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.
Cardi's win last year was a historic one for the ladies. She became the first solo female rapper to be honoured with the prestigious award. The last female rapper in general to take home the trophy was Lauryn Hill, as part of The Fugees, who won for their album, The Score, more than two decades earlier in 1997.
Since then, Invasion of Privacy has gone on to break a number of records for female rap albums. It became the longest-charting debut for a female rapper at 92 weeks, beating Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which spent 91 weeks on the charts. After spending 8 more weeks on the charts, IOP also became the first female rap debut to chart for 100 weeks straight.
Atlantic Recording Corporation/Warner Music Group Company
Currently, Cardi is working on her follow-up to her explosive debut, but is reportedly putting the process on hold to renegotiate her contract. However, she's been building the hype by sharing some snippets of a few of the tracks off the forthcoming album, including one unreleased song about her daughter, Kulture.
Roddy Ricch Hugs Lauren London After Nipsey’s Grammy Win In Touching Photo
Nipsey posthumously won for his song, "Racks in the Middle," with Roddy and Hit-Boy.
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.
In the tweet, Roddy wrote, "one of the greatest moments was seeing her smile cause hussle got one." Not only did Nipsey get recognized with multiple awards, but he was also honoured with a tribute performance by Roddy, John, and Khaled, along with YG, Meek Mill, and Kirk Franklin. These artists made sure to include Kobe's memory in the tribute as well, which made the performance all the more powerful and devastating.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Serena Williams Wins First Title Since Giving Birth To Daughter In 2017
Absolutely love to see it.
On September 1, 2017, Serena Williams was blessed with her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia, after some serious, nearly-fatal birthing complications that resulted in Serena “almost dying,” she revealed. This Sunday, less than two-and-a-half years after giving birth to Alexis, Serena beamed proudly with her daughter in one arm while lifting the trophy for the ASB Classic in the other. Serena defeated her fellow American opponent, Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 6-4 at the tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, her first win since Alexis was born. “Oh, it feels good!” Serena said after the exciting victory. “It’s been a long time. I think you could see the relief on my face. It’s pretty satisfying just to get a win in the final. That was really important for me, and I just want to build on it. It’s just a step towards the next goal.”
Despite her frightening experience in the delivery room, Serena made her first reappearance to the game a mere two months later in December at an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She returned to the courts again 4 months later at the WTA Tour in March of 2018. Though she reached finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in both 2018 and 2019, she had yet to bring home the big prize until now. Speaking on how she maintained her optimism and kept her spirits high as she strived for another win, Serena said, “You have to be your biggest cheerleader, especially if you’re feeling you’re not doing everything right—or even if you are doing everything right but things aren’t working out for you.”
Serena was recently honoured with the Female Athlete of the Decade title by the Associated Press. Her husband, founder Alexis Ohananian, shared an Instagram post to express how proud he is of his wife. On the post, he also revealed just where exactly her $43,000 prize money is going. “And just when I think I can’t possibly be more proud, you donate all your prize money to fight the #australianbushfires,” he wrote. Serena’s next match will actually take place in the continent currently devastated by tragic wildfires. Beginning on January 20th, Serena will play at the Australian Open, a tournament she has won seven times in the past.