Shaboozey is responding to criticism of the speech he gave at the 2026 Grammy Premiere Ceremony, after declaring that “immigrants built this country” during Sunday’s pre-broadcast event.

When he accepted the best country duo/group performance Grammy for his song “Amen” with Jelly Roll, Shaboozey shouted out his Nigerian parents, who immigrated to America, where he was born and raised in Virginia. “Immigrants built this country, literally. So this is for them,” he said on the Peacock Theater stage as he accepted his first Grammy. “For all children of immigrants, this is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunities, to be part of a nation that promised freedom for all and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it. Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories and your traditions. You give America color, I love y’all so much. Thank you.”

Some on social media pointed out that his speech failed to recognize the history of many Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved and brought to the United States against their will. “I understand what Shaboozey was probably trying to say, but my brother in Christ — it’s Black History Month!” one X user wrote on Sunday. “You have to word that properly if you’re going to bring it up, because the 400 years of building by African-American slaves is such a key part of the story.”

On Tuesday (Feb. 3), Shaboozey took to X to post an open letter in response to the online discussion and to share his apology.

“I want to be clear and unequivocal: Foundational Black Americans built this country. Period,” he wrote in the letter. “My words were not meant to erase, diminish, or overlook that truth, and I sincerely apologize for how they came across. That history, sacrifice, and resilience are undeniable, and I should have been more intentional in honoring that in my moment on stage.”

He also points out in his letter that he is the first Black winner in the best country duo/group category, which is “not just my achievement — it is a continuation of Black history. It stands on the shoulders of those who fought, created, and paved the way long before me. This moment belongs to all of us.”

“Amen” is a top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit for Shaboozey and Jelly Roll, peaking at No. 27 this week.

Read his full open letter below:

First and foremost, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who has supported and celebrated my journey as an artist. I also want to acknowledge and take responsibility for the conversation surrounding my acceptance speech.

I want to be clear and unequivocal: Foundational Black Americans built this country. Period. My words were not meant to erase, diminish, or overlook that truth, and I sincerely apologize for how they came across. That history, sacrifice, and resilience are undeniable, and I should have been more intentional in honoring that in my moment on stage.

I am a Nigerian American man and the son of Nigerian immigrants. In the overwhelming emotion of winning my first Grammy, my focus was on my parents and the sacrifices they made to come to this country. But I now recognize that their opportunity to come here — and my ability to thrive — rests on the foundation laid by generations of Black Americans who endured slavery, segregation, systemic racism, and continued struggles for equality. For that, I am deeply grateful.

Winning this award on the first day of Black History Month and becoming the first Black man to win Best Country Duo is not just my achievement — it is a continuation of Black history. It stands on the shoulders of those who fought, created, and paved the way long before me. This moment belongs to all of us.

My career has always been rooted in uplifting people, honoring where we come from, and expanding what’s possible. I am proud to be part of this legacy, and I commit to doing better in how I speak about and honor the full story of Black people in America.

With love,
Chibueze

Luis Fonsi and Feid switch gears with “Cambiaré,” a salsa collab that marks pop star Fonsi’s return to Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart after four years.

“Cambiaré,” with Feid, debuts at No. 26 on the multi-metric tally powered by radio airplay and streaming activity. The track also makes a splash on the Latin Airplay chart, opening at No. 32 with 3.1 million audience impressions in the United States during the tracking week ending Jan. 29, according to Luminate. The Hot Latin Songs chart combines radio play, streaming stats, and digital sales into its formula.

The song, which was released Jan. 21 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE and teased on Luis Fonsi’s Instagram account days earlier, also registered over 800,000 official streams in the U.S. during the tracking period.

“Cambiaré” signals Luis Fonsi’s comeback to Hot Latin Songs after a four-year break; his last entry was “Bésame,” with Myke Towers, which reached a No. 32 high in Nov. 2021.

The salsa partnership marks a stylistic shift for both Luis Fonsi and Feid, who predominantly record pop and rhythmic songs, respectively.

For Feid, the new entry follows the No. 19-peaking “Monstruo,” with Tainy, last December. Back in 2016, Feid dabbled in tropical sounds with the track “La Respuesta,” featuring percussionist Diego Gale—also a Universal Music Latino project.

Beyond its top 30 debut on Hot Latin Songs, “Cambiaré” makes waves on the Tropical Airplay chart, entering at No. 6. This marks Feid’s first top 10 there, while Fonsi earns his 15th top 10—achieved entirely when the chart was station-based before its current genre-based format.

When Olivia Dean accepted the Grammy Award for best new artist at the 68th annual honors on Sunday night (Feb. 1), she wasn’t just cementing a huge moment in her own career. As an artist signed to Island Records in the U.S., she also helped her label make history: After Chappell Roan won best new artist at the 2025 ceremony, Island Records is now the first record label in at least 40 years to land back-to-back best new artist victories.

Island’s wins came as the label scored a pair of nominees in each of the past two years, with Sabrina Carpenter and Roan both nominated in 2025, and Lola Young joining Dean on the nominees list this year. Atlantic Records (Alex Warren, The Marías) also had two nominees this year, and Warner Records had two nominees in both 2025 (Benson Boone, Teddy Swims) and 2023 (Anitta, Omar Apollo), though none brought home the award. But Island’s feat extends back to the 1980s.

This being the music industry, none of this is exactly straightforward; labels and imprints are nearly always in flux, and corporate structures mean that some label collectives and groups could claim back-to-back winners in various years. (Island itself is part of the REPUBLIC Collective, which includes Republic Records, Mercury Records, Def Jam and others.) One recent example: Olivia Rodrigo, signed to Geffen, won best new artist in 2022, while Samara Joy, signed to Verve, won in 2023. Both are part of the Interscope Geffen A&M umbrella (which itself is now even broader, encompassing Capitol Music Group as well), though they are separate labels.

The last label to have done it, then, was Epic Records back in the mid-1980s — technically, the label did it three years in a row — and even that comes with a bit of an explanation. In 1984, Culture Club won best new artist, having put out their debut album Kissing to Be Clever on Virgin in the U.K. and Epic in the U.S. The following year, Cyndi Lauper took home the honor, having released She’s So Unusual on Portrait Records — a subsidiary of Epic, which at various points was folded into and a standalone under the Epic banner. In 1986, Sade won best new artist following the release of Diamond Life — an album that came out under the Portrait banner in the U.S. and Epic in the U.K. While slightly convoluted, Epic (and Portrait) were variously involved in each release over that three-year period.

Prior to Epic, it hadn’t been long since another label did it: Warner Bros. Records, which saw its artists Rickie Lee Jones and Christopher Cross win in 1980 and 1981, respectively, for their self-titled debut albums. Warner appears to have been the first to achieve the feat, meaning only three labels have accomplished it since the award was inaugurated in 1960.

Lorde is giving back to one of the communities she stopped through on her Ultrasound World Tour as it navigates a period of political turmoil: Minneapolis, the site of a weeks-long ICE operation that led to the deaths of two civilians in January.

In a post on her Instagram Story on Tuesday (Feb. 3), the New Zealand native announced that she’s contributing the money she made from merch sales in the Minnesota city, about three months after she played two Ultrasound shows there in October at the Minneapolis Armory. She wrote, “I’m donating our merch take in Minneapolis ($204k) to Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee + Immigrant Defense Network.”

Lorde also shared a photo of herself with her face cropped out, the phrase “ICE Out” written in black marker on the back of one of her hands.

The Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee is a grassroots organization that organizes protests and gathers resources for families affected by ICE raids, detainments and deportations. The Immigrant Defense Network is made up of more than 90 immigrant, labor, legal, faith and community organizations “dedicated to protecting and advancing the constitutional rights of immigrant communities across Minnesota” through “referrals to legal support and coordinated educational activities,” according to its website.

The singer-songwriter’s contribution comes as many immigrant families are struggling in Minneapolis, where ICE has been deployed for the past month or so. National outrage over the agency’s actions in the city reached a fever pitch in January when Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer named Jonathan Ross, and fully boiled over when Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a different officer just a couple of weeks later.

The Donald Trump administration has insisted that both deaths were the result of officers acting in self-defense, but many Americans disagree, with video footage captured by eyewitnesses seeming to suggest that neither officer was ever in danger. Lorde’s “ICE Out” message on Instagram echoes the one displayed on buttons worn by numerous stars at the 2026 Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 1), including Billie Eilish, Kehlani and Justin and Hailey Bieber.

Lorde is far from the only star who’s rallied support for Minneapolis. Lizzo recently shared a video of ways her followers could help, and Tom Morello held a “Concert of Resistance & Solidarity” event in the city on Jan. 30 with Bruce Springsteen — whose protest song “Streets of Minneapolis” dropped shortly prior — in attendance and performing, too.

Supporting her Billboard 200 No. 2 album Virgin, Lorde’s Ultrasound trek kicked off in September 2025 and saw the performer play shows across North America and Europe through mid-December. Later in February, she’ll embark on a run of shows in Australia and New Zealand.

E-40 and Too Short are ready to bring their Bay Area flair to the 2026 NFL Honors. 40 Water and Short are slated to perform at the ceremony honoring the league’s biggest stars on Thursday (Feb. 5) at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

The event kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on both NBC and NFL Network, also streaming on Peacock and NFL+. Jon Hamm is set to host the NFL Honors while Druski, WWE superstar Seth Rollins, Tiffany Haddish, Tracy Morgan and actress Madelyn Cline are involved as presenters.

The NFL Honors will unveil the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 and will announce awards such as mvp, coach of the year, offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year and comeback player of the year.

The ceremony kicks off Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco with the Seattle Seahawks set to battle the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday (Feb. 8).

Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and fans should expect to see Cardi B cheering on the Pats and her NFL boo, Stefon Diggs, on the NBC broadcast. It’s safe to say that E-40 will be rooting for the Patriots as well, since the Seahawks took out his beloved San Francisco 49ers on the road to the SB.

On the music side, Too Short released his Sir Too $hort, Vol. 1 (Freaky Tales) in April. Short wants to keep rapping into his sixties and he hopes to inspire his peers as well as the next generation to not put an age cap on hip-hop.

“When it’s all said and done I would love for a younger rapper, just one, to say, ‘Man, I wanna stick around like E-40 and Too $hort,’” he told Billboard in 2025. “Motivation!”