There have been a couple of changes made to the award process within the Recording Academy, which puts on the music-specific GRAMMY Awards on an annual basis. Several categories have been renamed to better reflect the content, as well as one minor swap for eligibility in the musical theater zone.

One of the most popular categories for readers of our site is Best Rap/Sung Performance. The award was won by DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle, and John Legend last year for “Higher.” The category will now be referred to as Best Melodic Rap Performance.

The definition of the category has been described as such: “This category is intended for performances that use the delivery of rap and melody over modern production. This performance requires a strong and clear presence of melody combined with rap cadence, and is inclusive of dialects, lyrics or performance elements from non-rap genres including R&B, rock, country, electronic or more.”

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A more important change, for obvious reasons, happened to the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. As you’re well aware, the term “urban” is ridiculously dated and places artists in a box. The new category name will be Best Progressive R&B Album. Last year, Lizzo brought home the prize.

In addition, several Latin categories have been meshed together to remove the “Latin Urban” spot.

What do you make of the changes?

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This past Monday (March 2), the Executive Committee of the Recording Academy released a statement revealing that they were firing their CEO/President, Deborah Dugan. Prior to her expulsion from her position, Dugan was accused of extorting the Academy of $22 million. However, just days prior to the 2020 Grammy Awards, she was placed on administrative leave by the Academy after accusing the collective of being a “boys club,” filing a sexual harassment complaint, and revealing that the Academy rigged the voting process for their own benefit.     Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

In April 2019, Deborah Dugan made history becoming the Grammy Awards’ first-ever woman CEO. Yet her tenure as President of the Recording Academy was short-lived due to her disputes with multiple members across the committee. According to Rolling Stone, the Board of Trustees voted for her termination and justified that her firing claiming that after “exhaustive and costly” investigations in relation to Ms. Dugan were unworthy of recognition. 

The Recording Academy also stated that the investigations of her sexual harassment and collusion claims were conducted by a contingent of individuals who had no relationship with their organization. The Academy claims that her firing was warranted also due to Dugan’s “consistent management deficiencies and failures, and other factors.” 

In her defense, Deborah Dugan and her legal team released a public statement to Rolling Stone, stating:

“I was recruited and hired by the Recording Academy to make positive change; unfortunately, I was not able to do that as its CEO. While I am disappointed by this latest development, I am not surprised given the Academy’s pattern of dealing with whistleblowers. Is anyone surprised that its purported investigations did not include interviewing me or addressing the greater claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities? So, instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within, I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color. Artists deserve better. To me, this is the real meaning of ‘stepping up.'”

 Dugan’s legal council also chastised the Recording Academy’s decision to leak her firing to the public, adding:

“The Academy’s decision to terminate Ms. Dugan and immediately leak that information to the press further demonstrates that it will stop at nothing to protect and maintain a culture of misogyny, discrimination, sexual harassment, corruption and conflicts of interest. The decision is despicable and, in due course, the Academy, its leadership and its attorneys will be held accountable under the law.”

While the 2020 Grammys provided an entertaining musical display, the celebration drew in low ratings drew in low ratings with just 18.7 million viewers from the ages 18-47. While it looks like Deborah Dugan’s firing might be shady, hopefully, the Recording Academy can get their organization in good and fair standing in the future. 

Check out Tyler, The Creator‘s 62nd annual Grammy Awards performance in the video provided below. 

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

The Grammy Awards on Sunday definitely felt more somber than usual, not only with the passing of Kobe Bryant that same day, but also due to the hyperawareness of Nipsey Hussle's absence. Nipsey passed away just about a month-and-a-half after last year's Grammys, where he received his first nomination for his debut album, Victory Lap, in the Best Rap Album category. Though he ultimately lost, Nipsey was posthumously nominated this year in three different categories: Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Higher" with DJ Khaled and John Legend, as well as Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "Racks In The Middle" with Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy. Despite losing Best Rap Song to J. Cole and 21 Savage for "A Lot," Nip and his collaborators did nab the other two titles. While these awards are, of course, bittersweet, Roddy Ricch's latest Twitter share casts a brighter light on their win for "Racks In The Middle." The rap wunderkind posted a photo of himself hugging Nipsey's partner and the mother of his child, Lauren London, on the momentous evening.

Two women talking at an event became social media buzz. Roc Nation hosted its annual pre-Grammy Award brunch on Sunday (January 26), and while there was much chatter about who showed up to the exclusive party, somehow a brief exchange between Rihanna and Love & Hip Hop New York star Chrissy Lampkin stole attention. 

A clip of the two ladies appeared to show Rihanna telling Chrissy that she doesn’t “f*ck” with something, or someone, as they smile and whisper into each other’s ears. For some reason, people began sharing the clip by the thousands, insinuating that Rihanna and Jim Jones’s longtime girlfriend had some sort of beef. Rumors were flying in all directions even though it’s clear from the video that the ladies are just engaging in a bit of gossip of their own. In true social media fashion, it was magnified to be bigger than it actually was.

Jim Jones gave a quick nod to the viral clip on his Instagram page. He shared another clip, which he later deleted, showing a different angle of the conversation between Rihanna and Chrissy. In this video, the two are casually laughing and chatting with one another. “I got the real scoop lol,” the rapper wrote on Instagram with a crying laughing emoji. “SMH social media is [the] devil.” Whatever “the real scoop” is will remain a secret, but Jim made sure to clear the air so people don’t go around putting out false information bout his lady. The Shade Room reposted Jim’s video but they, too, deleted it as well. However, someone else snatched it up. Watch it before it disappears.

The Grammy Awards hype may be behind us, but some are still recovering from a weekend filled with parties all across Los Angeles to celebrate nominees. Roc Nation hosted their annual brunch and Sean Love “Diddy” Combs was honored with the Industry Icons Award at Clive Davis’s coveted pre-Grammy gala. Yet, it was the afterparties that lit up L.A.

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III

Over at the swanky The West Hollywood EDITION luxury hotel on the Sunset Strip, Dreamville invited a few friends and influencers to come party with them in celebration of their nominations. Revenge of the Dreamers III was up for two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album, and although they didn’t win either one, it didn’t stop the label from letting loose with loved ones.

Dreamville’s co-founder Ibrahim Hamad partnered with ILYSM for the post-Grammy event on Sunday (January 26) to honor nominees J. Cole, Ari Lennox, Lute, Bas, Omen, J.I.D, Cozz, and EarthGang. The latter six of those names listed attended the open-bar shindig where the DJ spun hip hop and rap favorites. Many members of the small crowd gathered together for the electric slide as Beyoncé’s “Before I Let Go” boomed over the loudspeakers. Later, everyone went wild to Roddy Ricch‘s “The Box”—a song that had to be restarted more than once because fans couldn’t get enough of the chart-topping hit. The energetic crowd with a positive vibe lingered for hours while strangers became friends as they attempted to rap all the spit-fire bars to Revenge of the Dreamers III. The party went on until about midnight before people scattered to other events, including Billie Eilish’s afterparty where she celebrated her sweeping wins.

Also on the scene were Mereba, Guapdad 4000 and his 10-foot long du-rag, Buddy BJ the Chicago Kid, Childish Major, Jace, Kitty Ca$h, G Herbo, Young Dolph, Mozzy, Kiddominant, Yung Baby Tate, Shaun Ross, Ty Hunter, Nitrane, Luke James, Domani, Ro James, IDK, Reese LaFlare, and many more. 

Thank you, Dreamville, for having us! Check out a few photos from the Dreamville + ILYSM celebration of the label’s Grammy nominees below.

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Olu of EarthGang, BJ the Chicago Kid, J.I.D, Smino, Bas)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Bas)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Guapdad 4000, Buddy, Mereba, Smino, BJ the Chicago Kid, Yung Baby Tate)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (J.I.D, Smino)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Luke James)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Lute)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Mereba)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Omen)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Reese LaFlare)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III (Ty Hunter)

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III

Linnea Stephan/BFA.com – Dreamville + ILYSM Presented A Post-Grammy Celebration Honoring Revenge of the Dreamers III

Chris Brown stirred the pot on Instagram with a mysterious message that sent his fans into a tizzy. The famed singer has been enjoying the dad life as the father of two has continuously shared photos and videos of his five-year-old daughter Royalty and his newborn son Aeko. At Sunday’s (January 26) Grammy Awards, Chris brought his little girl as his adorable date. They stole the show as they posed on the red carpet where Brown also flashed his new hand tattoo in honor of Aeko.

Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images

Meanwhile, over on C. Breezy’s Instagram page, the entertainer left fans gossiping after he shared an enigmatic caption to his post. He uploaded a video that showed himself smiling flirtatiously during an interview and wrote, “When someone asks, after all this time… why are u still in love WITH HER? My ANSWER: BECAUSE TIME HAS NO RELEVANCE WHEN ITS UNCONDITIONAL ❤️.”

At first, Chris kept the comments open but after thousands came in within minutes, he shut his comments off. It didn’t take long for the singer to delete the post altogether, but that didn’t keep people from speculating about who this mysterious “her” is. People believed that Brown and Ammika Harris have been in a relationship as he’s shared loving messages about Aeko’s mother on his social media pages.

Yet, this new puzzling caption has caused the public to believe that he’s talking about his on-again-off-again ex-girlfriend Rihanna who is newly single following her split from billionaire Hassan Jameel. There’s also Karrueche Tran who is in a relationship with Victor Cruz. Tran and Brown dated on and off from 2011 to 2015 and reportedly split after Tran learned that Brown fathered Royalty with Nia Guzman. Check out his post below.

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!"

Amanda Edwards / Stringer / Getty Images

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." 

A few weeks ago, rumors circulated that Machine Gun Kelly left a Golden Globes after party with 46-year-old actress, Kate Beckinsale. She later shut down speculation that anything happened between her and MGK, who is best friends with her ex Pete Davidson, but MGK continues to build his reputation as an after party menace. The rumor mill is spinning again because he was spotted cozying up with Noah Cyrus at the Sony Music Entertainment 2020 Post-Grammy Reception on Sunday night (Jan. 26). 

Photos show the two recording artists posing with their arms wrapped around one another in a way that is usually reserved for couples. In one picture, Miley Cyrus‘ little sis affectionately lays her head on MGK’s shoulder. This marks the first time that Kelly and Noah have been seen getting this close, so we don’t have enough evidence to confirm whether they are dating or not. However, we’ll probably receive confirmation in the near future. 

Charley Gallay/Getty Images

                               Araya Diaz/Getty Images

Cyrus previously dated Lil Xan, but since breaking up in 2018, both of them have expressed regrets about their relationship. Cyrus claimed that it was a “mistake” and Lil Xan revealed that Columbia Records had orchestrated the whole thing for attention. On the other hand, MGK’s celebrity dating history includes Amber Rose, Halsey and Chantal Jeffries. 

Heading into the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards last night, many people probably had a good feeling that the ceremony would lead to a photo of Billie Eilish struggling to hold all her trophies – the kind of photo that many of music’s most iconic acts have taken in the past. Lo and behold, Billie joined this lineage, cheesing with her arms full of golden gramophones after sweeping all of the Grammys’ major categories (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist). 

The fact that Eilish was even nominated in all these categories was a record-breaking feat, as she was the youngest artist in history to receive this honor. The milestones keep coming the 18-year-old’s way because she also became the second artist ever to take home those four major awards in the same year. It’s been nearly four decades since Christopher Cross also pulled this off in 1981. 

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Not to be forgotten is Billie Eilish’ brother and musical sidekick, Finneas, who lugged home a ton of awards too for his work on her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Aside from the major categories, Finneas also won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.