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Cardi B

Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

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Get To Know GRAMMY-Winning Rapper Cardi B | For The Record

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Go way back with the "WAP" rapper to trace her record-breaking rise to the top
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 12, 2020 - 12:21 pm

From bursting into the pop culture spotlight as a reality TV star to turning heads with her glistening new single "WAP" featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B has always made money moves.

Get To Know GRAMMY-Winning Rapper Cardi B

In the latest edition of GRAMMY.com's For The Record, take a look back at the GRAMMY-winning rapper's journey from reality TV star to chart-topping rap titan and GRAMMY-winning artist and songwriter.

Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar on Oct. 11, 1992 in New York City, N.Y., Cardi B made the transition into music with two independent mixtapes before releasing her first No. 1 single, "Bodak Yellow," in 2017.

The hit song went on to earn Cardi her first two GRAMMY nominations at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. She made her GRAMMY stage debut the same year, performing "Finesse" with Bruno Mars.

On April 6, 2018, her debut album arrived to critical acclaim and climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Invasion Of Privacy landed the Bronx-native her first career GRAMMY win, named Best Rap Album at the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

Watch the latest edition of For The Record to find out more about the "WAP" rapper, including some of her blockbuster collaborations, record-setting record sales and more.

Cardi B And Megan Thee Stallion Deliver A Juicy Collaboration With "WAP"

GRAMMYs

Carlos Santana

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Santana's Seminal Second Album 'Abraxas' Turns 50 | For The Record

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Relive the magic of Santana's 1970 sophomore album containing some of the band's most recognizable songs such as "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va"
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 16, 2020 - 12:48 pm

Half a century ago, and almost three decades before Carlos Santana and company went Supernatural, psychedelic Latin rockers Santana released their legendary second studio album, Abraxas, on Sept. 23, 1970.

For The Record: Santana's 'Abraxas'

The band borrowed the album's aptly dazzing title from a book called Demian credited to Emil Sinclair, a pen name of author Hermann Hesse, who also wrote Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game. Watch the latest edition of For The Record in the video above to find out where the band got the colorful artwork on the album cover.

The music of Abraxas yielded some of Santana's biggest hits: "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va" and "Hope You Feel Better." The band went on to win eight GRAMMY Awards and rock music has never been the same since Abraxas.

In 1999, the album was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. Learn more about the classic status of Abraxas by watching the episode above. 

Read More: Santana's "Smooth" GRAMMY Feat: For The Record

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Cardi B in Feb. 2020

Cardi B

Photo: Prince Williams/Wireimage.Getty Images

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Poll: With Albums From Cardi B, BTS, BLACKPINK & More On The Way, What Fall Release Are You Most Looking Forward To?

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Alicia Keys, 2 Chainz, Drake, Kylie Minogue, Public Enemy, YG and others also have big albums on the way—let us know which one you are most excited about
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 10, 2020 - 5:48 pm

With Labor Day here and gone, fall is almost upon us (it starts Sept. 22). While 2020 didn't quite deliver on a song of the summer—or a galivanting poolside vibe—luckily there are tons of big album releases slated for the coming autumn months. For our latest GRAMMY.com poll, we want to know which fall album you are most looking forward to.

Polls

What Fall Album Are You Most Looking Forward To?

Related: RIAA 2020 Mid-Year Report: Recorded-Music Revenues In The U.S. Grew More Than 5 Percent During The First Half Of 2020 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The rap game is set to be big, with Atlanta heavyweight 2 Chainz set to drop So Help Me God, Bronx queen Cardi B primed to deliver a follow-up to her GRAMMY-winning major label debut Invasion Of Privacy and Toronto's finest Drake serving up Certified Lover Boy. Also, Los Angeles hard-hitter YG will release MY 4HUNNID LIFE and OG New York crew Public Enemy will drop What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, to feature their 2020 update of classic protest track "Fight the Power."

Representing some of the biggest players in K-pop and the global pop landscape, BLACKPINK's debut studio album, titled The Album, is forthcoming this October, and BTS have revealed they have a new album on the way.

Another Poll: From "WAP" To "Big Booty," What's Your Favorite Megan Thee Stallion Feature?

Sure to be odes to the empty dancefloors of the world, Aussie dance-pop queen Kylie Minogue's DISCO, U.K. dance mainstays Groove Armada's EDGE OF THE HORIZON and Irish dance music legend (remember Moloko?) Róisín Murphy's Róisín Machine will keep us grooving.  

While this list of fall 2020 albums is far from exhaustive, there are two more albums we have to mention. 2020 and 2019 GRAMMYs host extraordinaire Alicia Keys will be offering up her first LP in four years sometime this fall with ALICIA, which will include "Underdog," "Show Me Love" and more glowing gems.

Finally, the expansive music of the late experimental jazz legend and Afrofuturist Sun Ra lives on with the Sun Ra Arkestra, who will be releasing their first album in 21 years, Swirling. Which one are you looking forward to the most?

Wayne Coyne Talks Flaming Lips' New Album 'American Head,' Kacey Musgraves & Pool Parties At Miley Cyrus' House

BLACKPINK in 2019

BLACKPINK in 2019

Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

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Explore BLACKPINK's Rapid Rise To Global K-Pop Superstardom | For The Record

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Ahead of the highly anticipated release of their debut LP, 'BLACKPINK: The Album,' in October, revisit their swift ascension to the global superstars they are today
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 2, 2020 - 2:24 pm

Just two years before they'd have their big international breakout with 2018's "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du," BLACKPINK formed in Seoul, South Korea. The fiercely talented quartet has been serving up pop star realness with their infectious genre-meshing music, stellar choreography, arena-filling live shows and eye-catching music videos.

For the latest episode of GRAMMY.com's For The Record video series, we revisit the swift ascension of Lisa, Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo.

BLACKPINK's Rapid Rise | For The Record

Watch: Angela Aguilar's Amazing Journey To GRAMMY-Nominated Artist | For The Record

"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du," their first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100, became the highest-charting song by a female K-pop group, a record they beat again later. It also earned them the first-ever gold record in the U.S. by a female K-pop act. Two of their also-massive subsequent singles, "Kill This Love" (2019) and "How You Like That" (2020), also charted on the Hot 100.

Their collaboration with Lady Gaga, "Sour Candy," featured on her 2020 album Chromatica, also earned them another Top 40 hit, with both that track and "How You Like That" hitting No. 33 this summer. BLACKPINK also worked with Dua Lipa on 2018's "Kiss and Make Up" and recently on 2020's "Kiss and Make Up (Remix)" featured on her Club Future Nostalgia album.

More K-Pop: BTS Talk Inspiration Behind "Dynamite," New Album, Gratitude For ARMY & More

They're no strangers to breaking records and making history. In 2019, they became the first all-female K-pop act to play Coachella, with a primetime, earth-rattling Friday evening set. Their massive video views continue to grow thanks to their massive, loyal fanbase, known as Blinks. The "How You Like That" video broke three Guinness World Records in June and 2019's "Kill This Love" recently hit one billion video views, to name a few.

Their most recent single, "Ice Cream," features none other than pop princess Selena Gomez (currently with 158.7 million views on YouTube) and will be featured on their highly anticipated debut LP, BLACKPINK: The Album, due out Oct. 2. Surely there are more charts to climb and hearts to win over with their debut.

Aluna On New Album 'Renaissance' & Making Dance Music Inclusive Again

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Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

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Revisit Michael Jackson's Pop Star Breakthrough, 'Off The Wall' | For The Record

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Jackson and producer Quincy Jones' pop dominance began with the GRAMMY-winning, record-breaking 'Off the Wall,' released Aug. 10, 1979
GRAMMYs
Aug 26, 2020 - 5:30 pm

In 1978, a 20-year-old Michael Jackson, alongside Diana Ross, comedian Richard Pryor and other major Black stars, starred in Universal/Motown's feature film The Wiz. It was there he would first connect with super-producer Quincy Jones, who led the GRAMMY-winning music for the cult classic. Together, they would craft three legendary albums (Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad) that broke records, won multiple GRAMMYs and earned Jackson King of Pop status.

Their pop dominance began with Off the Wall, released Aug. 10, 1979. It was Jackson's fifth solo album and the first after leaving Motown (where he and brothers found fame as the Jackson 5) for Epic.

Michael Jackson's 'Off The Wall' | For The Record

Flashback To Whitney Houston's 1985 Hit "Saving All My Love For You" | For The Record

The 10-track dancefloor-ready, disco-tinged album was produced by Jones, with Jackson co-producing three tracks, including the smash-hit opening track and lead single, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," which the singer/dancer wrote himself. It also features songwriting from Stevie Wonder (on "I Can't Help It"), Paul McCartney (on "Girlfriend) and British songwriter Rod Temperton (on "Rock with You," "Off the Wall and "Burn This Disco Out"), the latter two who return on Thriller.

The LP made history by becoming the first album by a solo artist to spawn four Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," earned Jackson his first GRAMMY win—for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 22nd GRAMMY Awards.

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Lionel Richie & Michael Jackson Win Song Of The Year For "We Are The World"

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was also nominated for Best Disco Recording—an award that unfortunately only lasted one year, and was won by Gloria Gaynor and her eternal disco gem, "I Will Survive."

His following album, 1982's Thriller, would see Jackson sweeping the 26th GRAMMY Awards with eight total wins, including Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year. Jones shared four of these wins for his stellar production on it.

Off the Wall and Thriller were both inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008. Jackson also received the GRAMMY Legend Award in 1993 and, posthumously, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Jones also earned the GRAMMY Legend Award (in 1991), as well as the Trustees Awards in 1989, which is the equivalent of the Lifetime Achievement Award for producers and other technical roles in music.

Get To Know GRAMMY-Winning Rapper Cardi B | For The Record

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