It's no secret when it comes to major award shows Hip-Hop is last on the voting poll. After the Hip-Hop categories were not televised for the 1st time in 25 years at this year's Grammy Awards, Hip-Hop seemed at a loss on a mainstream level. As always, the genre of Hip-Hop and its surrounding culture never really takes a huge loss for unannounced accolades such as the Grammys. We broke down 11 artist that won big following the Grammys.
Kendrick Lamar- A newly Grammy award winning artist, earning two awards for "Best Rap Song" and "Best Rap Performance" for his single "i." Although Kendrick was absent from this year's award show nor did he released any type of statement regarding his win, he did what every fan anticipates, dropped new music.
It seems as if the Compton, California writer (not rapper) is on a new wave of music that's increasing the anticipation for his sophomore album each day. Kendrick Lamar may be on path to releasing a pro-black album, identifying race and inequality, while symbolizing strength and passion for his culture. "i" was a very smooth way of easing listeners into what was to come in the upcoming months. In December he performed an untitled, unofficially released song on the Colbert Report. His new heat "The Blacker The Berry" has every Hip-Hop critic dissecting the body of work to come to some type of consensus as to what Lamar is on musically. We're loving it! What better way to release a song on the internet than to get the hottest actress in Hollywood "Empire's" Taraji P. Henson to pull a real life Cookie move and release the song.
Kanye West- The new god father of Hip-Hop has really been winning this year so far. Fresh from pulling his epic Grammy stunt then calling out the Grammy academy for not recognizing real artistry, Yeezy and his family jet-setted to New York for Fashion Week. Kanye West may have finally gained the respect he'd been waiting for as a fashion designer and stylist. He shut down New York City, the internet and select theaters around the world as he previewed the line for his Yeezy collaboration with Adidas. Kanye opened his fashion show to thousands of fans across the globe to watch along live in theaters.
Following a successful star-studded fashion show, Kanye performed at an exclusive outdoor concert for fans at the 1st Annual Roc City Classic to kick off NBA All Star Weekend 2015. The Def Jam/Roc Nation/G.O.O.D Music artist had a few of his rap buddy's to join him onstage for a super chilly hot show! After killing his own show, Kanye surprised fans performing his classic "Can't Tell Me Nothing" at Puff & Snoop Dogg's concert.
It didn't stop there. Kanye also popped in Friday at Drake & Nas' exclusive show performing with Drizzy, causing a frenzy! On Valentines Day, Kanye West stopped in a New York Adidas store, hand delivering the Yeezy Boost shoe to buyers. Even more success for Kanye, the Yeezy Boost shoe sold out! For a man that says he doesn't smile, he was sure spotted all that weekend with a huge smile on his face. West closed out a super busy week performing at the "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Show." He delivered a unique performance with his new single "Wolves." Has anyone noticed all this album promotion, but no word on its release date? We can't forget to mention his daughter North helped Kanye win this week with her high fashion outfits and throwing temper tantrums front row of fashion week shows. Good way to win for Hip-Hop.
Big Sean- Big Sean had a pretty good week appearing in several places during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend and New York Fashion Week. His big win of the week came from Bossman Kanye West allowing him to some of their featured classic hits together during the 1st Annual Roc City Classic concert. His new single "Blessings" is still gaining buzz, so what better way to perform it for the first time in the middle of freezing New York in front of thousands of fans? Sean will be dropping his album February 24th, so his G.O.O.D Music chairman found a great way to plug him for album promo. Big Sean also was brought out by Diddy at his concert this week and was crowned an official Ciroc Boy. Getting clothed in free Kanye West x Adidas apparel, unlimited Ciroc while preparing to drop a new album sounds like a win right?
Puff/Snoop- Sean "Diddy" Combs better known by his original stage name Puff Daddy and Snopp Doggy Dog have come a long way from their 1990's "East Coast vs. West Coast Beef." The two Hip-Hop legends joined forces to deliver a classic concert for fans to kick off All-Star Weekend. The concert was held in New York's Madison Garden Theatre a place where high tensions between the rapper's crews once existed. Bringing out everyone from the original Bad Boy Crew such as Faith Evans, 112, and Junior Mafia, the show was a groove fest from beginning to end. Dr. Dre, Nas, Kanye West, Big Sean, Busta Rhymes, and many more graced the stage to pay homage to two men that are still very much relevant today.
Nas- One of Hip-Hop's kings, Nas won this week for being a class act. Partnering with Sprite, he and Drake performed at an exclusive concert for contest winners at a private location. In 2014 he celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut album Illmatic, that still has him performing to date. Nas' endorsement with Hennessy, has landed him several commercials, one airing for the first time during the All-Star Weekend games. Since the NBA festivities were hosted in New York, Nas represented for Queens, as he performed "New York State of Mind" at the opening NBA All-Star game Sunday.
Queen Latifah- Hip-Hop's Queen Ms. Latifah has always been a winner. Graduating from just a New Jersey rapper to Jazz singer, award winning Hollywood actress, talk show/television host, producer and more, Queen Latifah will always carry her Hip-Hop roots on her back. She won big during All-Star weekend, singing the national anthem at the final game. Queen gave the crowd something unexpected, performing an acoustic style "Star Spangled Banner."
Jay Z- Its not much to say about "King Hov" except, he's always winning. Jay Z has reached pillars in his career that have allowed him to make power moves with no one knowing. His company Roc Nation serves as a record label and talent management company to some of the world's biggest stars. Some of his clients include Kanye West, Victor Cruz, Kevin Durant, Rihanna, Rita Ora and J. Cole.
J. Cole- Cole has been winning since his 2014 Forest Hills Drive release in December. Creating a movement of "F**k money, Spread love" J. Cole has been uplifting his followers with his intellectual thoughts and ideas. He recently announced he will be taking his successful album on the road, stopping by cities that usually don't get a lot of love from major tours.
Nicki Minaj-Nicki is an example that men are not the only moguls in Hip-Hop. Single's from her latest album The Pink Print have landed her major Billboard success. Her endorsement with MYX Fusions Moscato has made it the top moscato in the country. She's been winning on the scene since she linked up with her new beau Meek Mill.
Drake- Possibly one of the biggest winners of them all currently in Hip-Hop is Drake. He's topped the list as being one of Hip-Hop's most hated as well as being the most loved. He released a mixtape in the form of an album on iTunes, selling over 500,000 copies in the first few days of its release. His mixtape is rumored to have completed his contract with Cash Money in the event he's leaving the label with Lil Wayne. His album Views From the 6 is still underway and will be released this week. Kanye West has also hinted that the two of them might be making an album together in the future.
CONVERSATION