments of women, and how much women STEP UP every year, against all odds, we show the next generation of women and girls and boys and men what it means to be equal, and what it looks like to be fair."

Only one woman, Alessia Cara, who was named Best New Artist, won a major award at the Grammys.

Pink – whose real name is Alecia Moore – performed ‘Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken’ at the ceremony but lost out on the Best Pop Solo Performance to Ed Sheeran, the only male artist nominated in the category.

Bruno Mars was the big winner at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, picking up six prizes including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for ’24k Magic’, and Song of the Year for ‘That’s What I Like’, as well as Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Single for ‘That’s What I Like’.

In addition, his LP was also recognized as Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

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Ed Sheeran slept through Grammy wins

Ed Sheeran was sleeping when he won his two Grammys.

The 26-year-old singer was chosen as the recipient of the Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Shape of You’ and Best Pop Vocal album for ‘Divide’ at the 60th Grammy Awards on Sunday night (01.28.18), but not only was Ed not at the prestigious event held at Madison Square Garden in New York City but he didn’t even watch the ceremony unfold because he was tucked up in bed.

Posting a photo of his cat on Instagram, he wrote: "Woke up to the news I won two grammys last night. Thank you! This little fluff-ball is doing a bit of a celebratory dance, lots of love to everyone xx. (sic)"

When Ed’s ‘Shape of You’ was announced as the winner of the Best Pop Solo Performance Grammy, he was booed by some audience members who are believed to have wanted Kesha to win for her single ‘Praying’ which was inspired by her fight to overcome sexual abuse.

The other nominated acts were Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Pink.

Kesha, 30, provided one of the performances of the night when she was joined on stage by the likes of Andra Day, Camila Cabello, Bebe Rexha, Cyndi Lauper and Julia Michaels for an emotional rendition of ‘Praying’.

Bruno Mars was the big winner at this year’s Grammy Awards after he picked up six prizes.

The 32-year-old singer took home the evening’s top prizes, Album of the Year and Record of the Year for ’24k Magic’, and Song of the Year for ‘That’s What I Like’, as well as Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Single for ‘That’s What I Like’.

In addition, his LP was also recognized as Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

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Kesha steals Grammys with emotional performance

Kesha stole the show with her emotional performance of ‘Praying’ at this year’s Grammy Awards.

The 30-year-old singer was joined on stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday (01.28.18) by Andra Day, Camilla Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Rexha, Julia Michaels and the Resistance Revival Chorus for a performance of her hit single, with the group dressed in white to echo the white roses worn to the event by those supporting the anti-harassment Time’s Up initiative.

Kesha was visibly emotional and fought back tears as she sang the track, which is about the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of producer Dr. Luke.

And afterwards, she tweeted: " "after everything you’ve done I can thank you for how strong I have become" thank you to the @RecordingAcad, the women on stage with me tonight, and everyone who has supported me through this whole journey.(sic)"

Singer Janelle Monae had introduced the performance with a call for equality in the music industry.

She said: "We come in peace, but we mean business. And to those who would dare try to silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s Up.

"We say time’s up for pay inequality, time’s up for discrimination, time’s up for harassment of any kind, time’s up for abuse of power. We also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well. It’s not just going on in Hollywood, it’s not just going on in Washington, it’s going on in our industry."

Elsewhere during the event, Kendrick Lamar received a standing ovation for his performance, which saw him open the show with a medley of his hits including ‘XXX’ and ‘King’s Dead’.

Kendrick – who won five Grammys – was accompanied by U2’s Bono and The Edge, as well as comedian Dave Chapelle, and had a giant American flag and dancers wearing hoodies who collapsed to the sound of gunshots.

Dave said of the performance: "I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man being honest in America, is being an honest black man in America."

Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne teamed up for an emotional tribute, singing ‘Tears in Heaven’ in honor of the music fans who lost their lives during the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in October and the terrorist attack at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, North West England, last May.

Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris paid tribute to the late Tom Petty, who passed away in October, by performing ‘Wildflowers’. Their performance also served as a memorial to others from the music world who lost their lives last September, with a montage of artists including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Don Williams, Hugh Masekala, Jerry Lewis, Prodigy, Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington airing during the segment.

Sir Elton John, who announced his retirement from touring last week, was joined by Miley Cyrus for a duet of his classic single ‘Tiny Dancer’, and the night’s big winner, Bruno Mars, teamed up with Cardi B for a rendition of ‘Finesse’, while Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Pink, Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee and Little Big Town were among the other artists to perform during the show.

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Bruno Mars wins big at Grammys

Bruno Mars was the big winner at this year’s Grammy Awards, picking up six prizes.

The 32-year-old singer took home Sunday (01.28.18) evening’s top prizes, Album of the Year and Record of the Year for ’24k Magic’, and Song of the Year for ‘That’s What I Like’, as well as Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Single for ‘That’s What I Like’.

Accepting Song of the Year – which is given in recognition of songwriters – at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Bruno thanked the Recording Academy, as well as his co-writers Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip.

He said: "I’ve known these guys for over a decade.

"All the music, the music business horror stories you see in the movies, we’ve been through all of it. And this is the first time on this album that we all came collectively as a group and put this song together and put the album together.

"So fellas, it is an honor to share this with you tonight. These are my brothers."

In addition, his LP was also recognized as Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Elsewhere at the ceremony, Kendrick Lamar also picked up five prizes, with ‘Humble’ honored as Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video, while ‘Loyalty’, his collaboration with Rihanna, was named Best Rap/Sung Performance and his album ‘Damn’ was named Best Rap Album.

Accepting his album award, he said: "[Hip-hop] is what got me on the stage, this is what got me to tour around the world. Most important it showed me what a true artist is.

"It’s really about expressing yourself and putting that paint on the canvas for the world to evolve for the next generation and the next."

He then urged fellow nominee Jay-Z – who was nominated in eight categories but failed to win a single trophy – to run for office, ending his speech with: "Jay for president!"

Chris Stapleton swept the country categories, taking home Best Country Album for ‘From a Room: Volume 1’, Best Country Solo Performance for ‘Either Way’ and Best Country Song for ‘Broken Halos’.

Ed Sheeran didn’t attend the music extravaganza – which was hosted by James Corden – but won Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Shape of You’ and Best Pop Vocal album for ‘Divide’, while other winners included The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, Little Big Town, and Alessia Cara, who was named Best New Artist.

Performers at the ceremony included Bruno, who teamed up with Cardi B on ‘Finesse’, Kendrick, Kesha, Sir Elton John and Miley Cyrus, Pink, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga, and Broadway star Ben Platt.

Grammy Awards 2018 Selected List of Winners:

Album of the Year:

’24k Magic’ – Bruno Mars

Record of the Year:

’24k Magic’ – Bruno Mars

Song of the Year:

‘That’s What I Like’ – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip (Bruno Mars)

Best New Artist:

Alessia Cara

Best Pop Solo Performance:

‘Shape of You’ – Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

‘Feel It Still’ – Portugal. The Man

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

‘Tony Bennett Celebrates 90’ – Various Artists; Dae Bennett, producer

Best Pop Vocal Album:

‘÷’ – Ed Sheeran

Best Dance Recording:

‘Tonite’ – LCD Soundsystem

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

‘3-D The Catalogue’ – Kraftwerk

Best Rock Song:

‘Run’ – Foo Fighters

Best Rock Album:

‘A Deeper Understanding’ – The War on Drugs

Best Alternative Music Album:

‘Sleep Well Beast’ – The National

Best R&B Performance:

‘That’s What I Like’ – Bruno Mars

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

‘Redbone’ – Childish Gambino

Best R&B Song:

‘That’s What I Like’ – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

‘Starboy’ – The Weeknd

Best R&B Album:

’24K Magic’ – Bruno Mars

Best Rap Performance:

‘HUMBLE.’ – Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap/Sung Performance:

‘LOYALTY.’ – Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna

Best Rap Song:

‘HUMBLE.’ – Duckworth, Asheton Hogan and M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

Best Rap Album:

‘DAMN.’ – Kendrick Lamar

Best Country Solo Performance:

‘Either Way’ – Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

‘Better Man’ – Little Big Town

Best Country Song:

‘Broken Halos’ – Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton)

Best Country Album:

‘From a Room: Volume 1’ – Chris Stapleton

Best Music Video:

‘HUMBLE.’ – Kendrick Lamar

Best Music Film:

‘The Defiant Ones’ – Various Artists

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Lady Gaga to perform at Grammys

Lady Gaga is to perform at the upcoming Grammy Awards.

The 31-year-old singer – who is up for Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Million Reasons’ and Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Joanne’ – will take to the stage at the ceremony for the sixth time, and fourth consecutive year, when the annual event takes place at New York’s Madison Square Garden on January 28.

Also announced by The Recording Academy to be performing this year are three-time Grammy winner Pink, who is also up for Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘What About Us’, Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, who will mark his five nominations with his stage debut at the ceremony, and Little Big Town, who are also in the running for two trophies.

For the past 15 years, the Grammy Awards have taken place in Los Angeles, but to mark their return to New York, the ceremony will include a special Broadway tribute honouring the music of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leonard Bernstein.

The segment will see two-time winner Patti LuPone reprise her 1981 role in ‘Evita’ for a rendition of ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, and Ben Platt – who is currently appearing in Best Musical Theatre Album nominee ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ – will perform a classic track from ‘West Side Story’.

James Corden will return as host of the Grammy Awards.

Leading the way in the nominees is rapper Jay-Z who has been nominated for eight prizes, including album, song and record of the year, while Kendrick Lamar is shortlisted for seven accolades and Bruno Mars has six nods.

The ‘Loyalty’ hitmaker and the ‘That’s What I Like’ singer will go head-to-head with Jay for the biggest prize, Album of the Year, with their respective records ‘Humble’ and ’24K Magic’ up for the prize, along with Childish Gambino’s ‘Awaken, My Love!’ and Lorde’s ‘Melodrama’.

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Kendrick Lamar recalls UFO sighting

Kendrick Lamar saw a UFO when he was six years old.

The 30-year-old rapper claims to have spotted an unidentified flying object during his younger years, and while nobody has ever believed him, he insists he is not exaggerating about the "surreal moment".

He said: "Nobody believed me then and [nobody] believes me now.

"I probably shouldn’t even be talking about it… [but] I’m going to stand my ground.

"Nobody believed me then and [nobody] believes me now. It’s just something I can’t really describe, because it just sounds like, ‘OK, you just saw a dart go past.’ That s**t don’t make sense … it was just a surreal moment."

Kendrick also believes he was abducted at the time, and that could be why he has a talent for making music.

When asked by ‘The Howard Stern Show’ co-host Robin Quivers if he had been kidnapped by the UFO’s crew, he added: "I probably did. That’s probably why I’m doing music right now. Who knows. They probably gave me the energy."

The ‘Loyalty’ hitmaker has always insisted there is another life form in the world ever since he spotted the UFO.

He previously said: "I seen that when I was six years old, my mother still don’t believe me. We was in Compton, we was on our little balcony on the stairway, she was sitting, drinking her little champagne or wine, I’ll never forget it. And just a dart, a flash – just ch-ch-ch-ch – not the flash like it’s a shooting star, multiple flashes was in the sky. I’ll never forget that, and that was my encounter, and still to this day, I know there is something else out there."

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Lady Gaga pays tribute to late aunt after Grammy nominations

Lady Gaga has paid tribute to her late aunt following her Grammy nominations.

The 31-year-old pop superstar saw her most recent record ‘Joanne’ nominated in the Best Pop Vocal Album category and her song ‘Million Reasons’ – taken from her fifth studio LP – named in the Best Pop Solo Performance list.

Gaga’s album was named after and inspired by her aunt who passed away at the age of just 19 after from autoimmune disease lupus.

Gaga – whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta – suffers from fibromyalgia syndrome and was tested borderline positive for the disease that claimed her aunt’s life.

Now, Gaga has taken to both Twitter and Instagram to pay tribute to her relative for inspiring her nominated music.

On Twitter, she wrote: "I never knew her and she never knew me. But my knowledge of her strength in my ancestry through her struggle with #Lupus got me through a lot of pain … Today she got nominated for a Grammy. Thanks #Joanne. We love you. #ladygaga #monster#monsters #littlemonster (sic)"

Gaga – who is to star in the remake of ‘A Star is Born’ – also took to Instagram saying she is "humbled & grateful" for her nominations.

She wrote: "I’m humbled & grateful that my album ‘Joanne’ was nominated and also my song ‘Million Reasons’.

"Thank u so much Monsters and Grammy Voters for believing in this music and me.

"I love u so much. This is a day to truly celebrate lots of hard work, perseverance & gratitude through music. (sic)"

In another post, Gaga also paid tribute to her late aunt and thanked her for "healing" her during the album.

She said: "Thanks so much for believing in me and healing me through this album. #Grammys #ladygaga #Joanne (sic)"

Gaga will go up against Coldplay for ‘Kaleidoscope EP’, Lana Del Rey for ‘Lust For Life’, Imagine Dragons for ‘Evolve’, Kesha for ‘Rainbow’ and Ed Sheeran for ‘Divide’ in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.

Whilst ‘Million Reasons’ will have to beat Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Love So Soft’, Kesha’s ‘Praying’, ‘What About Us’ by Pink and Ed Sheeran’s hit ‘Shape of You’ to be classed the Best Pop Solo Performance.

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Jay-Z ties with Stevie Wonder as third most-nominated Grammys star

Jay-Z has tied with Steve Wonder to become the third most-nominated artist in Grammys history.

The 47-year-old rapper – whose real name is Shawn Carter – has received a total of eight nods , giving him a total of 74 nominations and 21 wins.

The ‘Encore’ hitmaker and the ‘Superstition’ are joined by the late Sir Georg Solti, the award-winning Hungarian-born orchestral and operatic conductor to the title.

The trio come behind iconic producer Quincy Jones with 79 nods and Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney’s 74.

At the 2018 ceremony, Jay is up for the biggest accolades including Album of The Year, Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance, for his 13th studio LP ‘4.44’, as well as, Record of The Year and Best Rap Song for ‘The Story of OJ’.

Following shortly behind are Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars with seven and six nominations respectively.

The ‘Loyalty’ hitmaker and the ‘That’s What I Like’ singer will go head-to-head with Jay for the biggest prize, Album of the Year, with their respective records ‘Humble’ and ’24K Magic’ up for the prize, along with Childish Gambino ‘Awaken, My Love!’ and Lorde’s ‘Melodrama’.

Recording Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow said."I’m inspired by this year’s nominees and the incredible talent each possesses.

"Their recordings are a true testament to how creatively alive and meaningful our music industry has become. Each nominee uses their craft to inspire, uplift, and tell stories of our world through their artistry. They provide a vibrant soundtrack that represents the highest level of excellence and continues to impact and reflect our culture."

Song of The Year sees Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito’, Jay’s record, ‘Issues’ by Julia Michaels, ‘Logic’ by Alessia Cara and Khalid and Bruno’s ‘That’s What I Like’ in the running.

James Corden will host this year’s glitzy ceremony on January 29, the British comedian’s second time after he took over proceedings this year.

2018 will mark the first time the ceremony has been held in New York, after previously taking place on the other side of the country in Los Angeles, California.

The UK premiere broadcast will be aired exclusively and in full on 4Music at 7pm on January 29, as well as on the Box Plus App.

The main nominees are as follows:

Album of The Year

Childish Gambino – ‘Awaken, My Love!’

Jay Z – ‘4:44’

Kendrick Lamar – ‘Damn’

Lorde – ‘Melodrama’

Bruno Mars – ’24K Magic’

Record of The Year

Childish Gambino – ‘Redbone’

Luis Fonsi – ‘Despacito’

Jay Z – ‘The Story of OJ’

Bruno Mars – ’24K Magic’

Kendrick Lamar – ‘Humble’

Song of The Year

Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber – ‘Despacito’

Jay Z – ‘4:44’

Julia Michael – ‘Issues’

Logic ft Alessia Cara and Khalid – ‘1-800-273-8255’

Bruno Mars – ‘That’s What I Like’

Best New Artist

Alessia Cara

Lil Uzi Vert

Khalid

Julia Michaels

SZA

Best Rap Album

Jay-Z, ‘4:44’

Kendrick Lamar, ‘DAMN’.

Migos, ‘Culture’

Rapsody, ‘Laila’s Wisdom’

Tyler, The Creator, ‘Flower Boy’

Best Rock Album

Mastodon, Emperor of Sand

Metallica, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct

Nothing More, The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Queens of the Stone Age, Villains

The War on Drugs, A Deeper Understanding

Best R&B Performance

Daniel Caesar, ‘Get You’ (feat. Kali Uchis)

Kehlani, ‘Distraction’

Ledisi, ‘High’

Bruno Mars, ‘That’s What I Like’

SZA, The Weekend

Best Rap Song

Cardi B, ‘Bodak Yellow’

Danger Mouse, ‘Chase Me’ (feat. Run the Jewels and Big Boi)

Kendrick Lamar, ‘Humble’

Rapsody, ‘Sassy’

Jay-Z, ‘The Story of O.J.’