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2017 Grammy Nominations Revealed, Beyoncé Dominates

beyonce-formation-tour-promo

The 59th Annual Grammy Award nominations have been revealed. Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nods including Album of the Year, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Film for her multi-genre visual album Lemonade. Rihanna follows Queen Bey with eight nominations.

Anderson.Paak has two nods in the Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best New Artist categories. He isn’t the only R&B newcomer nominated, though. Both Ro James and BJ The Chicago Kid receive nominations for Best R&B Performance. BJ is also nominated for Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Album (In My Mind).

The Best R&B Song category is going to make us stop breathing with Rihanna (“Kiss It Better”), Maxwell (“Lake By The Ocean”), Tory Lanez (“Luv”), Bryson Tiller (“Exchange”) and PARTYNEXTDOOR (“Come See Me” feat. Drake) each receiving a nomination.

This year may be coming to an end but these great albums won’t be left behind. The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will air live at The Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8 P.M. on CBS.

View a partial list of categories and nominees below. You can view the entire list here.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

“Hello” – Adele

“Formation” – Beyoncé

“7 Years” – Lukas Graham

“Work” – Rihanna Featuring Drake

“Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

25 – Adele

Lemonade – Beyoncé

Purpose – Justin Bieber

Views – Drake

A Sailor’s Guide To Earth – Sturgill Simpson

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Formation” – Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)

“Hello” – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

“I Took A Pill In Ibiza” – Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)

“Love Yourself” – Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)

“7 Years” – Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)

 

BEST NEW ARTIST

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers

Chance The Rapper

Maren Morris

Anderson .Paak

 

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

“Hello” – Adele

“Hold Up” – Beyoncé

“Love Yourself” – Justin Bieber

“Piece by Piece (Idol Version)” – Kelly Clarkson

“Dangerous Woman” – Ariana Grande

 

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

“Closer” – The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey

“7 Years” – Lukas Graham

“Work” – Rihanna Featuring Drake

“Cheap Thrills” – Sia Featuring Sean Paul

“Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots

 

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

25 – Adele

Purpose – Justin Bieber

Dangerous Woman – Ariana Grande

Confident – Demi Lovato

This Is Acting – Sia

 

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE

“Turnin’ Me Up” – BJ The Chicago Kid

“Permission” – Ro James

“I Do” – Musiq Soulchild

“Needed Me” – Rihanna

“Cranes In The Sky” – Solange

 

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE

“The Three Of Me” – William Bell

“Woman’s World” – BJ The Chicago Kid

“Sleeping With The One I Love” – Fantasia

“Angel” – Lalah Hathaway

“Can’t Wait” – Jill Scott

 

BEST R&B SONG

“Come See Me” – PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake

“Exchange” – Bryson Tiller

“Kiss It Better” – Rihanna

“Lake By The Ocean” – Maxwell

“Luv” – Tory Lanez

 

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM

Lemonade – Beyoncé

Ology – Gallant

We Are King – KING

Malibu – Anderson .Paak

Anti – Rihanna

 

BEST R&B ALBUM

In My Mind – BJ The Chicago Kid

Lalah Hathaway Live – Lalah Hathaway

Velvet Portraits – Terrace Martin

Healing Season – Mint Condition

Smoove Jones – Mya

 

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE

“No Problem” – Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz

“Panda” -Desiigner

“Pop Style” – Drake Featuring The Throne

“All The Way Up” – Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared

“That Part” – ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West

 

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION

“Freedom” – Beyoncé Featuring Kendrick Lamar

“Hotline Bling” – Drake

“Broccoli” – D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty

“Ultralight Beam” – Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream

“Famous” – Kanye West Featuring Rihanna

 

BEST RAP SONG

“All The Way Up” – Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared

“Famous” – Kanye West Featuring Rihanna

“Hotline Bling” – Drake

“No Problem” – Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz

“Ultralight Beam” – Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream

 

BEST RAP ALBUM

Coloring Book – Chance The Rapper

And The Anonymous Nobody – De La Soul

Major Key – DJ Khaled

Views – Drake

Blank Face LP – ScHoolboy Q

The Life Of Pablo – Kanye West

 

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

Benny Blanco

Greg Kurstin

Max Martin

Nineteen85

Ricky Reed

 

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

“Formation” – Beyoncé

“River” – Leon Bridges

“Up & Up” – Coldplay

“Gosh” – Jamie XX

“Upside Down & Inside Out” – OK Go

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Janet Jackson Covers Essence Magazine’s Happiness Issue

Janet covers July/August 2018 issue of Essence Magazine
Photo Credit: Essence

Janet Jackson is all about positivity. The music icon graces the cover of Essence’s July/August issue, which is all about happiness.

Instead of doing a traditional interview as a cover story, Jackson decided to pen a heartfelt essay to black women titled “Letter From My Heart.” In the transparent letter, she reveals herself like never before. She talks about lessons she learned from her childhood to adulthood, including her early struggles with depression, low self-esteem and failed relationships to her eventual growth as an artist, discovery of peace and learning to “fully embrace God’s love.”

Here are excerpts from the letter:

In Her Childhood: “I was happy when my brothers came home from performing on the road. I was happy when my mother lavished me with love. But I wasn’t happy with the way I looked…”

In Her Teens: “Happiness came when people asked me to perform…but I was happiest when I was pleasing others and not myself. An older and wiser Janet might have said, ‘True happiness is knowing you’re doing the best you can…’”

Photo Credit: Essence

In Her Thirties: “These were difficult years, when I struggled with depression. The struggle was intense. I could analyze the source of my depression forever. Low self-esteem might be rooted in childhood feelings of inferiority. It could relate to failing to meet impossibly high standards. And of course there are always the societal issues of racism and sexism. Put it all together and depression is a tenacious and scary condition. Thankfully, I found my way way through it…”

Today, at 52: “Now the height of happiness is holding my baby son in my arms and hearing him coo, or when I look into his smiling eyes and watch him respond to my tenderness. When I kiss him. When I sing him softly to sleep. During those sacred times, happiness is everywhere. Happiness is in gratitude to God…”

The July/August issue is now on newsstands. Next up, Jackson will headline the 2018 Essence Festival on Sunday, July 8 in New Orleans.

Mary J. Blige Lands Leading Role in Horror Thriller ‘Body Cam’

Mary J. Blige plans to take Hollywood by storm in a leading role. The R&B legend will star in Body Cam, a horror thriller slated to be issued by Paramount’s Paramount Players division.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, which stars Blige as an LAPD police officer, captures several officers being tormented by a malevolent spirit that is connected to the murder of a black youth at the hands of two white cops, all of which are caught on a body cam video that was destroyed in a cover-up. Blige, who is rattled by the nightmares, investigates the cover-up.

Directed by Malik Vitthal and produced by Matt Kaplan, Body Cam is described as a combination of films Get Out and End of Watch. The spec script was written by Richmond Riedel, and rewritten by Nicholas McCarthy and John Ridley.

Aside from preparing for her first major acting part, Blige is filming Netflix’s comic adaptation series The Umbrella Academy.

In March, Blige starred in Sherlock Gnomes as Irene Adler. She received several prestigious accolades and recognition including two Oscar nominations for her role and contribution to Dee Rees’ film adaptation of Mudbound.

Macy Gray Announces Tenth Album ‘Ruby’ and Shares New Song ‘Sugar Daddy’

Macy Gray satisfies her sweet tooth on her new single “Sugar Daddy.”

On the sassy trap record, co-written by Meghan Trainor, the raspy vocalist tells her sugar plug to supply her needs in candy; not dollars. “And I know I got it bad, I got a problem,” Gray sings, “But I’ll take them cavities long as I get them from you.”

Along with releasing “Sugar Daddy,” Gray shares its accompanying visual. The Christian Lamb–directed video, which stars Kevin Ross, is an ode the 1972 Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues, which starred music icon Diana Ross as the lady of the hour.

“Sugar Daddy” is the lead single off Gray’s new album, Ruby, which is set to arrive on September 7. The album will mark her first release since 2016’s Stripped jazz covers album. In addition to Trainor, the Tommy Park Lumpkins co-produced record will feature Gary Clark Jr., Johan Carlsson and Tommy Brown.

Call on your “Sugar Daddy” below.

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