Not solely is the Grammys’ winner for music and file of the 12 months a rap monitor — for simply the second time ever — but it surely additionally occurs to be some of the brutal disses of all time.
“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar took house the 2 main awards on Sunday, capping an unprecedented run for a one-off single that options strains like “Say, Drake, I hear you want ’em younger” and calls one of many greatest artists of the twenty first century a “pedophile,” amongst different issues.
Lamar, who’s scheduled to headline the Tremendous Bowl halftime present subsequent weekend, devoted his file of the 12 months win to his native Los Angeles, together with fire-ravaged areas just like the Palisades and Altadena. “We gonna dedicate this one to town: Compton, Watts, Lengthy Seaside, Inglewood, Hollywood out to the valley,” Lamar mentioned. “That is my neck of the woods that’s held me down since I used to be a younger pup.”
“Not Like Us” was victorious in every of the 5 classes the place it was nominated, additionally successful earlier than the televised ceremony for finest rap efficiency, finest rap music and finest music video.
Beforehand, the one rap music to win for finest file or finest music was Infantile Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019. Amongst these rap songs beforehand ignored: “Lose Your self” by Eminem and “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West.
For file of the 12 months, “Not Like Us” beat out hits by Beyoncé (“Texas Maintain ’Em”), Taylor Swift that includes Publish Malone (“Fortnight”), Sabrina Carpenter (“Espresso”), Charli XCX (“360”), Chappell Roan (“Good Luck, Babe!”), Billie Eilish (“Birds of a Feather”) and the Beatles (“Now and Then,” billed because the group’s “final” music).
Lamar had misplaced each music and file of the 12 months 3 times at earlier Grammy ceremonies, along with 4 losses for album of the 12 months (plus two extra as a featured artist on albums by others). He had by no means earlier than received in one of many greatest 4 classes, which additionally consists of finest new artist.
In music of the 12 months, “Not Like Us,” written solely by Lamar (and produced by Mustard), topped extra conventional nominees within the class, which additionally included Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Publish Malone, Roan, Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter (for “Please Please Please”), Bruno Mars and Woman Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Tune (Tipsy).”
The class’s latest winners embody the ballads “What Was I Made For?” by Eilish and “Simply Like That” by Bonnie Raitt, plus the retro throwback “Depart the Door Open” by Silk Sonic and the Black Lives Matter protest music “I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R.
“Not Like Us” was extensively obtained because the decisive closing blow in a contentious, rapid-fire rap battle between Lamar and Drake, a onetime collaborator turned rival, final 12 months. The music reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and is at the moment the topic of a lawsuit by Drake in opposition to Common Music Group, the label behind each rappers, which he accused of defamation for its aggressive promotion of the music. Lamar will not be named as a defendant within the swimsuit.