Today, the Recording Academy announced four-time GRAMMY-winning artist Yolanda Adams will join nationally recognized songwriter Sue Ennis as Co-Chair of the Academy's National Advocacy Committee. Serving as the voice for all music creators alongside the Academy's Advocacy team in Washington, D.C., the committee is comprised of Academy Trustees who are leading performers, producers, songwriters, and studio engineers, and works to determine specific policy positions of the Recording Academy and advance the interests of all music creators.

"We're honored to have Yolanda lead the Recording Academy's Advocacy Committee alongside hit songwriter Sue Ennis to help push forward vital legislation as our industry navigates the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond," said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "We've seen first-hand how music has the power to influence meaningful change, and we're confident the Advocacy Committee's wide breadth of backgrounds and perspectives provide a unique opportunity to build on the Academy's successful efforts this summer in the fight for creators' rights."

Adams brings a strong advocacy background to the committee. She recently testified at a congressional hearing on intellectual property, sharing her perspective on the monetary and moral implications of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's Fair Use doctrine. Adams also participated in the Academy's 7th annual District Advocate Day on Aug. 12, advocating alongside nearly 2,000 music professionals for critical support for the music community as it continues dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Advocacy Committee will build on the work of the Recording Academy's "Summer of Advocacy" initiative and the recent achievements by creators, including securing important provisions in the CARES Act by championing legislation that ensures individual creators, as well as small and medium-sized music businesses, including those that are minority-owned, receive the support they need. This includes:

• HITS Act, which allows an individual to fully expense for tax purposes the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes, up to $150,000, within the same year of production;
• Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act, which ensures unemployment relief for independent workers with mixed income types, a category that includes many music creators across the country;
• RESTART Act, which responds to the urgent needs of hard-hit recording studios, concert venues, and other music businesses and nonprofits by creating a loan program to help keep them afloat through the remainder of 2020, and provide loan forgiveness as a backstop against continuing economic challenges; and
• Save Our Stages Act, which ensures that live music venues would have access to special grants designed to keep these critical facilities afloat for the next six months.

Other Academy Trustees who serve on the Advocacy Committee include GRAMMY-winning composer, producer, and singer Claudia Brant; GRAMMY-nominated artist Terry Jones; GRAMMY-winning engineer Emily Lazar; and GRAMMY-nominated artist, songwriter, and producer Rico Love. Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason jr. and Chief Advocacy Officer Daryl P. Friedman serve as ex-officio members.

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Updated Friday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Nov. 8, to include information about newly announced performers.

The Recording Academy, Jesse Collins Entertainment and CBS have announced “A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop,” a once-in-a-lifetime live concert special celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Airing Sunday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+, the two-hour tribute special will feature exclusive performances from hip-hop legends and GRAMMY-winning artists including Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, LL COOL J, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke, and Yo-Yo. Newly announced performers include rap icons and next-gen hip-hop superstars 2 Chainz, T.I., Gunna, Too $hort, Latto, E-40, Big Daddy Kane, GloRilla, Juvenile, Three 6 Mafia, Cypress Hill, Jeezy, DJ Quik, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Warren G, YG, Digable Planets, Arrested Development, Spinderella, Black Sheep, and Luniz

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The “A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop” live concert will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. The concert will then air on Sunday, Dec. 10, as a live concert TV special celebrating the profound history and monumental cultural impact that hip-hop has made around the world.

The “A GRAMMY Salute To 50 Years Of Hip-Hop” live concert is open to the public. Tickets are on sale now.

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Full concert details are below:

Concert:
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 (tonight)
Doors: 6 p.m. PT
Concert: 7 p.m. PT          

Venue:
YouTube Theater
1011 Stadium Dr.
Inglewood, CA 90305

Full List Of Confirmed Performers:

2 CHAINZ

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

BIG DADDY KANE

BLAQBONEZ

BLACK SHEEP

BLACK THOUGHT

BOOSIE BADAZZ

BUN B

COMMON

CYPRESS HILL

D-NICE

DE LA SOUL

DIGABLE PLANETS

DJ DIAMOND KUTS

DJ GREG STREET

DJ QUIK

DJ TRAUMA (HOUSE DJ)

DOUG E. FRESH

E-40

GLORILLA

GUNNA

JERMAINE DUPRI

JEEZY

JJ FAD

KOOL DJ RED ALERT

LATTO

LL COOL J

LUNIZ

MC LYTE

MC SHA-ROCK

MONIE LOVE

PUBLIC ENEMY

QUEEN LATIFAH

QUESTLOVE

RAKIM

REMY MA

RICK ROSS

ROXANNE SHANTE

SPINDERELLA

TALIB KWELI

THE LADY OF RAGE

THE PHARCYDE

THREE 6 MAFIA

T.I.

TOO $HORT

TYGA

UNCLE LUKE

WARREN G

WILL SMITH & DJ JAZZY JEFF

YG

YO-YO

^Names in bold indicate newly added artists.

Purchase tickets here.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com for more news and updates about "A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop."

A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.

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Twenty-five music teachers have today been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award, an annual award, presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, that supports and celebrates music education and music educators across the U.S. The 25 semifinalists, who hail from 25 cities across 17 states, were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 initial nominations from across all 50 U.S. states. Finalists will be announced in December, and the ultimate recipient of the 2024 Music Educator Award will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2024, days ahead of the 2024 GRAMMYs.

Nominations for the 2025 Music Educator Award are now open.

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Presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The Award is open to current U.S. music teachers. Anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators — while teachers are also able to nominate themselves; nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

Each year, the recipient of the Music Educator Award, selected from 10 finalists, receives a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school's music program. The nine additional finalists receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists, among the group announced today, will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

The Music Educator Award program, including honorariums, is made possible by the generosity and support of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

Read More: 5 Organizations And Scholarships Supporting Music Education

The full list of the 2024 Music Educator Award semifinalists is as follows:

Learn more about the Music Educator Award and apply to the 2025 Music Educator Award program now.

5 Music Teachers Share The Transformative Power Of Music Education

As we continue to honor Black Music Month this June, the Recording Academy is proudly producing uplifting content and inclusive programming across the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space all month long. With support from our partners at United Airlines, the official airline partner of the GRAMMY Awards, the Academy's Black Music Collective is today celebrating Black and Brown students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Through this partnership, now in its second year, United recently provided air transportation for a select group of HBCU students to attend professional development programming in New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. The immersive events across the nation and have helped propel their burgeoning careers in the music industry.

The Recording Academy, along with its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team and the Black Music Collective, culminated this past year of programming with a once-in-a-lifetime experience: Made possible by United, 10 HBCU students from across the U.S. were gifted travel to attend the 2023 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 65th GRAMMY Awards, and the coinciding, week-long GRAMMY Week celebration in Los Angeles.

While in Los Angeles, these students assisted with the production of the 2nd annual Recording Academy Honors Presented By The Black Music Collective event during GRAMMY Week. They also attended the event as guests, representing their HBCUs while walking the beloved Black carpet.

To expand their learning, the students also experienced a private tour of the GRAMMY Museum, watched an industry panel featuring six-time GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter The-Dream, and attended the first-ever GRAMMY House event.

Below, watch the students experience the immersive GRAMMY Week 2023 program in full and hear directly from them about their HBCU education, career aspirations, and the lessons they learned from this remarkable, unique initiative.

Through this immersive experience, the students had numerous opportunities to build their network with music industry professionals and develop essential skills that bolstered their rising careers within the industry.

"Being a part of the Recording Academy, I not only know more about the industry, but have gained extended family in the process," Jasmine Gordon, a sophomore at Spelman College, said of her experience during GRAMMY Week.

"The experience has just been surreal. Being in this environment at such a young age is a life-changing experience," Jayden Potts, a freshman at Jackson State University, added.

The Recording Academy sends a heartfelt thank-you to United Airlines for their partnership and help in providing opportunities for the next generation of Black leaders and changemakers in the music industry.

Learn more about the Black Music Collective and the Recording Academy's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives.

With reporting from DeMarco White, Client Services Manager, Partnerships & Business Development at the Recording Academy.

The Recording Academy's Black Music Collective & Amazon Music Announce Recipients For The 2023 "Your Future Is Now" Scholarship