Music Features

Was Freddie Gibbs Snubbed At the Grammys?

Did King's Disease truly deserve the "Best Rap Album" Grammy? The answer is murky.

Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

After Freddie Gibbs's coveted 2020 album, Alfredo, lost out to Nas's King's Disease for Best Rap Album at last night's Grammy Awards, Gibbs's fanbase collectively aired their frustrations online.

"Nas finally wins at the Grammys, but Freddie Gibbs loses," captioned one fan on Twitter. "Idk (sic) how to feel...I'm both happy and sad." Other fans were less forgiving. "F**k that," wrote another Gibbs fan. "I congratulate Nas, but lowks Freddie had it man."

Gibbs was indeed seen by many as a near shoo-in for Best Rap Album. Alfredo's mafioso sheen and muted jazzy backdrops are as timeless and sophisticated as vintage denim, and Gibbs's verses are so potent that they were scribed across cardboard signs this past summer during the BLM protests.

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Much like Outkast and Little Brother, J. Cole helped reshape the narrative surrounding the lack of lyricism from southern rappers.

The Fayetteville, North Carolina native raps with the technical brilliance of New York City rap titans like Nas and Jay-Z. His sincere take on the Black Experience makes him a leading voice in Hip-Hop.

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Photo by Roger Cosby on Unsplash

Kendrick Lamar is as prolific as he is innovative.

The Compton emcee is considered one of the greatest rappers of his generation. He's covered California gang culture, Black adolescence, and social justice in an almost cinematic fashion. The man known as Kung-Fu Kenny is a favorite amongst his peers, die-hard Hip-Hop fans, and even former presidents.

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The Genesis

Nasir Jones, AKA Nas, is one of the greatest rappers in Hip-Hop.

The Queens native was at the forefront of rap as it made the transition from the disco-like party grooves of the '80s to the gritty street energy of the 90s. Nas's clever wordplay and delivery were a breath of fresh air. Rap music at the time had become more graphic and intense, but Nas's accounts of growing up in Queensbridge Houses came across as refined and poetic. His influence in Hip-Hop is as prominent now as it was during his ascension.

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FILM & TV

On This Day: "Belly" Wasn't a Good Movie

The Hip Hop crime drama Belly isn't as great as some remember.

DMX as Tommy and Louie Rankin as Lennox

Belly released in theaters on November 4, 1998. The film was written and directed by the most in-demand Hip-Hop/R&B music video director at the time, Hype Williams.

Belly's cast consists of rap's biggest stars at the time, Nas, DMX, and Method Man. Belly became an instant cult classic in the Hip-Hop community; its cinematography and gritty depiction of street life were as vivid as some of its cast's infamous lyrics. However, once you remove the all-star cast and the sensationalized presentation of street life, it is a story that is flawed and unrealistic.

Belly's plot focuses on Sincere (Nas) and Tommy, AKA Buns (DMX), childhood friends who are involved in the drug game. Though the two men are inseparable, their temperaments are in stark contrast with each other.

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MUSIC

Lil Nas X Won't Leave You Alone in the New "Panini" Video

It's the hitmaker's latest video, and it marks his official metamorphosis from cowboy to robot.

Lil Nas X

Photo by Image Press Agency (Shutterstock)

Lil Nas X has officially hacked the system.

The official video for "Panini" just dropped, and it's an ultra-futuristic, Blade Runner-inspired montage of neon lights and dancing holograms.

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