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GRAMMYs

Ibeyi

Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns

News
Ibeyi Are Leaving Their Mark On U.S. Pop Culture cuban-french-duo-ibeyi-are-leaving-their-mark-us-pop-culture

Cuban-French Duo Ibeyi Are Leaving Their Mark On U.S. Pop Culture

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Meet French-Cuban twin sisters Ibeyi, who mix their Yoruba Cuban roots with electric hip-hop sounds and more, earning them notice from Beyoncé
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Sep 20, 2018 - 5:48 pm

French-Cuban twin sisters Ibeyi may have been born and raised in Paris⁠ (they spent some time going back and forth to Cuba when they were small) but they are leaving footprints in U.S. pop culture in big ways⁠—even if their first performance on American soil only happened four years ago.

YOUR FRIDAY AUGUST #HAMILDROP
DROPS AT MIDNIGHT, WHEREVER YOU ARE.
Presenting @IbeyiOfficial with their new #Hamiltune...
Rise Up Wise Up Eyes Up pic.twitter.com/Cd4tWwn4fl

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) August 30, 2018

Sisters, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, can be seen through the "All Night" video made as a part of Beyoncé's film Lemonade⁠—Lisa-Kaindé with her hair in a fro and Naomi with looser long curls. This is also the most obvious way you can tell the twins apart. More recently, the sisters can be heard on the third part of Lin-Manuel Miranda's August #Hamildrop Hamilton content series. 

Ibeyi have long known about creating music, however. Their late father, Anga Diaz, was a conga player and a GRAMMY winner. He was a Yoruba, Cuban percussionist who played in Buena Vista Social Club and Orishas. And it is evident that his spirit and culture lives through their music.

Yin&Yang pic.twitter.com/YgJ3a3FT7g

— Ibeyi (@IbeyiOfficial) September 14, 2018

To begin to understand Ibeyi as artists, it's important to look at their name. Ibeyi means "twins" in the Cuban Yoruba dialect. Influence of their Cuban and Yoruba roots⁠—Naomi can be seen playing the bata-cajon in performances⁠—are at the center of their music and mesh with synth beats, soul and hip-hop with lyrics in Yoruba, English and Spanish.

“Batas are religious drums," Lisa-Kaindé told Modern Drummer."So we take that which is from our culture, those songs and sounds that we’ve heard for so long, and we mix them with new music, music that we listen to every day. That’s an important part of Ibeyi—playing with the past and the future, or with the tradition and the new music.”

As teens they were signed by Richard Russell and the duo released their self-titled album in 2015. They released their latest album Ash September of last year. Watch the videos below to learn more about Ibeyi's sound:

"Rise Up Wise Up Eyes Up"

The #Hamildrop is a music series that draws inspiration from Hamilton, Miranda's rap musical that remixes the life of Alexander Hamilton. We’re honoured to be able to share with you our contribution to the #Hamildrop," Ibeyi tweeted out about the song about consciousness and resilience.

 "River"

Beyoncé put on her followers to Ibeyi via an Instagram post with this song in the background back in 2015. The song is dedicated to the Yoruba goddess of sweet, fresh waters, Genius writes. "Carry away my dead leaves/ Let me baptize my soul with the help of your waters/ Sink my pains and complains/Let the river take them, river drown them/My ego and my blame," the song goes. "We want something that is twisted, we want something that is powerful," Lisa-Kiandé Lisa-Kia told Much about the video in which they had to hold their breath to shoot.

"Deathless"

If you listen closely, death is a theme throughout some of Ibeyi's songs. "Deathless" features Kamasi Washington and is a song about a racist encounter Lisa-Kiandé had with a cop, she told  "Song Exploder. 

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Cuco

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

News
Cuco Is Making A Different Kind Of Latin Pop cuco-making-different-kind-latin-pop

Cuco Is Making A Different Kind Of Latin Pop

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Meet the 20-year-old artist making dream pop straight out of Southern California.
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 15, 2018 - 6:25 pm

"I'm like stupid emotional," Cuco says in a Genius video wearing his signature large glasses and shaggy hair. "I think art is what keeps an artist able to express their emotions and not go crazy." Cuco's music is dream pop straight out of Southern California and "stupid emotional" is exactly how you'll feel listening to his atmospheric, mellow synth, oldies-inspired beats, topped with emotional lyrics.  On "Lo Que Siento" he sings "And nobody's touch and nobody's lips can make me feel like yours do/Our hands in a lock, nuestros labios se conocen (Our lips meet)."

SUPP BABYYYYY CHECK IT OUT https://t.co/IZ6Gb0qfU6

— CUCO (@Icryduringsex) May 4, 2018

The Hawthorne, Calif. native is a self-produced multi-instrumentalist who grew up listening to Chicano rappers like Lil' Rob and MC Magic, both smooth rappers that jump from English to Spanish throughout their verses. MC Magic's music stands out for his use of synthesizers. You hear bits and pieces of the genre's influence in Cuco's music, who himself is Mexican-American. Other influences include Tame Impala. He launched into the spotlight with a cover of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" and has since garnered a following of thousands on social media.

"I will never underestimate the strength of a fan-girl ever again. They're wild," his manager Doris Munoz told the L.A. Times about the rise of his following. The 20-year-old artist's sentimental vibe connects mostly with young Latinas and thus has been dubbed a "heart-throb."

Rolling Stone captured Cuco's role in the music industry well: "In a music industry that’s been cashing in on more urban genres like reggaeton and Latin trap, acts like Cuco represent an alternative dimension of Latin pop that’s picking up steam in United States."

But, Cuco doesn't want to be pigeon-holed. "It's cool, like I'm super open to doing things for like my people, my own culture, but ultimately I make music for everybody," he told the Fader.  

Cuco is currently recovering from an accident that happened in early October and has canceled the rest of his 2018 tour.

Learn more about Cuco's sound:

"Lover Is A Day"

"Lover Is A Day" is the song Cuco is most proud of. The song "did so well like I never even though it would do so well, it kind of got me out there," he told Teal magazine.

"Lo Que Siento"

"Lo Que Siento" or "What I Feel" was inspired by Chicano rappers Lil' Rob and MC Magic. I just heard the chord progression for “Lo Que Siento” in kind of a way where it’s mixed with a lot of Chicano rap. But then there’s also that indie side of it with guitars and all that other bullshit. It was just in the moment," he told Genius.

"Amor De Siempre"

This all Spanish-language song has Cuco singing about waking up next to his lover and looking into her eyes. "When I look at those eyes, that's where I want to live/ If you kiss me, that's where I want to die."

 

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Mike Garson

Mike Garson 

Photo: Chris McKay/Getty Images

News
A Bowie Celebration Announces Tour Dates bowie-celebration-announces-tour-dates

A Bowie Celebration Announces Tour Dates

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A Bowie Celebration will tour cities in Europe in Jan. and early Feb., before hitting U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Houston and New York City
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 14, 2019 - 4:50 pm

David Bowie's backing bands are heading out on tour to continue the GRAMMY winner's legacy for the third year in a row.

A Bowie Celebration will tour cities in Europe in Jan. and early Feb., before hitting U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Houston and New York City until March. 

The tour is formed by Bowie's "longest-leading and most frequent band member" Mike Garson, guitarist Earl Sick, bassist Carmine Rojas, multi-instrumentalist Mark Plati, guitarist Charlie Sexton and vocalists Bernard Fowler and Corey Glover, according to Rolling Stone.

The magazine reports that the band has been joined by several guest vocalists in the past, including Perry Farrell and Evan Rachel Wood, and plays hits like "Rebel Rebel" and "Ziggy Stardust."

"One way or another, David is continuously there with us,” Garson said in a statement. “He’s on stage each night, in the audience and always in the very essence of each song. We do these shows for the fans who’ve loved David and his music, and for those who are new to his music-they’re about to get hooked. Through this process of the celebration of his music, we do these shows for David who is a constant presence in our minds, hearts and soul."

For more information on the tour see here.

Quincy Jones To Receive Special Achievement Honor From The African-American Film Critics Association

Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones 

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/FilmMagic

News
Quincy Jones Honored By The AAFCA quincy-jones-receive-special-achievement-honor-african-american-film-critics

Quincy Jones To Receive Special Achievement Honor From The African-American Film Critics Association

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Music’s beloved Renaissance man and film producer Jason Blum are the latest additions to the AAFCA's 2019 honorees
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 14, 2019 - 12:24 pm

GRAMMY-winning music legend Quincy Jones will receive a Special Achievement honor from the African-American Film Critics Association, the largest group of black film critics.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jones and film producer Jason Blum are the latest additions to the AAFCA's 2019 honorees and will be honored on Feb. 6 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.

"Quincy Jones is a cultural icon," AAFCA co-founder Shawn Edwards said in a statement. "For nearly 70 years, he has helped shape pop culture as a music composer and producer as well as a film/TV composer and producer. His creative influence is unparalleled. He has molded the arts, film and music with a force that we may never witness again in our lifetime and given back all along the way."

The two will be celebrated along with the AAFCA's best picture winner Black Panther.

Netflix executive Tengo Nagenda, early jazz cornetist Buddy Bolden, searching director Aneesh Chaganty and HBO's Kelly Edwards are among other recipients who will have their own ceremony on Feb. 2.

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Angela Aguilar On Her Culture And Family Legacy

BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK

Photo: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage

News
BLACKPINK Announce World Tour k-pop-titans-blackpink-will-visit-us-during-world-tour

K-Pop Titans BLACKPINK Will Visit U.S. During World Tour

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The "DDu-Du DDu-Du" singers have yet to perform in the U.S., but they've already made a huge impression in the West
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 9, 2019 - 4:25 pm

K-pop phenomenon BLACKPINK could be coming to a city near you in 2019.

The group's company YG Entertainment has announced that they are touring the world, with stops in North America, Europe and Australia. No specific dates for each continent have been released.

The "DDu-Du DDu-Du" and "Kiss And Make Up" (featuring Dua Lipa) singers have yet to play in the U.S., but they've already made some history here. BLACKPINKs "DDu-Du DDu-Du" is the highest charting song by an all-female K-pop group on the Billboard Hot 100. Their hit song same is also the fastest Korean group music video to accumulate 550 million views.

Even more impressive, BLACKPINK is also the first all-female K-pop group to perform at Coachella in 2019.

The fandom behind the group, who sing and rap, is massive outside of the U.S. Actor, director and producer (and former BuzzFeed employee) Eugene Lee Yang noted on Twitter how much the performance will mean:

"I've had countless chats with music insiders about its Western breakthrough, which has been happening the past few years. BLACKPINK playing Coachella is hugely significant. The locals have no idea what's coming."

Coachella 2019 Lineup Revealed With Extended YouTube Live-Stream Partnership

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.