
Rico Nasty
Photo: Jimmy Fontaine
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Check Out These Recording Academy Virtual Events Celebrating Rap During Black Music Month 2021: Rico Nasty, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Grandmaster Flash, Young Devyn And More Confirmed
To celebrate Black Music Month this June, the Recording Academy and its nationwide chapters are hosting virtual events highlighting the impact of rap on music, culture and beyond
This June, the Recording Academy and its various nationwide chapters are celebrating Black Music Month with engaging content and virtual events all month long. As part of the celebrations, the Academy is presenting several upcoming chapter-hosted events highlighting the impact of rap on music, culture and beyond.
Read on for more info on how to tune into each virtual event, and stay tuned for even more programming, events and content all month long on GRAMMY.com.
Conversations: The History of Hip Hop in NYC
Tuesday, June 15, at 3 p.m PT / 6 p.m. ET
Watch on the Recording Academy's Facebook page and YouTube channel
The Recording Academy's New York Chapter will host Conversations: The History of Hip Hop in NYC, a discussion with some of rap's most influential artists and creatives who'll reflect on the history and influence of hip-hop music and culture on New York City.
Torae Carr will moderate the legend-filled event, which will also include Bas, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Erika Elliott, Faith Newman, Grandmaster Flash, Hank Shocklee, Jerry Wonda, Nick Cucci, Rocky Bucano, and Young Devyn.
Up Close & Personal With Rico Nasty
Thursday, June 17, at 3 p.m PT / 6 p.m. ET
Watch on the Recording Academy's Facebook page and YouTube channel
In celebration of Pride Month and Black Music Month, GRAMMY U is hosting an in-depth conversation with futuristic rap star Rico Nasty. The rapper, singer and songwriter, who released her debut album, Nightmare Vacation, last December, is known for her eccentric, adrenaline-rushing "Sugar Trap" style, which mixes melodic sounds over hard-edged rhymes. DJ/radio personality Little Bacon Bear is moderating the panel.
Read: Welcome To Rico Nasty's 'Nightmare Vacation'
Candid Conversations: Women In Rap ATL
Thursday, June 24, at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET
Watch on the Recording Academy's Facebook page
The Recording Academy's Atlanta Chapter is hosting Candid Conversations: Women In Rap ATL, a conversation with leading women music executives in the rap music community, including Ashaunna Ayers (Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Jeezy), Brandra Ringo (Quality Control) and Cannon Kent Grant (Atlantic Records). Hosted in partnership with Women In Music Atlanta and the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) team, the discussion will cover the panelists' personal career journeys, the current state of the music industry during the pandemic, and social injustices in the U.S. WIM Atlanta's Dina Marto will moderate the panel.
Dyana Williams On Why Black Music Month Is Not Just A Celebration, But A Call For Respect

Doja Cat
Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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Rolling Loud Festival Los Angeles Reveals 2019 Lineup
Find out who's bringing the heat to the hip-hop fest returning to L.A. this December
Today, Rolling Loud revealed the massive lineup for their final music festival of 2019, Rolling Loud Los Angeles, which is set to take over the Banc of California Stadium and adjacent Exposition Park on Dec. 14–15.
This iteration of "the Woodstock of Hip-Hop," as the all-knowing Diddy has called it, will feature Chance the Rapper, Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, Young Thug and Lil Baby as Saturday's heavy-hitting headliners. Sunday's headliners are none other than Future, A$AP Rocky, Meek Mill, YG and Playboi Carti.
ROLLING LOUD LOS ANGELES 2019
— Rolling Loud (@RollingLoud) September 30, 2019
ON SALE FRIDAY, OCT 4 @ 11AM PThttps://t.co/HKQS5v2PSe pic.twitter.com/CXy3Q7ELDp
L.A.'s own Blueface, Tyga and Doja Cat, are slated to perform, as well as representatives from the diverse rap scenes across the country, including Wale, Juicy J, Lil Yachty, Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, Tyla Yaweh, Machine Gun Kelly and Yung Gravy.
The lineup announcement follows the successful wrap of Rolling Loud Bay Area in Oakland this past weekend. The event's flagship Miami event took place in May this year, and the New York and Hong Kong debut editions will both take place later this month.
Some of y’all not ready for these moshpits https://t.co/3nlaudjapq
— Randy (@randyt0321) October 1, 2019
Tickets for Rolling Loud L.A. go on sale this Friday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. PST. The complete lineup and more info on this event and their other fests can be found here.

DJ Khaled, Samantha Smith and John Legend
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle And John Legend Win Best Rap/Sung Performance For "Higher" | 2020 GRAMMYs
DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle and John Legend take home Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards
DJ Khaled, featuring Nipsey Hussle and John Legend, has won Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Higher" at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards. The single was featured on DJ Khaled's 2019 album Father of Asahd and featured Hussle's vocals and Legend on the piano. DJ Khaled predicted the track would win a GRAMMY.
"I even told him, 'We're going to win a GRAMMY.' Because that's how I feel about my album," DJ Khaled told Billboard. "I really feel like not only is this my biggest, this is very special."
After the release of the song and music video -- which was filmed before Hussle's death in March -- DJ Khaled announced all proceeds from "Higher" will go to Hussle's children.
DJ Khaled and co. beat out fellow category nominees Lil Baby & Gunna ("Drip Too Hard"), Lil Nas X ("Panini"), Mustard featuring Roddy Ricch ("Ballin") and Young Thug featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott ("The London"). Hussle earned a second posthumous award at the 62nd GRAMMYs for Best Rap Performance for "Racks In The Middle."
Along with Legend and DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch and YG paid tribute to Hussle during the telecast, which concluded with "Higher."
Check out the complete 62nd GRAMMY Awards nominees and winners list here.

Will Smith at the 1999 GRAMMYs
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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Will Smith Dedicate His 1999 Best Rap Solo Performance GRAMMY To His Son
In his acceptance speech, he offers thanks to his family and "the jiggiest wife in the world, Jada Pinkett Smith"
Today, Sept. 25, we celebrate the birthday of the coolest dad—who else? Will Smith! For the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we revisit the Fresh Prince's 1999 GRAMMY win for Best Rap Solo Performance for "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It."
In the below video, watch rappers Missy Elliott—donning white leather—and Foxy Brown present the GRAMMY to a stoked Smith, who also opted for an all-leather look. In his acceptance speech, he offers thanks to his family and "the jiggiest wife in the world, Jada Pinkett Smith." He dedicates the award to his eldest son, Trey Smith, joking that Trey's teacher said he (then just six years old) could improve his rhyming skills.
Watch Another GRAMMY Rewind: Ludacris Dedicates Best Rap Album Win To His Dad At The 2007 GRAMMYs
The classic '90s track is from his 1997 debut studio album, Big Willie Style, which also features "Miami" and 1998 GRAMMY winner "Men In Black," from the film of the same name. The "Está Rico" rapper has won four GRAMMYs to date, earning his first back in 1989 GRAMMYs for "Parents Just Don't Understand," when he was 20 years old.

Nipsey Hussle
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Remembering Nipsey Hussle On The Anniversary Of His Death: "I Just Wanted To Be Really Intentional"
The Recording Academy celebrates the life of Nipsey Hussle, the late Los Angeles rapper, who earned two posthumous GRAMMY Awards this year
Since the tragic loss of Los Angeles rapper, entrepreneur and activist Nipsey Hussle on March 31, 2019, his motivational music and inspiring message of investing in your community are continued by the many lives he touched. Here in L.A, you see countless murals painted in his likeness, his inspirational words reminding us greatness and kindness are not mutually exclusive.
Nipsey Hussle, Beloved L.A. Rapper And Activist, Lived As A Patron To His Community
In 2018, after a decade of perfecting his storytelling and flow with hard-hitting mixtapes, Hussle released his victorious debut album Victory Lap. It earned him his first GRAMMY nomination, for Best Rap Album, at the 2019 GRAMMYs. The week following the show, he released his final single during his lifetime, "Racks in the Middle," featuring rising L.A. rapper Roddy Ricch and powerhouse producer Hit-Boy.
At the 62nd GRAMMY Awards this year, he posthumously earned three more nominations and took home two wins. "Racks in the Middle" won Best Rap Performance and "Higher," a track he was working on with DJ Khaled before he died, won Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Higher." Khaled released the uplifting track, which also features John Legend, in Hussle's memory on May 17, 2019.
How Nipsey Hussle Transcended Hip-Hop, Starting In The Los Angeles Streets
Hussle's family, including his grandmother and his partner Lauren London, took the GRAMMY stage to accept his awards in two tearful yet celebratory moments. Khaled, Legend, Ricch, Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin and YG also celebrated the rap hero with a moving tribute performance during the show.
"The biggest thing that he left behind in his legacy is to go the extra mile for other people and be aware of your community," singer Tinashe said in a recent interview. "That spirit is really important. It's important to bring people together. I think that's part of his message. It's looking out for one another."
That message of hope and community is echoed in so many others' words about Hussle; his positive impact is immense and immeasurable. It is reflected in a message from none other than former President Barack Obama. Hussle's longtime friend and marketing manager Karen Civil read Obama's powerful words about him during his moving memorial service:
"While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential. He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going. His choice to invest in that community rather than ignore it—to build a skills training center and coworking space in Crenshaw; to lift up the Eritrean-American community; to set an example for young people to follow—is a legacy worthy of celebration. I hope his memory inspires more good work in Crenshaw and communities like it."
The Marathon Continues.
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