Cardi B just got a lovely surprise in the mail while in quarantine: her Grammy award from 2019! On Wednesday (May 13th), Cardi posted a video on her Instagram story, showing off the shiny trophy she won a year-and-a-half ago at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. In the clip, Cardi opens the box while indicting that "I just received my Grammy to the right house." Engraved on the plaque below the golden gramophone are Cardi's name and the title "Best Rap Album - 2018," which she won for her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. 

Her debut album Invasion of Privacy earned Cardi B top honors at the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best Rap Album, and fans have been waiting for the Bronx rapper's followup. It's been nearly two years since Cardi shared her debut effort, but she's been hinting that her sophomore record will drop sometime this year. 

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She recently sat down with Baller Alert to share a few more details about her next project, revealing that she's still waiting on a few more tracks to round things out. "I have my cool, calm, and collective songs. Just missing a couple of more club hits, but we getting there," she revealed. When asked about a potential release date, she said she didn't know. "I'm not sure, I can never put a date on it," she stated. "When you feel like you got those songs that's when it's gonna come out. I cannot put a date on my ears. When I feel like I have it, that's when."

The rapper also talked to the outlet about Kulture, revealing that "Clout" is her toddler's favorite song. "When she sees the video she's like, 'Dada, mommy.' It's the cutest thing." Then, in true Baller Alert fashion, the publication asked the rapper to give advice on how to snag a baller. She didn't say anything but showed off her neck. No one understood what she meant, but then she said, "You see the longitude?" Everyone laughed as they then got that she was referring to the depth of her throat.

Moving on swiftly, she also gave advice to new artists who may be inspired by her success: Always get a lawyer. No matter how broke you think you are, invest in a lawyer before making any deals. Watch her clip below.

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the status of her sophomore album, and more! ?: @adamglyn

A post shared by Baller Alert (@balleralert) on Feb 3, 2020 at 12:50pm PST

It was a big night for Tyler, The Creator on Sunday (January 26) as the three-time Grammy-nominated artist took home his first win for Best Rap Album for Igor. Although he was favorited to win, he was up against noteworthy talents including Dreamville (Revenge of the Dreamers III), Meek Mill (Championships), 21 Savage (i am > i was), and YBN Cordae (The Lost Boy). He later tweeted, "YALL GON STOP COUNTING ME OUT!"

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The 28-year-old artist also made sure to show just how petty he could be by revisiting a tweet that's nearly a decade old. Back in 2011, a Twitter user named Mark shaded Tyler by telling he was undeserving of a Grammy. "@fucktyler dont b too excited. u wont get one.....," the person wrote. Tyler retweeted the old jab with a new message of his own.

"I FAVORITED THIS 9 YEARS AGO JUST FOR THE MOMENT TO TELL YOU I GOT ONE," Tyler tweeted. "YES IM PETTY AS F*CK, GOOD DAY MARK." Noticing Tyler's response to the 2011 tweet, Mark replied, "Congrats ?." He also wrote, "So this is how celebrity Twitter mentions feel like? Lmao" and "Thank God I got a new phone or my Twitter would've crashed." 

The Grammys took place last night during a very controversial time for the Recording Academy. At the beginning of the Grammy week, explosive reports about the Academy made its way to the frontline of newsfeeds. The CEO of the Recording Academy essentially claimed the Grammys were rigged — an allegation that’s been made on numerous occasions by Black artists for years yet have never been acknowledged.

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During the Grammys, Tyler, The Creator took home the award for Best Rap Album, a feat he even had mixed feelings about. IGOR was an incredible album but to classify it as rap is a major reach. The rapper even explained that being described as an “urban” artist, as opposed to a pop artist for this album, was a backhanded compliment.

“On the one side I am very grateful that what I made can be acknowledged in a world like this… but it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category. And I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word, to me,” he said. 

Off-White Founder and Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Virgil Abloh relates to those sentiments. As he took to Instagram to praise Tyler for the award, he made it clear that terms like “urban” and “streetwear” come with connotations that prevent Black artists especially from being able to reach a wider audience because of how they’re categorized.

“oung, wise, and gifted @feliciathegoat. exact sentiment when I hear the word ‘streetwear’,” he wrote. Check the post below. 

Tyler, The Creator secured his first Grammy win on Sunday night by taking home the Best Rap Album award for IGOR. While this may mark a monumental moment in his career, he stills has some reservations about the Recording Academy and he aired them out during a post-show press conference. The 28-year-old multi-hyphenate was asked to share his thoughts on the Grammys' voting practices, as this is a trending topic in the wake of accusations of bias within the Recording Academy made by its recently-ousted head, Deborah Dugan. Tyler replied:

“I’m half and half on it. On the one side I am very grateful that what I made can be acknowledged in a world like this… but it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category. And I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word, to me. So when I hear that, I’m just like, why can’t we just be in pop? So I felt like — half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment."

Many believe that IGOR not being recognized in the Album of the Year category is representative of this issue highlighted by Tyler. Diddy also called out the Grammys' racist history when receiving his "industry icon" award at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday night. "Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys," he said. "Black music has never been respected by the Grammys.”

Music’s biggest night is swiftly approaching and with the announcement of Grammy nominees comes vigorous debate around which albums or songs are most deserving of recognition. 2019 was loaded with unforgettable songs and albums that transported us from our cars, treadmills and living rooms into the studio. These songs were the soundtrack of our lives for the past year. New artists burst onto the scene and grabbed our attention while wily veterans proved again why they remain on music’s pedestal. With that said, we’ll take a stab at foreseeing winners in the Hip-Hop and R&B categories.

Let us know what your predictions are in the comments. 

Best Rap Performance

For Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

• DOWN BAD
  Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy
   
• RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
  Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy
   
• CLOUT
  Offset Featuring Cardi B

• SUGE
  DaBaby

Who should win: Suge – DaBaby

“Suge” was the breakthrough single that propelled DaBaby into music’s mainstream. The song appears on his well-received debut album Baby on Baby. The title obviously references infamous music executive Suge Knight – a proclamation of the artist’s intention to forcefully overtake hip-hop, something Knight became legendary for. DaBaby’s exuberant personality and brazen confidence shine through on this record. To pair with his compelling voice, DaBaby also presents some cunning penmanship with creative ad-libs putting the icing on the proverbial cake. The record was blasted everywhere to the tune of a number one spot atop Billboard’s Hip-Hop AirPlay charts.

Who will win: Middle Child – J Cole

Equally deserving in its own right Middle Child is J Cole executing on the fundamentals which built his rap persona. Cole uses a number of effective analogies to explore his place in the music industry as an ambassador for this era whose greatness transcends that of many “peers.”

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Best Rap/Sung Performance

For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

• BALLIN
  Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch

• HIGHER
  DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend

• DRIP TOO HARD
  Lil Baby & Gunna

• PANINI
  Lil Nas X
   
• THE LONDON
  Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott

Who should win: Ballin – Mustard featuring Roddy Ricch

“I put the new forgis on the Jeep!” We found ourselves uncontrollably singing the hook to feel-good anthem “Ballin” all year. The infectious DJ Mustard-produced track rang out through radios, arena speakers and car systems everywhere. You couldn’t escape its brilliance in 2019. The song diaries the rags to riches story of featured artist, Roddy Ricch and his ascent to success. The come up, one of hip-hop’s core motifs. It was released as a single from Mustard’s third studio album Perfect Ten. Mustard provides the ideal instrumental for Roddy to narrate his trouble to triumph fable. The marriage of Roddy’s unique voice and Mustard’s body-rocking beat is pure alchemy. 

Who will win: Higher – DJ Khaled featuring Nipsey Hussle and John Legend. 

Hard to imagine a scenario where the fallen legendary figure Nipsey Hussle leaves without a triumphant moment. The creme of Khaled’s “Father of Asad,” Higher ignites your soul and your mind combining the Nispey’s message with John Legend’s refined and flowing vocals. This is sure to be a heavy, reflective and tear-jerking moment at the awards.

Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

Best Rap Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• BAD IDEA
  Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)

• GOLD ROSES
  Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)
   
• RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
  Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)

• SUGE
  DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)

• A LOT
  Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole)

Who should win: A lot – 21 Savage featuring J Cole

Who will win: A lot – 21 Savage featuring J Cole

This is maybe the biggest no brainer of the evening. The rhythmic masterpiece of a beat featuring an incredible sample from “I Love You” by East of Underground which also samples “I Love You for All Seasons,” performed by The Fuzz is a thing of sheer dexterity. On the track J. Cole delivers critical bars addressing dubiousness of music industry inauthenticity and affirms his place in hip-hop, while 21 Savage chronicles his trials on the way to the top. The juxtaposition of rap’s adjacent regimes melts perfectly into a song that makes you want to party as much as you want to think.  

 Moses Robinson/Getty Images

Best Rap Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new rap recordings.

• REVENGE OF THE DREAMERS III
  Dreamville
   
• CHAMPIONSHIPS
  Meek Mill

• I AM > I WAS
  21 Savage

• IGOR
  Tyler, The Creator

• THE LOST BOY
  YBN Cordae

Who should win: IGOR – Tyler the Creator

Many, including myself were livid when nominations came out and IGOR was not included in the Album of the Year category. It was hands down the most complete body of work I have heard this year. Yet, in the confines of this designation when standing toe to toe against the likes of Championship it pains me to say Tyler will lose out of what could be his second Rap album of the year award. Flower Boy was also incredible. But Tyler is due for a Grammy so look for the academy to perhaps reward him next year.

Who will win: Championships – Meek Mill

While Championships does not have the consistency of I am > I was, the sonic delivery of IGOR or the deeply introspective approach of Lost Boys,  for a rap album it’s highs are unbelievably high and subject matter all parts profound, frivolous and entertaining. Meek’s lyrics on tracks like “Oodles and Noodles” or “Respect the Game” reach into your soul, gripping your heart with the story of his tribulations wrapped in the context of socio-economic complexities in urban America. It is a dissertation of continuous resurrection through the eyes of a dreamer. In the end, the combination of musical range, lyrical content, and hard-hitting storytelling sets Championships apart as a rap album. Although IGOR is perhaps the most comprehensive and impressive body of work from the list of nominees, it is also miscast and should be considered for the album of the year. In my opinion, considering the rap designation, Championships takes the crown this year by a slim margin.   

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

• LOVE AGAIN
  Daniel Caesar & Brandy
   
• COULD’VE BEEN
  H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller
   
• EXACTLY HOW I FEEL
  Lizzo Featuring Gucci Mane
   
• ROLL SOME MO
  Lucky Daye
   
• COME HOME
  Anderson .Paak Featuring André 3000

Who should win: Love Again – Daniel Caesar featuring Brandy

Who will win: Love Again – Daniel Caesar featuring Brandy 

Undeniably deserving albeit by a thin margin – Love Again is the right choice. “Love Again” is a duet featured on Case Study 01, Daniel Caesar’s second studio album. The track conjoins Brandy’s signature breathy vocals with Caesar’s stirring and powerful soulfulness. The abutment of the singers’ variant styles works to give the song a pleasant musical affliction. The impressive performance by Brandy and Caesar yokes the raw youth of Caesar with the experience and polish of Brady. Although Caesar headlines here, the piece is a great reminder of Brandy’s incredible R&B legacy.    

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images 

Best Traditional R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental traditional R&B recordings.

• TIME TODAY
  BJ The Chicago Kid
   
• STEADY LOVE
  India.Arie
   
• JEROME
  Lizzo
   
• REAL GAMES
  Lucky Daye
   
• BUILT FOR LOVE
  PJ Morton Featuring Jazmine Sullivan
  

Who should win: Time Today – BJ The Chicago Kid

Somehow BJ is STILL underrated, undeterred by this, the vocalist continues to producer outstanding songs like “Time Today.” Labeled as the “deacon of R&B” by some, BJ delivers his spellbinding belts on the song filled with a ton of powerful canticles from a love maker. The deacon is single-handedly restoring our faith in R&B with his mastership of soul. Not to go unmentioned is the near flawless production which provides a smooth surface for BJ’s voice to skate on. Still, is it wishful thinking for him to win? Will it inevitably go to Lizzo, or does BJ stand a real chance?

Who will win: Jerome – Lizzo

Lizzo is taking home multiple Grammys come hell or high water. The academy will reward the “entertainer of the year,” more factors at play here than simply her music (while this song is fantastic and deserving).

 Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Best R&B Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• COULD’VE BEEN
  Dernst Emile II, David “Swagg R’Celious” Harris, H.E.R. & Hue “Soundzfire” Strother, songwriters (H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller)
   
• LOOK AT ME NOW
  Emily King & Jeremy Most, songwriters (Emily King)
   
• NO GUIDANCE
  Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Huizar, Noah Shebib & Teddy Walton, songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Drake)
   
• ROLL SOME MO
  David Brown, Dernst Emile II & Peter Lee Johnson, songwriters (Lucky Daye)
   
• SAY SO
  PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton Featuring JoJo)

Who should win: Roll Some Mo – Lucky Daye

Who will win: No Guidance – Chris Brown featuring Drake

The best song on the best R&B is what I would go with but Chris Brown and Drake won’t be denied here. Once reportedly at each other’s necks over Rihanna, Chris Brown and Drake have since mended any quarrels and joined to give us the year’s best R&B song. The collaboration is truly mesmerizing and enthralls all who come under its waves. While not quite the vocalist Chris Brown is, Drake nevertheless ministers a tremendous tight-rope performance somewhere between rapper and singer. Both artists combine, with producers J-Louis,Vinylz, Teddy Walton, and 40, to give an addicting composition. 

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Best Urban Contemporary Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded contemporary vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

• APOLLO XXI
  Steve Lacy
   
• CUZ I LOVE YOU (DELUXE)
  Lizzo
   
• OVERLOAD
  Georgia Anne Muldrow
   
• SATURN
  NAO 

• BEING HUMAN IN PUBLIC
  Jessie Reyez

Who should win: Cuz I Love You – Lizzo

Who will win: Cuz I Love You – Lizzo

It’s Lizzo’s year. Plain and simple. Overruling the deeply competitive nature of this category and legitimate questioning of her placement, here are the vocal acrobatics Lizzo delivers on Cuz I Love You. Her colossal, sometimes theatrical voice grabs and twists your ear from the outset – running your head across each piano stroke and lyric to drive home the song’s theme of lost love. The score sounds like the predicament of a heartbroken animated film’s villain plotting her revenge in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. Grand runs and notes grab you by your shoulders, swinging you from side to side with the beat. Range and versatility keep Lizzo’s star rising. 

Best R&B Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new R&B recordings.

• 1123
  BJ The Chicago Kid
   
• PAINTED
  Lucky Daye
   
• ELLA MAI
  Ella Mai
   
• PAUL
  PJ Morton
   
• VENTURA
  Anderson .Paak

Who should win: Painted – Lucky Daye

Maybe the toughest choice of all. Best R&B album. Back and forth I went before championing a victor. You could very well settle on Ella Mai and her commercial smash, self titled album. Or BJ the Chicago Kid with his soulful and touching numbers set to marvelous instrumentals in 1123. Even the density of Anderson. Paak’s VENTURE. When the dust fades the winner should and will be Painted. The debut album by Lucky Daye, led by the single “Roll Some Mo” is the most exemplary comprehensive body which also provides moments of brilliance.  

Who will win: Ventura – Anderson. Paak

Anderson has paid his dues, being passed up for other nominations and awards he probably deserved. It’s his time.

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images 

With a field this stacked the night is sure to produce loads of drama as names are called and dreams are shattered or realized. To go along with the suspense we are due for some great performances from the likes of Tyler the Creator, Lizzo and Roddy Rich to name a few. 

Ceremony date: January 26, 2020, 8:00 PM EST

In two weeks, artists and musicians from various genres will come together at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for one of the most coveted award ceremonies in the entertainment industry. There are plenty of people, artists and non-artists alike, who believe that the pomp of events such as these is unnecessary and a dying breed, but winning a Grammy Award is still a feat that even accomplished creatives still hope to achieve. 

Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images

The 2020 Grammy announcement rollout continues as yet another performer has been revealed: Tyler, The Creator. Over the last few days, news of other artists like Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, and Aerosmith with Run-DMC (be prepared for an epic performance of "Walk This Way") as performers has been shared.

Tyler, The Creator had a praiseworthy year in 2019 after his IGOR project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, besting DJ Khaled's feature-heavy Father of Asahd. Tyler's IGOR was also recognized by the Grammys and is up for Best Rap Album along with Dreamville (Revenge of the Dreamers III), Meek Mill (Champions), 21 Savage (i am > i was), and YBN Cordae (The Lost Boy). Let us know if you're looking forward to seeing Tyler and his IGOR wig take to the Grammy stage and share which artist you think should win for Best Rap Album.