Ahead of Sunday evening, the Grammys lined up a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle nearly a year after his shooting death in March of last year. Tragically, his tribute would find itself making room for two as he was ultimately projected alongside Kobe Bryant after the basketball legend passed away earlier in the day. 

The lineup of artists set to honor Nip's found itself being all-too-fitting, however, as Los Angeles' YG and Roddy Ricch found themselves among collaborators Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, John Legend and gospel mainstay Kirk Franklin as they led an emotional rendition of Khaled's "Higher" featuring Legend and Nip before the crowd gathered inside of the Staples Center.

Rhymesayers Entertainment has made major strides as an independent label, especially when it comes down to putting on for Twin Cities hip-hop. Although the local scene hasn’t grown in prominence in the way a New York, Atlanta or an L.A. is, their independent grind has continuously put a spotlight on otherwise underground talent.

Since 2008, the label has sponsored the annual Soundset hip-hop festival in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. As it grew over the past twelve years, some of rap’s biggest names have hit the stage such as Lil Wayne, Pusha T, DaBaby, DMX, Gucci Mane, Travis Scott, and of course, Atmosphere, among many other names. However, it looks like after 12 years, they’re taking a break in 2020.

“Following twelve successful years, we are officially announcing that Soundset will not take place in 2020. We made the difficult decision to take this year off in order to assess what Soundset will become in the new decade.” a letter on their website reads. “Soundset has brought a diverse lineup of national and local Twin Cities artists together for a one-day celebration that represents Hip Hop culture in Minnesota.”

It continues, “We sincerely appreciate the artists, the partners, the crew, and most importantly, the fans who continue to make everything we do possible.”

The letter adds that they’ll be focusing on the Rhymesayers 25th anniversary set later this year. 

After peaking on the 19th spot of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart last year, Billboard disqualified Lil Nas X's single "Old Town Road" from the chart claiming that the song did not 'fit the genre.' Now, billions of streams later, peaking at the number one spot in ten different countries, and staying number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart for a record-breaking nineteen weeks, Lil Nas X is the most prominent figure in all of music today. 

Now, to add insult to injury, Lil Nas X has won a Grammy for the song's visuals for Best Music Video. The video presented as an 'official movie' featured cameos from some notable personalities including Chris Rock, Haha Davis, Rico Nasty, Diplo, Jozzy, Vince Staples, and Young Kio, the song's producer. The five-minute production starring Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus on the run after an alleged bank robbery. The "Panini" performer eventually finds himself out of place in the hood while Billy Ray Cyrus makes his way to a bingo hall to perform his notorious verse. 

The video directed by Calmatic has made Recording Academy history as the 62nd annual Grammy Award winner for Best Video. After it was announced that the video was the winner, Lil Nas X and company approached the stage in obvious hysteria. Calmatic took to the mic first thanking his supporters, family, and colleagues. Lil Nas X took to the mic following the director's speech clearing his throat and simply stating:

"Thank You." 

The 20-year-old multifaceted artist proceeded to walk off stage before racing back to the mic to say 

"And thank you to my man, Saul, right here, he's amazing and Cal, you're incredible."

Some may not like it but Lil Nas X went from a struggling artist to a Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter in a single year all thanks to "Old Town Road." Check out Lil Nas X's acceptance speech below as well as the list of Grammy winners, here. 

The 62nd annual Grammy Awards kicked off with one electrifying performance from Lizzo as she songstress ran through her top hits of the past year, highlighting one of the past year's greatest success stories. 

Soon after, however, host Alicia Keys would take to the stage to pay her respects to Kobe Bryant inside Staples Center, or as Keys referred to it, the "house that Kobe Bryant built." 

She made reference to the tragic passing of Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other individuals who lost their lives in a fiery helicopter crash Sunday morning in Calabasas. It a quick turnaround in response to the news, Keys was soon joined onstage with Boyz II Men to lead the legendary R&B group in a rendition of their "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" hit.  

Last year, 21 Savage had one of the most bizarre moments in hip-hop history when he was arrested and detained by ICE and it was discovered that the Atlanta-based rapper is an immigrant from the United Kingdom. All of this took place just days after the release of the music video for his single "a lot." At the time, the 27-year-old emcee was coming off of the success of his sophomore studio album, I Am > I Was (2018), and his single featuring Dreamville head honcho, J. Cole had just began to dominate throughout the music industry.

When Eminem released Revival in 2017, his fans and critics alike were wary of the rapper's relevance to today's broad musical climate. The following year, the Detroit-native responded to criticism of the record with the release of Kamikaze (2018) and proved to the masses that his pen was just as prominent as it ever was. Now, one week following the drop of his surprise LP, Music To Be Murdered By (2020), Billboard has revealed that Eminem's latest musical offering has officially debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart. 

The 2020 Grammy award for the Best Rap Performance has been awarded to Nipsey Hussle for the late rapper's "Racks In The Middle" collaboration with Roddy Rich and producer Hit-Boy. Together, the trio beat out J. Cole & Dreamville's "MIDDLE CHILD" and "Down Bad" selections, Offset and Cardi B's "Clout," and DaBaby's "Suge."

It marks the first Grammy win for Hussle and Compton breakout Roddy Ricch. Nip's family took to the stage to accept the award on his behalf.

“I wanted to thank all of you for showing all the love that I have felt for him all of his life and will always live in my heart,"  said his grandmother onstage. "So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” 

It was last year that Nipsey Hussle was gunned down in broad daylight in front of his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles. His life was celebrated at the very same Staples Center where he posthumously won the prestigious award Sunday evening.

"I speak on behalf of our family and the All Money In family and Nip, who was a phenomenal vessel," said Lauren London Sunday night. "Nip did it, not just for the awards, but for the people and God allowed him to use his music to speak his truth, give us wisdom and something that we will forever be able to live with."

It's an interesting year for Beyoncé at the Grammys. We're used to her being nominated for music that belongs to her solo discography, but at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, she is being recognized for her participation in the world of motion pictures. Bey was tied to two cinematic projects last year, Homecoming and The Lion King. Homecoming, a Netflix exclusive documenting her monumental Coachella performance in 2018, earned a nomination for Best Music Film, while Bey's other three nominations are for her Lion King work. 

The pre-show Grammy awards have begun to be doled out and Beyoncé scored a win in the Best Music Film category. Homecoming beat out David Crosby's Remember My Name, Stanley Nelson's Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, Morgan Neville's Shangri-La and Thom Yorke/Paul Thomas Anderson's Anima. Other contributors to Homecoming being recognized through this win include Bey's co-director, Ed Burke, and producers, Steve Pamon and Erinn Williams. It's great to see Homecoming honoured by the Grammys, as it was shut out of all six of the Emmy categories in which it was nominated. 

“Music’s biggest night” is here. The industry’s finest have all gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate what the Recording Academy has deemed to be the best of the past year. Among nominees, Lizzo leads the pack with eight nods, followed behind by Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X who have six nominations each. 

Per the Hollywood Reporter, the non-televised portion of the awards show has already settled on the grim news of the death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna early Sunday evening, honoring their memories with a moment of silence. 

Alicia Keys is set to host the full ceremony as the evening’s stars move forward to collect their awards throughout the night. Keep up below with the night’s winners:

Album of the Year
I, I – Bon Iver
Norman Fucking Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish
thank u, next – Ariana Grande
I Used to Know Her – H.E.R.
7 – Lil Nas X
Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) – Lizzo
Father of the Bride – Vampire Weekend

Record of the Year
“Hey, Ma” – Bon Iver
“bad guy” – Billie Eilish
“7 Rings” – Ariana Grande
“Hard Place” – H.E.R.
“Talk” – Khalid
“Old Town Road” – Lil Nas X f/ Billy Ray Cyrus
“Truth Hurts” – Lizzo
“Sunflower” – Post Malone & Swae Lee

Song of the Year
“Always Remember Us This Way” – Lady Gaga
“bad guy” – Billie Eilish
“Bring My Flowers Now” – Tanya Tucker
“Hard Place” – H.E.R.
“Lover” – Taylor Swift
“Norman Fucking Rockwell” – Lana Del Rey
“Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi
“Truth Hurts” – Lizzo

Best New Artist
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola

Best Rap Album
Revenge of the Dreamers III – Dreamville
CHAMPIONSHIPS – Meek Mill
I Am > I Was – 21 Savage
IGOR – Tyler, the Creator
The Lost Boy – YBN Cordae

Best Rap Performance
“Middle Child” – J. Cole
“Suge” – DaBaby
“Down Bad” – Dreamville f/ JID, Bas, J. Cole, EarthGang & Young Nudy
“Racks in the Middle” – Nipsey Hussle f/ Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy
“Clout” – Offset f/ Cardi B

Best Rap/Sung Performance
“Higher” – DJ Khaled f/ Nipsey Hussle & John Legend
“Drip Too Hard” – Lil Baby & Gunna
“Panini” – Lil Nas X
“Ballin” – Mustard f/ Roddy Ricch
“The London” – Young Thug f/ J. Cole & Travis Scott

Best Rap Song
“Bad Idea” – YBN Cordae f/ Chance the Rapper
“Gold Roses” – Rick Ross f/ Drake
“A Lot” – 21 Savage f/ J. Cole
“Racks in the Middle” – Nipsey Hussle f/ Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy
“Suge” – DaBaby

Best R&B Performance
“Love Again” – Daniel Caesar & Brandy
“Could’ve Been” – H.E.R. f/ Bryson Tiller
“Exactly How I Feel” – Lizzo f/ Gucci Mane
“Roll Some Mo” – Lucky Daye
“Come Home” – Anderson .Paak f/ André 3000

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Time Today” – BJ the Chicago Kid
“Steady Love” – India.Arie
“Jerome” – Lizzo
“Real Games” – Lucky Daye
“Built for Love” – PJ Morton f/ Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Song
“Could’ve Been” – H.E.R. f/ Bryson Tiller
“Look at Me Now” – Emily King
“No Guidance” – Chris Brown f/ Drake
“Roll Some Mo” – Lucky Daye
“Say So” – PJ Morton f/ JoJo

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Apollo XXI – Steve Lacy
Cuz I Love You (Deluxe) – Lizzo
Overload – Georgia Anne Muldrow
Saturn – NAO
Being Human in Public – Jessie Reyez

Best R&B Album
1123 – BJ the Chicago Kid
Painted – Lucky Daye
Ella Mai – Ella Mai
Paul – PJ Morton
Ventura – Anderson .Paak

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Spirit” – Beyoncé
“bad guy” – Billie Eilish
“7 Rings” – Ariana Grande
“Truth Hurts” – Lizzo
“You Need to Calm Down” – Taylor Swift

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Boyfriend” – Ariana Grande and Social House
“Sucker” – Jonas Brothers
“Old Town Road” – Lil Nas X f/ Billy Ray Cyrus
“Sunflower” – Post Malone & Swae Lee
“Señorita” – Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Sì – Andrea Bocelli
Love (Deluxe Edition) – Michael Bublé
Look Now – Elvis Costello & The Imposters
A Legendary Christmas – John Legend
Walls – Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album
The Lion King: The Gift – Beyoncé
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish
thank u, next – Ariana Grande
No.6 Collaborations Project – Ed Sheeran
Lover – Taylor Swift

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed

Best Music Video
“We’ve Got to Try” – The Chemical Brothers (Ninian Doff, video director)
“This Land” – Gary Clark Jr. (Savanah Leaf, video director)
“Cellophane” – FKA Twigs (Andrew Thomas Huang, video director)
“Old Town Road” (Official Movie) – Lil Nas X f/ Billy Ray Cyrus (Calmatic, video director) – WINNER
“Glad He’s Gone” – Tove Lo (Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia: video directors)

Best Music Film
Homecoming – Beyoncé (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Ed Burke, video directors) – WINNER
David Crosby: Remember My Name – David Crosby (A.J. Eaton, video director)
Birth of the Cool – Miles Davis (Stanley Nelson, video director)
Shangri-La – Various artists (Morgan Neville, video director)
Anima – Thom Yorke (Paul Thomas Anderson, video director)

Best Dance Recording
“Linked” – Bonobo
“Got to Keep On” – The Chemical Brothers – WINNER
“Piece of Your Heart” – Meduza f/ Goodboys
“Underwater” – Rüfüs Du Sol
“Midnight Hour” – Skrillex & Boys Noize f/ Ty Dolla Sign

Best Dance/Electronic Album
LP5 – Apparat
No Geography – The Chemical Brothers – WINNER
Hi This Is Flume – Flume
Solace – Rüfüs Du Sol
Weather – Tycho

Best Rock Performance
“Pretty Waste” – Bones UK
“This Land” – Gary Clark Jr.
“History Repeats” – Brittany Howard
“Woman” – Karen O & Danger Mouse
“Too Bad” – Rival Sons

Best Metal Performance
“Astorolus – The Great Octopus” – Candlemass f/ Tony Iommi
“Humanicide” – Death Angel
“Bow Down” – I Prevail
“Unleashed” – Killswitch Engage
“7empest” – Tool

Best Rock Song
“Fear Inoculum” – Tool
“Give Yourself a Try” – The 1975
“Harmony Hall” –Vampire Weekend
“History Repeats” – Brittany Howard
“This Land” – Gary Clark Jr.

Best Rock Album
Amo – Bring Me the Horizon
Social Cues – Cage the Elephant
In the End – The Cranberries
Trauma – I Prevail
Feral Roots – Rival Sons

Best Alternative Music Album
U.F.O.F. – Big Thief
Assume Form – James Blake
I, I – Bon Iver
Father of the Bride – Vampire Weekend
Anima – Thom Yorke

Best Country Solo Performance
“All Your’n” – Tyler Childers
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” – Ashley McBryde
“Ride Me Back Home” – Willie Nelson
“God’s Country” – Blake Shelton
“Bring My Flowers Now” – Tanya Tucker

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Brand New Man” – Brooks & Dunn with Luke Combs
“I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)” – Brothers Osborne
“Speechless” – Dan + Shay
“The Daughters” – Little Big Town
“Common” – Maren Morris f/ Brandi Carlile

Best Country Song
“Bring My Flowers Now” – Tanya Tucker
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” – Ashley McBryde
“It All Comes Out in the Wash” – Miranda Lambert
“Some of It” – Eric Church 
“Speechless” – Dan + Shay

Best Country Album
Desperate Man – Eric Church
Stronger Than the Truth – Reba McEntire
Interstate Gospel – Pistol Annies
Center Point Road – Thomas Rhett
While I’m Livin’ – Tanya Tucker

Best Latin Pop Album
Vida – Luis Fonsi
11:11 – Maluma
Montaner – Ricardo Montaner
El Disco – Alejandro Sanz
Fantasía – Sebastian Yatra

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
X 100Pre – Bad Bunny
Oasis – J Balvin & Bad Bunny
Indestructible – Flor de Toloache
Almadura – iLe
El Mal Querer – Rosalía

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Caminado – Joss Favela
Percepcion – Intocable
Poco a Poco – La Energía Norteña
20 aniversario – Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
De Ayer Para siempre – Mariachi los Camperos

Best Tropical Latin Album
Opus – Marc Anthony
Tiempo al Tiempo – Luis Enrique + C4 Trio
Candela – Vicente García
Literal – Juan Luis Guerra 4.40
A Journey Through Cuban Music – Aymée Nuviola

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Beastie Boys Book – Various artists
Becoming – Michelle Obama – WINNER
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years as a Two-Time Cancer Survivor – Eric Alexandrakis
Mr. Know-It-All – John Waters
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory – Sekou Andrews & The String Theory

Best Comedy Album
Quality Time – Jim Gaffigan
Relatable – Ellen DeGeneres
Right Now – Aziz Ansari
Son of Patricia – Trevor Noah
Sticks & Stones – Dave Chappelle

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
The Lion King: The Songs – Various Artists
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Various Artists
Rocketman – Taron Egerton
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Various Artists
A Star Is Born – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – WINNER

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Avengers: Endgame – Alan Silvestri
Chernobyl – Hildur Guðnadóttir – WINNER
Game of Thrones: Season 8 – Ramin Djawadi
The Lion King – Hans Zimmer
Mary Poppins Returns – Marc Shaiman

Best Song Written for Visual Media
“The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy” (from Toy Story 4) – Chris Stapleton
“Girl in the Movies” (from Dumplin’) – Dolly Parton
“I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)” (from A Star Is Born) – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – WINNER
“Spirit” (from The Lion King) – Beyoncé
“Suspirium” (from Suspiria) – Thom Yorke

Best Recording Package
Anónimas & resilientes – Voces Del Bullerengue (Luisa María Arango, Carlos Dussan, Manuel García-Orozco & Juliana Jaramillo-Buenaventura, art directors)
Chris Cornell – Chris Cornell (Barry Ament, Jeff Ament, Jeff Fura & Joe Spix, art directors) – WINNER
Hold That Tiger – The Muddy Basin Ramblers (Andrew Wong & Fongming Yang, art directors)
I, I – Bon Iver (Aaron Anderson & Eric Timothy Carlson, art directors)
Intellexual – Intellexual (Irwan Awalludin, art director)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
All These Things – Thomas Dybdahl (Tchad Blake, Adam Greenspan & Roderick Shearer, engineers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer)
Ella Mai – Ella Mai (Chris “Shaggy” Ascher, Jaycen Joshua & David Pizzimenti, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer)
Run Home Slow – The Teskey Brothers (Paul Butler & Sam Teskey, engineers; Joe Carra, mastering engineer)
Scenery – Emily King (Tom Elmhirst, Ben Kane & Jeremy Most, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer)
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – Billie Eilish (Rob Kinelski & Finneas O’Connell, engineers; John Greenham, mastering engineer) – WINNER