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Young Thug‘s father, Jeffrey Williams, Sr., has been very vocal during his son’s legal battle and he doesn’t plan on stopping.
During a recent appearance on his Nothing But the Truth Podcast with Big Jeff, Williams, Sr. expressed concern with rappers wanting to be around his son all of a sudden. “We got all these rappers and everybody trying to find Young Thug,” he said. “They wanna talk to Young Thug, they wanna this, that and the other. Where your a– been for 29 months? Why y’all ass ain’t been out there protesting for his constitutional rights being violated? Y’all are the ones considered to be the influencers. Ain’t influencing sh—t.”
He added, “Now, you want to talk to him, you want to goddamn put out these monkey-ass videos, all this for your personal gain. It’s just for your personal gain, your personal hype, trying to make yourself relevant. Where have y’all been for 29 months? You could’ve been relevant, you could’ve been being seen fighting with him, fight with these guys. ‘Cause some of these guys are from y’all side of the town too. Some of these guys are probably related to some of y’all too. So, where y’all been? Where have y’all Atlanta artists been? Up until now? You could’ve been fightin’ for him. I don’t see why you deserve no brownie points for that sh—t.”
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Big Jeff then continued by saying if those same rappers had been in trouble, his son would’ve shown support without the need to be seen. “Let’s make it make sense ’cause I guarantee you this,” he began. “If the shoe was on the other foot he’d have been fighting for you, he would have been fighting for you, hands down. Without trying to make a prop for his name so he could get some clout.”
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He then set his sights on one of Thugger’s music industry mentors in T.I. who recently posted a video of him and Thug in the studio, saying that he approached the Atlanta legend about hosting an event at his Trap City Cafe.
“I went to T.I. over a year or so ago, when he opened up his restaurant and asked him to do an event on behalf of YSL,” Williams, Sr. revealed. “And I was told, ‘Let me get with my people and see if I can do that, But yet and still, I see you right there beside Young Thug. That’s when he needed the help, that’s when he needed your support. Let’s be real with this shit, make it make sense. So, you know, what side y’all playin’? Because I don’t get it.”
You can watch the full episode here.
Regional Mexican music star Julión Álvarez announced on Monday (Nov. 11) the first date of his long-awaited return to the United States, which will take place next year on April 19 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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The concert and the rest of the tour — which will be titled 4218 Tour USA 2025 and whose dates will be announced at a later date — will be presented by CMN (Cardenas Marketing Network), the promoter behind Luis Miguel’s historic tour, and Copar Music, Julión Álvarez’s management and booking company.
“We are putting together the tour right now, because there are two possibilities: to do some stadiums or several arenas,” said Ricardo Álvarez, CEO of Copar Music and Julión’s brother, in an exclusive interview with Billboard Español. “For the moment, this is the only date we have for sure; next week we will announce the complete tour.”
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After receiving several proposals for a tour, Ricardo Alvarez said they decided on CMN because “the commercial agreements they presented to us were the best option.”
The 4218 Tour USA 2025 comes eight years after a legal process that began on Aug. 10, 2017, when the U.S. Treasury Department singled out Julio Álvarez for alleged money laundering and links to drug trafficking. This caused the closure of his social media accounts, the veto on platforms and the rejection of U.S. companies to work with the Chiapas-born singer, and kept him away from the stages in this country.
In May 2022, the charges were dropped and Julión Álvarez announced in a press conference: “In 2013, I wanted to diversify and I partnered with a real estate company to build houses. I did not know that these people were being followed by the U.S. government and for that reason I was linked to them. Fortunately everything has been cleared up and now we will begin the process to reestablish the social networks, to be able to upload our music to platforms and give the fans what they have been asking for almost five years.”
During that time, the 41 year old singer toured Mexico with his show, recording sold-out shows and earning the nickname “El Rey de la Taquilla” (The Box Office King). On the music side, he never stopped recording; first he did it in collaborations and later launched his production De Hoy En Adelante Que Te Vaya Bien, via Fonovisa Records, winner of the Latin Grammy 2023 in the best banda music album category.
For the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammys, he is nominated for the second time in the same category, now with his album Presente (also released under Fonovisa Records). A few weeks ago, he finalized the work visa process for him and his entire team.
“I learned in all aspects,” he added at the press conference in 2022. “Personally today I am more patient and calm. We can say that there is a Julión before and another one after what happened. Now I have the strength and wisdom to have a healthy financial life and I know how to manage what I have. I have gone through many tests, many investigations and much discrimination. Today I can say with my head held high that we are victorious and stronger.”
A few days ago, Julión Álvarez took to social media to hint at a potential tour announcement, and on Sunday (Nov. 10) he posted a video in which he showed his passport and a suitcase with the text “Los tiempos de Dios son perfectos” (God’s timing is perfect), setting off alarms among his followers and the press.
The pre-sale of tickets for the concert in Los Angeles will take place on Nov. 14, and the following day, the general sale will begin through ticketmaster.com. Below, check out the official announcement of their comeback.
Singer and actor Tyrese Gibson recently went on Instagram Live and blamed Trump supporters for spreading rumors about his appearance in alleged “Diddy Tapes,” because the Fast & Furious star endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
“There is no such thing as a ‘Diddy tape,’ literally,” Tyrese began. “So allegedly whatever that brother is dealing with, whatever reasons he’s in jail, whatever the FBI, the law is dealing with allegedly pertaining to Diddy — I wanna tell y’all that I’ve been to some of the most legendary parties, I got no regrets.”
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He added: “I think some of the best parties in L.A., and if you’re from L.A. and you’ve been to these parties, you would know that Diddy always had the most legendary parties that were always star-studded. The biggest and most legendary stars: white, Black, Latino, Asian, billionaires, fashion, you name it — Diddy hands down, from the Hamptons all the way to L.A. all the way to his legendary New Year’s parties that he would do in Miami — I got plenty of photos, proudly, like every other celebrity and star that went to his party.”
Finally, he finished by saying people should be more worried about the celebrities that aren’t talking about their experiences while attending one of the fallen mogul’s lavish parties. “Anybody who’s not on the Internet talking about a Diddy party — you should be more concerned about them, allegedly, about what they did or what they on tape doing,” he proclaimed. “There is no such thing allegedly as a Tyrese-Diddy tape. That is a bunch of Donald Trump n—as in my comments, trying to discourage me from speaking up and speaking out.”
In a now-deleted post, Tyrese talks about how much Diddy means to music and offers his friend emotional support, while also saying he’s going to pray for Diddy, his family and the alleged victims. “I don’t condone nor do I support abuse, bullying, sexual assault or anything that is currently being alleged,” he wrote in an Instagram caption. “But what I can’t do is turn the blinds on how much this meant to me and all of us, and what he has done for the community of music and culture.”
He added: “I’m praying for Diddy, his kids, his family, his mother and all of the alleged victims that’s in the middle of trying to simply have their voices to be heard. I love this brother. He’s been nothing but kind and generous towards me, and that’s the way I feel praying and praying for more of a better outcome of all of this is happening. God bless you Diddy. If you ever need to call me and just need a listening ear, I’m right here, bro.”
Diddy is currently in jail as he awaits a May 5, 2025, trial date.
Earlier this month, Tyrese scored his fourth No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay with “Wildflower,” ending a nine-year absence from the chart’s top spot.
Just a month after Eden Muñoz ruled Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Mi Eterno Amor Secreto,” the singer, songwriter and producer is back at the summit with “Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar,” as the single jumps 3-1 to lead the Nov. 16-dated ranking. It’s the second song to enter the tally from his second-studio album, Eden.
“Extremely happy to land, once again, atop the chart with a song as important as ‘Traigo Saldo,’” Muñoz tells Billboard. “Not only for representing my roots; I’m talking about banda music. Congratulations to the entire team and of course, grateful for all who continue to trust my music.”
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“Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar” takes the lead on Regional Mexican Airplay with a 38% increase in audience impressions, to 8.1 million, earned on U.S. monitored stations during the Nov. 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate. With the gain, Muñoz sends Joss Favela and Luis R. Conriquez’s “Con Todo Respetillo” to No. 2, after the latter’s one week in charge.
Thanks to “Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar,” Muñoz picks up his sixth No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay since “ Chale!” his longest-leading song, ruled for three weeks in 2022. Plus, Muñoz secures his third champ of the year, along with Alejandro Fernández, the most for any solo singer in 2024.
Here’s a recap of Muñoz’s collection of No. 1 hits, dating to his first as a soloist, in 2022:
Peak, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1May 21, 2022, “Chale!” threeJuly 2, 2022, “Hay Que Hacer Dinero,” with Banda Ms, twoNov. 11, 2023, “Amor Clandestino,” with Mana, oneJan. 27, “Como En Los Viejos Tiempos,” oneOct. 12, “Mi Eterno Amor Secreto,” with Yuridia, oneNov. 16, “Traigo Saldo Y Ganas De Rogar”
Elsewhere, “Traigo Saldo” impresses one other main Billboard chart: it moves 9-3 on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, with 8.2 million audience impressions.
The song, released Aug. 19 on EMC/Sony Music Latin, was composed by Muñoz and Michelle Maciel.
All charts (dated Nov. 16, 2024) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Nov. 12). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Ice Cube is back. The Compton icon has announced plans for his first album since 2018’s Everythang’s Corrupt. Cube revealed on Monday (Nov. 11) that his Man Down LP is slated to hit streaming services later this month on Nov. 22. “The album my fans have been waiting on,” Cube captioned his social media post […]
When Luis Jiménez arrives at the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards ceremony on Thursday (Nov. 14), he will have to play a doubleheader: He will walk the red carpet twice, speak to the same media outlets twice, and perhaps have to split up for the celebrations. The reason? The Venezuelan singer and musician’s two bands, LAGOS and Los Mesoneros, are both nominated this year — and in the same category!
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Both are up for best pop/rock song: LAGOS for “Blanco y Negro” with Elena Rose, and Los Mesoneros for “Diciembre.”
LAGOS is also nominated for best pop song for “Dime Quién.” The pop duo, formed in 2019 by Jiménez and Agustín Zubillaga, already won best pop/rock song last year with Lasso’s “Ojos Marrones,” which they co-wrote. But this time they compete as performers for two songs from their sophomore album Alta Fidelidad, released in May under Warner Music México.
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As for Los Mesoneros, the rock band, active since 2006, had already received a handful of nominations in the past, including for best new artist (2012), best rock album (in 2012 for Indeleble, 2020 for Pangea, and 2021 for Los Mesoneros Live Desde Pangea), as well as best pop/rock song (in 2020 for “Últimas Palabras”). Now they compete with a song from their album Nuestro Año, released in April independently.
“It’s the first time that the bands’ times were synchronized,” Jiménez tells Billboard Español. “When Pangea, Mesoneros’ third album, and Clásico, LAGOS’s debut album, came out, it’s not that it wasn’t challenging — but compared to the size of the projects today, it was too easy.”
He adds: “Now, without a doubt, the challenge is to find the time and the mental state to be able to work creatively and also be able to have those editorial lines separated. It is becoming more and more complicated. But I like a challenge.”
In its 25th anniversary, the Latin Grammys will be broadcast live from the Kaseya Center in Miami on Univision, Galavisión and ViX starting at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time). A few days later, on Nov. 21, Jiménez will perform with Los Mesoneros for the first time at the iconic National Auditorium in Mexico City, where he lives.
Luis, how did you feel when you found out that you were nominated with your two bands in the same category?
A very strange, very particular sensation. Obviously, first and foremost it’s double the joy — “Oh, how crazy, they nominated us!” Then, this was a possible scenario and I didn’t really think much about what I would do if it happened; it was simply: “Well, let’s send all these songs, these albums, and whatever has to happen happens.” Receiving that news was really very nice, it is certainly special for me because for the first time they nominated Los Mesoneros and LAGOS simultaneously, and having that honor of being with all of them in that category is something wonderful.
The two albums came out only a month apart. How has this year been for you?
It’s been a titanic challenge. It really is difficult. I understand why no one does it, because it is very complicated to manage the time, and also to do things with excellence like this, in this format. But I think I’m very lucky and fortunate to have colleagues in each of the projects who support me in everything and who are incredible partners and who have also known how to handle this and help me make everything work out and turn out well, and do it with the standard that we have, and help me survive in the attempt.
Did you record with both bands in parallel? What was this process like?
Actually, thank God it wasn’t parallel, because that would have been very rough. Yes, there was a lot at times in the composition process, like sometimes I was writing with LAGOS and suddenly I went into a lock-out with Mesoneros, but it wasn’t so much that I was one day here and one day there, but rather taking a couple of weeks or a month with LAGOS, and then doing the same with Mesoneros. But the recording was appart. LAGOS recorded Alta Fidelidad about seven months before the Mesoneros album, or at least the second half. Although there were singles there that were sneaking in.
Any particular anecdotes trying to balance things with both groups?
Man, all the time, all the multitasking is crazy. I remember, for example, two or three years ago at the Latin Grammys, I also had to be there both with Mesoneros and LAGOS. LAGOS was there because we were going to play at a Warner party, and Mesoneros was nominated, and I had to go around all over Las Vegas even repeating some interviews — “Ah, is you again!?” And I was like, “Yes, but no.” And well, what’s going to happen now in Miami is going to be quite funny too, because even in the dressing room it’s a challenge. It’s a game of trying to be in two places at the same time. It’s challenging, it’s fun, and well, we’re now talking about that — doing the red carpet twice. It is quite particular.
You started doing rock with Los Mesoneros and then pop with LAGOS. Which genre do you identify with most today?
It’s very difficult to answer that — because it’s as if they’d ask you, “Who do you love more, your mom or your dad?” or “Which child do you love more?” Each one has its own thing and they fulfill me in different ways. Obviously I have always had a rock soul, but even since I was little I have also always been a pop lover. People who know me starting with Los Mesoneros never knew that I had that pop side, but it has always been there, actually. And now with LAGOS, I managed to [get to] that output and place where I can also show that side — but both satisfy me and make me happy in different ways.
As a performer, when you started with LAGOS, how difficult was it to find your own pop sound after years doing rock with Los Mesoneros?
It’s always a challenge and I think that’s the challenge, finding yourself within those scenarios. But I think that LAGOS is very interesting because when it came to light, in 2019, Agustín and I had actually been writing songs for other artists for a while, and making more pop music. And I enjoyed it a lot, it’s just that people didn’t picture it. For me, it was also an adventure to get involved in something that had nothing to do with what I had been doing, but also to discover other facets of myself.
Then, when we launched our LAGOS project, it was time to [ask ourselves], “What is our voice, what is our sound, how do we do it?” And that entailed some research, and a bit of trial and error — but luckily Agustín and I already had that very advanced work chemistry. And in some very crazy way — from Agustín with his set of influences, and me with my more alternative, more rock side — on paper it didn’t have to work, but it worked amazingly. I think that’s what gave LAGOS its identity.
What do your colleagues from both bands say? You’ve said they support you, but now with the nominations, is there any rivalry? Pride? Both?
I truly believe it’s been a miracle. I think that many project colleagues perhaps wouldn’t be able to tolerate such a dynamic — because it’s one thing to do it perhaps alternatingly, but doing it in parallel is a level further. That simultaneity has been the interesting thing, and I think I am seriously too lucky — because they have truly been a great source of support for me. I think they also see the level of dedication and effort and sacrifice that I make to give my 100% to both projects, and in reality they have been allies and are a crucial part of making it work. They are even accomplices.
Now that you have experienced this in parallel this year, is it feasible for you to maintain both bands in the future?
I think we have had to change a lot over time. Like, I have also had to learn to give up many things. I am so neurotic producing, writing, arranging, editing… I have also learned to adapt to growth, and increasingly see where I add more value [by giving] up roles. Yes, I want to continue doing this in parallel. Perhaps obviously now, after this year that has been so intense, we must adapt to delegating more… I think that now the challenge is going to be to get a schedule that’s a little less synchronized, but I do see it as a project that can continue and last longer.
If you win, who do you want to go on stage with to receive the award?
Look, I can leave happy with a scenario in which LAGOS wins in the category that is alone, and Mesoneros wins in the one that includes both. I think everyone ends up happy there. But in reality, whatever has to happen happens. I feel that with so many albums and so much music that comes out every week these days, it’s crazy to be on a list so short, that the Academy considers it one of the five best songs of the genre — and that those five include both bands — for me it’s quite an incredible achievement.
Someone pour Shaboozey up a double shot of whiskey, because he’s continuing to dominate the charts with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” seven months after its release. The smash hit is at No. 1 for a 17th total week atop the Billboard Hot 100. Over the chart’s 66-year history, the song is now the longest-leading No. 1 […]
Three weeks after Liam Payne‘s shocking death, the Jonas Brothers appeared to pay tribute by performing One Direction’s “Night Changes” at the siblings’ concert in Highland, Calif., on Sunday night (Nov. 11).
Standing in a line onstage at Yaamava’ Theater, Nick, Joe and Kevin gave the song a delicate touch — the “Jealous” singer sharing lead vocals with the DNCE frontman while strumming dual electric guitars with the eldest Jonas brother. “We’re only gettin’ older, baby/ And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately/ Does it ever drive you crazy/ Just how fast the night changes?” the trio sing as the crowd joined in.
At the end of the tune, Nick sang part of the last line — “It’ll never change….” — before pointing to the audience to finish it for him. “… for me and you,” fans delivered before applauding.
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The moment was inevitably full of unspoken emotions, as it comes as many in the music world — and certainly those who were close to Payne — continue to process the loss of the “Strip That Down” musician. On Oct. 16, the ex-boy band star fell to his death from the third-story balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires, with toxicology reports later determining that he had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system when he died.
Police are still investigating the events that transpired leading up to the fall and detained three people in connection to the case this month. They were charged with abandonment of a person followed by death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics, according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor, but one of them — 24-year-old waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, who claims to have partied with the star the night of his death — recently publicly denied that he’d given Payne drugs.
Payne is survived by a son, Bear, whom he shares with ex Cheryl Cole. Many of the X Factor alum’s friends and family posted messages of grief in the days following his death, including all four of his former One Direction bandmates: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. In a separate full-band statement, the foursome wrote, “We are completely devastated … We will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.”
Watch the Jonas Brothers cover “Night Changes” below.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election and the official unveiling of the 2025 Grammy nominations, hip-hop and R&B have had nary a moment of stillness over the past week.
Notably, Beyoncé leads all artists with a jaw-dropping 11 nods for Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter LP, including a look in best melodic rap performance for “Spaghettii” (with Shaboozey and Linda Martell). Muni Long leads the R&B field with one nomination in each of its four categories, while AverySunshine and Durand Bernarr earned their first career Grammy nods (both for best progressive R&B album). On the rap side, Kendrick Lamar predictably dominated, with seven nominations for his Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers “Not Like Us” and “Like That” (with Metro Boomin and Future). It was also a watershed year for female rappers, with several of the genre’s leading ladies landing nominations, including Doechii (three, including best new artist), GloRilla (two), Rapsody (two), Cardi B (one), Latto (one) and Young Miko (one, best música urbana album).
Grammy nominations didn’t slow down the waves of new music, which included new albums from Ab-Soul (Soul Burger), Ferg (Darold), SahBabii (Saaheem), BabyTron (Tronicles), Real Boston Richey (Richey Rich) and more.
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With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from SahBabii’s electric “Viking” to Mac Ayres’ plaintive “Blue Skies.” Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Ferg feat. Coco Jones, “French Tips”
Darold, Ferg’s latest album, is the latest in a string of 2020s releases that find the brightest stars of mid-2010s/Blog Era hip-hop healing parts of themselves through tough introspection and general maturation. Between Coco Jones’ soulful, sultry vocals, a lift of Brandy’s classic “I Wanna Be Down” and ’90s-evoking production from Mario Winans and Tropkillaz. “When you wet, I start to tingle ’cause it’s too warm/ I ain’t put the condom on ’cause you got me stuck/ I’m pullin’ out, I ain’t ready to shoot the club off,” Ferg spits, simultaneously delivering a classic (slightly X-rated) hip-hop love song and a reminder of one of the remaining available methods to mitigate unwanted pregnancies. — KYLE DENIS
SahBabii, “Viking”
SahBabii was one of the leaders of the melodic rap movement in the mid-2010s, and he’s making another splash with his Saaheem comeback album. SahBabii’s rhymes are raunchier than ever as he raps over ethereal production that soundtracks his deep sea exploration. “Viking” has proven to be one of the early standouts from the project and even earned him a co-sign from Tyler, The Creator, who dubbed the intoxicating track to be “incredible.” He’s still doing things his way and “doesn’t give a f–k who like me.” Welcome back, SahBabii. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
Mac Ayres, “Blue Skies”
For his latest project, Mac Ayres went back to the beginning. With Cloudy, the Long Island-bred crooner compiled some of his most beloved SoundCloud cuts from the past eight years and sequenced them in a tender coming-of-age narrative. “Blue Skies,” the set’s ethereal, Chris Anderson-helmed closer, finds Mac pining for brighter days while balancing the warring energies of wanting to be understood without wanting to beg for acknowledgment. A deceptively heavy song, “Blue Skies” soars thanks in large part to Mac’s structuring of the song; his hushed delivery in the verses perfectly sets the stage for his impassioned belts of “Feels like forever got a hold on me/ Forever got a hold on me my friend” — a pair of lines that put many proper torch songs to shame. — K.D.
Jorja Smith, “Don’t Let Me Go”
A stripped-down instrumental with an acoustic guitar that could score a poignant scene in a movie is only amplified by Jorja Smith’s honeyed vocals. J-Money gets pensive about the pain of letting someone go, but her voice coddles emotional listeners to lay their heads collectively down on a soft cloud rather than a rock. “The wishing wells got all my coins/ But nothing seems to drift me back to you,” Smith sings. “Don’t Let Me Go” arrived as a two-pack featuring help from fellow British singer-songwriter Maverick Sabre, and it appears the tracks were several years in the making before receiving an official release in 2024. — M.S.
Hitkidd & Mello Buckzz, “Pardon Da Body”
Chicago emcee Mello Buckzz has been making waves for quite some time, and her latest collaboration is sure to add to that hype. “Pardon Da Body,” a boisterous link-up with Grammy-nominated producer Hitkidd for his Hitkidd for President album, finds Mello spitting standard braggadocious fare (the “body” in question refers to her figure, her SUV and her racks) over a piano-inflected dance-trap beat. With ample remix potential that can take this song anywhere for a ballroom-minded house set or a Jersey club compilation, “Pardon Da Body” harnesses the power of unbridled fun while keeping Mello front and center. — K.D.
Wolfacejoeyy & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, “Dallas”
A Boogie Wt Da Hoodie dances into the sexy drill scene thanks to an invite from fellow New York captain Wolfacejoeyy, who is stamping his 2024 with “Dallas” and a major co-sign from the Bronx native. “Me and Boogie in a town bae, you know it’s going down,” Joey raps in his smooth yet soft-spoken flow. Young Jrue Holiday’s emotive rhymes have allowed him to continue to build off Valentino and have set up 2025 as his time to make a quantum leap to stardom. — M.S.
Ab-Soul, “9 Mile”
Ab-Soul wanted the introduction of his Soul Burger album to feel like the Belly, and he did justice by the Hype Williams classic. Soulo weaves through Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life” while opening up about his elusive yet militant approach. “Ain’t really confrontational but I crave chaos,” he admits. “9 Mile” then pivots to channeling his inner Eminem while calling back to B-Rabbit’s 8 Mile rap battles as Soulo gets candid about his suicide attempt. “I did jump off a bridge on Del Amo Boulevard/ I’m blessed but question why God would have mercy on a junkie,” he wonders. It’s a cinematic opener for the TDE rapper’s best project in a decade. — M.S.
Alissia got some very good news on Friday, when she became only the ninth woman (or team of women) to receive a Grammy nomination for producer of the year, non-classical.
Alissia’s only previous Grammy nod was for production and songwriting work on the deluxe edition of Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous, which was nominated for album of the year two years ago. (Her full name, Alissia Benveniste, appeared on her songwriting credit for “Love Without the Heartbreak,” which she co-wrote with Blige, Anderson .Paak and Rogėt Chahayed.)
Her credits during the current eligibility year included tracks by Rae Khalil, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jamila Wood and Lion Babe.
The Recording Academy introduced the producer of the year, non-classical category at the 1975 Grammy ceremony. Thom Bell, one of the architects of the Philly Soul sound, was the inaugural winner. In all this time, no woman has ever won in the category, either on her own or as part of a collaboration.
It’s a very different story in the producer of the year, classical category. Three women have won multiple times in that category, which was introduced five years after producer of the year, non-classical. Judith Sherman has won seven times, which puts her in a tie with David Frost, Steven Epstein and Robert Woods for the most wins by anyone in the category’s history. Joanna Nickrenz has won twice (once alongside Marc Aubort). Elaine Martone has also won twice.
Alissia is competing this year with D’Mile (Dernst Emile II), who is nominated in the category for the third year in a row; Daniel Nigro, nominated in the category for the second year in a row; and fellow first-time nominees Ian Fitchuk and Mustard (Dijon Isaiah McFarlane).
Who will win when the 67th annual Grammy Awards are presented on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles? Hard to say, but it won’t be Jack Antonoff, who won the last three years in a row, but wasn’t nominated this year.
Here are all the women who have been nominated for producer of the year, non-classical. The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.
Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (1985)
