How Cardi B Feels About the Grammys: ‘Congratulate the Small Black Artists’

The night before the 2021 Grammys, Cardi B chimed in with her feelings about this year’s awards show.

The “Up” rapper chose to focus on uplifting many of the Black artists who did receive nods, sending a tweet out on Saturday (March 13) that said, “How I feel bout the Grammies. Don’t forget to congratulate the small black artist that got nominated that got overshadowed again cause of the drama.”

“I’m highlighting these underrated artist that got nominated and no one blinked a eye to congratulate them cause everybody throwing tantrums over artist that submit their music to a award show that they claim they hate .AGAIN CONGRATS TO YALL !” she added in another tweet.

In a lengthy note further explaining her thoughts, she clarified, “I do feel that there were some albums and songs that should have been considered for nominations. Maybe next year they will get it right.”

“However let’s not forget the Grammy’s nominated soo many independent black artists this year that don’t get exposure by blogs, magazines and other award shows like Chika, D Smoke, Royce 5’9′, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Electronica, Kaytranada, Brittany Howard, Mykal Kilgore, Ledisi, Jean & Marcus Baylor, Luke James, Gregory Porter, Giveon, Ant Clemons, Robert Glasper, Free Nationals & Thundercat and so much more,” Cardi noted. (See the full list of 2021 Grammy nominations here.)

“It’s frustrating sometimes to work and work on your craft and you feel overlooked because you might not look like others, are not mixxy so you not always around other artists, you rap or sing about different material, you stay out of drama and the media or yet still not as popular however youre talented ass f— and one day you wake up and you find out youre nominated and got a notice from one of the biggest award shows purely cause of your TALENT!” explained Cardi. “Soo besides all the bulls— let’s not forget to congratulate these artists. This is their moment too and they been working their ass off with no exposure and let’s not overshadow it with feelings cause your favorite might not be on the list. Congrats guys and good luck on the Grammys. You deserve it.”

In 2019, Cardi enjoyed her own Grammys recognition when she won best rap album for Invasion of Privacy. Though Lauryn Hill was awarded best rap album in 1997 as part of the Fugees for The Score, Cardi B was the first solo female to win best rap album. “I f—ing worked my ass off,” she said after the win.

The 2021 Grammy Awards are airing on Sunday (March 14) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show can be watched on CBS, Paramount+ and Grammy.com.

See Cardi B’s Twitter note below.

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Latina Power on Spotify: Cardi B, Kali Uchis & Karol G Among Top Female Acts This Week

While Latin music has long been topping global streaming charts for the past couple of years, it’s more often than not the guys who’ve risen to the top.

This week, Spotify charts show a different trend. For the week of March 5-11, four Latin women were among the 10 most-streamed female artists on Spotify. They include Cardi B, who came in second only to Miley Cyrus, followed by (in order) Kali Uchis, Karol G and Shakira. They placed ahead of the likes of Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Nicki Minaj.

On the overall chart, Cardi came in at No. 12 among the most streamed artists of the week, followed by Kali Uchis, Karol G and Shakira and Nos 13, 14 and 15.

This may be the first time in recent memory that so many Latin female artists place so high simultaneously on the chart. The placement is particularly notable for Shakira, Kali Uchis and Karol G, who sing predominantly in Spanish.

Shakira, a mainstay in the upper echelons of all charts, saw her positioning boosted by the continuous success of “Girl Like Me,” her collab with The Black Eyed Peas, which placed at No. 38 on this week’s Spotify 200 chart. On her end, Karol G has three songs on the Spotify 200  — “Bichota,” “Location” and “Tusa.”
And Kali Uchi’s success comes on the heels of her surprising hit single “Telepatía,” which placed at a stunning No. 3 on this week’s Spotify 200 chart.

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Recording Academy Chief Comments on Beyonce Declining to Perform at the Grammys

Beyoncé, the artist with the most nominations at the 2021 Grammy Awards, will not be taking the stage to perform on Sunday (March 14).

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, interim Recording Academy CEO and president Harvey Mason Jr. indicated that Beyoncé declined an invitation to appear onstage during this year’s ceremony.

“It’s unfortunate, because she’s such a big part of the Recording Academy,” he commented. “We absolutely wish we had her onstage.”

Ben Winston, executive producer of the Grammys, was also asked by the publication about Beyoncé’s absence: Viewers “might” find it strange that she’s not there, he said when prompted.

Beyoncé is nominated for a total of nine awards at this year’s show. “Black Parade” earned her nods in the record of the year, song of the year, best r&b performance and best r&b song categories. “Savage” with Megan Thee Stallion is up for record of the year, best rap performance and best rap song. Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” earned a nod for best music video, and Black Is King is a contender for best music film.

A number of artists have criticized the Grammys in recent years, including The Weeknd, who vowed to boycott the show moving forward after his hit album After Hours and its smash “Blinding Lights” were snubbed in this year’s nominations. After tweeting that “the Grammys remain corrupt” and that he went from planning to perform to being “not invited” in November, he recently said, “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.”

Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Childish Gambino reportedly declined invitations to perform at the Grammy Awards in 2019.

The 2021 Grammy Awards are airing on Sunday (March 14) at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, Paramount+ and Grammy.com. A full list of all the performers and presenters who are set for the telecast can be found here.

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Megan Thee Stallion & Fashion Nova Donate $100K to Breonna Taylor Foundation on Anniversary of Her Death

A year after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville police raiding her home while she was in bed, Megan Thee Stallion has announced that in partnership with Fashion Nova, she is donating $100,000 to the foundation created by Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, in her daughter’s honor.

“A year ago today Breonna Taylor was tragically taken from her family and friends,” Megan wrote on Instagram Saturday (March 13).

She continued: “Breonna’s name continues to be a catalyst for change and a powerful reminder that justice has still not been served. Fashion Nova and I are proud to give $100,000 to the @breonnataylorfoundation created by @tamikalpalmer to honor the memory of her daughter.”

“The core mission of the foundation is to support economic, social, and racial justice through police reform and government accountability. The foundation also seeks to help young people to realize their full potential, empowering them to participate in political processes and achieve better health, with mentorship programs for high-school girls, after-school initiatives, and educational support,” Megan said.

The rapper — who slammed Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron last fall in her performance on SNL that advocated for the protection of Black women — previously announced that she was collaborating with Fashion Nova for their Women on Top initiative, which is pledging $1 million in support of women-led businesses and organizations. Megan made the announcement on International Women’s Day (March 8).

See Megan’s latest post, in tribute to Breonna Taylor, on Instagram.

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Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez Break Off Engagement

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have called it quits.

The couple, who have been engaged since March 2019 and began dating in February 2017, have called off their engagement and broken up, as first reported by Page Six on Friday (March 12) and since posted by The Associated Press.

Lopez is currently filming the movie Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic, where the singer/actress, 51, last posted a picture of the two snuggling up to each other on Feb. 27. The former Yankees player, 45, recently posted a solo shot in Miami. A-Rod accompanied Lopez to Washington, D.C. for her performance during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, and he described the “iconic moment” as “one I’ll never forget.”

Lopez first showed off her engagement ring via social media on March 9, 2019, while the two were vacationing in the Bahamas. For the majority of the quarantine, Lopez and Rodriguez have spent time at home with their blended family, including her 13-year-old twins Maximilian “Max” David and Emme Maribel with ex-husband Marc Anthony and Rodriguez’s daughters Ella, 12, and Natasha, 16, with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis.

The pandemic also postponed their wedding plans, which Lopez talked about in an interview with Today host Hoda Kotb. “I’m a little heartbroken because we did have some great plans, but I’m also like, ‘You know what? God has a bigger plan.’ And so we just have to wait and see,” the superstar said. “Maybe it’s going to be better. I have to believe that it will be.”

She told Ellen DeGeneres back in April that the nuptials would not happen as planned. “Honestly, I really don’t know what’s going to happen now as far as dates or anything like that,” she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “We’re just kind of in a holding pattern like the rest of the world.”

During her March 2021 Allure cover story, Lopez said the downtime allowed her and Rodriguez “to work on ourselves” by going to therapy.

Billboard has reached out to Lopez’s reps for comment and hadn’t heard back at press time.

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