Taj Mayfield is a former Digital Content/Editorial Intern at GRAMMY.com. Raised on the Westbank of New Orleans, his writing style is heavily influenced by the back-and-forth conversational style of the area. As the youngest of three, Taj found a passion for listening to music at an early age by following his siblings’ favorite artists. At 17 years old, he started his website thesoundsports.com to combine his love for music and sports. He also hosts a weekly music podcast called "UNHEARD."
Editor's note: This article was updated to include the latest information about Kendrick Lamar's 2024 album release 'GNX,' and up-to-date GRAMMY wins and nominations with additional reporting by Nina Frazier. When the world crowns you the king of a genre as competitive as rap, your presence — and lack thereof — is palpable. After a five-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar declaratively…
What if there was a way to make you fall in love with your favorite album all over again? Or a cheat sheet that could explain the meanings behind your favorite songs? What about a fun way to learn the history behind your favorite genre? Chances are, there’s a podcast for that. The plethora of music-related podcasts isn't simply a…
What makes a great record? Is it immersive production? Memorable songwriting? What about components like vocal delivery, rhyme scheme or flow? For three-time GRAMMY nominee Bernard Harvey — known professionally as HARV — a great record has more to do with emotion than any particular musical component. "When I hear any song, I just want to feel something," Harv explains…
How does a 19-year-old artist follow up becoming the youngest person to ever win GRAMMYs for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Best New Artist in the same year? They win more GRAMMYs. This week's episode of GRAMMY Rewind spotlights seven-time GRAMMY winner Billie Eilish during the 2021 GRAMMYs Awards show, her second…
Within the first 30 seconds of his Press Play At Home performance, Kang Daniel's intentions for the episode seemed clear: he wanted to put on an unforgettable show. Initially bonded by yellow tape on a dimly lit stage, the K-pop singer/songwriter danced in the spotlight before breaking free and diving into a special rendition of "Antidote." The South Korean multi-hyphenate…
Missed Harry Styles at the 64th GRAMMY Awards Show? Don’t worry, GRAMMY Rewind has just the thing you need: An episode revisiting the singer/songwriter’s very first GRAMMY win. Fashionably dressed and as calm as can be, Styles won Best Pop Solo Performance for "Watermelon Sugar" in 2021 at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Watch below to see the UK pop…
Music’s Biggest Night has its perks. After taking home five wins at the 2022 GRAMMYs, Jon Batiste saw a sales boost of over 2,746% for his Album Of The Year-winning project WE ARE. The LP sold 18,000 units in the week following the show, according to Billboard. Batiste’s five GRAMMYs may have technically made him the biggest winner of the…
When you name a track after a guitar-slaying rock icon, you set a high bar for the song's quality and its performance. Canadian singer/songwriter Francesco Yates lives up to that standard with his performance of his Jimi Hendrix-inspired single, "Jimi." Operating somewhere between Hendrix and '90s R&B/pop, the bold forthcoming single allows Yates to show off his diverse skill set.…
The GRAMMYs may be Music's Biggest Night, but that doesn't mean fashion takes a back seat. Presented by Grey Goose, the 64th GRAMMY Awards red carpet featured show-stopping outfits from GRAMMY winners John Legend, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, along with must-see celebrity looks from Kourtney Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Donatella Versace and more. Law Roach, a stylist and judge…
Receiving his first nominations two decades ago, four-time GRAMMY winner Neal H. Pogue disagrees with the idea that music is a young person's game. In fact, he thinks the misconception is holding the music world back. "I remember being 4, 5 years old in the latter '60s listening to music…my brain is like an encyclopedia," Pogue says, in this episode…
Don’t look now, but the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards are right around the corner — more specifically, on Sunday, April 3 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. The 2022 GRAMMYs program book is your ultimate guide to navigating the biggest night in music, and its 86 categories and hundreds of nominees. The 178-page book features breakdowns on some of the…
Baby Keem is different. That much was clear even before he collaborated with Travis Scott, before Kanye West recruited him for Donda, before Drake declared his 2019 mixtape the album of that year — oh, and before it was revealed that he really is Kendrick Lamar's cousin. Early listeners of the Las Vegas native (born Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr.) didn't…
Even if you've never heard Labrinth’s scoring work outside of “Euphoria” or seen Disney's Encanto, chances are you know two things: How Labrinth’s vocals can pierce through a track to freeze an audience and not to talk about Bruno. That's the power of a great soundtrack — it has the potential to transcend the artist and its host format while…
It's nearly impossible to pinpoint what quality Joan Wasser — aka Joan As Police Woman — possesses that feels so familiar. A singer/songwriter that has covered a range of artists from Prince to Outkast to the Strokes, Wasser makes music that feels free to go wherever her mood or collaborators take her. The way she performs her 2021 single "Get…
If your house was suddenly on fire, what items would you risk your safety to grab? For three-time GRAMMY winner Steve Earle, the decision is a no-brainer. "If everything was blowing up, and I took one instrument, it'd be this 1935 [Martin] D-28," he says, proudly holding the acoustic guitar. In this episode of It Goes To 11, watch the…
Led by the singer/songwriter and actor duo of Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, Daisy the Great navigates the indie space with a fearless level of creativity. Sometimes the band goes indie pop; sometimes the band goes indie rock; and sometimes they just let go altogether. With that ability to go in multiple directions — occasionally all at once —…
What was your reaction to receiving the most expensive thing you own? If you're anything like SOJA frontman Jacob Hemphill, your feelings probably teetered between shock and a newfound sense of responsibility. "I had never seen anything that was this well made in my life, and let alone, I was the one who was supposed to hold it and play…
A GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, Diana Ross' list of accolades is one of a true icon. Ross embarked on her illustrious career at just 15-years-old, signing with Motown Records as a member of the Supremes in 1961. Twelve number one hit singles on the Billboard Hot…
You may want to clear some space for this edition of Positive Vibes Only — there's no telling how your body might start to move once you hear soca group Kes perform. Utilizing the rich culture of their native Caribbean backgrounds, Kes effortlessly makes use of soca, calypso, reggae and pop elements to create soul-stirring music and must-see performances. Watch…
Future is a man of many nicknames: Pluto, Super Future, The Wizard, Future Vandross — the list goes on. But no moniker carries more weight for the four-time GRAMMY nominee than Future Hendrix, a brutally honest, R&B-leaning alter ego. One week after the release of his self-titled fifth studio album, Future was back with his follow-up effort, HNDRXX. The 2017…
