Urban Daypop Archives

JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar are the frontrunners at the 2018 Grammy Awards, notching an impressive eight and seven nominations, respectively.  Lil Uzi Vert and SZA scored nominations for Best New Artist, along with Alessia Cara and Khalid, both of whom appeared on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255.”  And Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” earned a nod for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.  The 60th Grammy Awards will air live from New York City’s Madison Square Garden on January 28.

Erykah Badu opened up her night as host of the 2017 Soul Train Awards in a different fashion. Instead of the usual music number, the R&B songstress opted for kneeling in support of Colin Kaepernick and his ongoing activism efforts.  When Badu graced the stage to raucous applause, she quickly got to her point and kneeled onstage at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The arena stood in unison as Badu kneeled with most applauding and others raising a right fist in support.

Timbaland recently opened up about his own personal struggles in a new interview. The mega-producer revealed that he was battling both an addiction to OxyContin and depression. Timbaland reportedly began taking the strong pain reliever in his thirties to help with nerve tissue damage that resulted from a gunshot wound her suffered from as a teen. But soon after,  he became hooked, popping more and more pills as his depression worsened and his chart success declined.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton has announced that he plans to visit Meek Mill in prison today, November 27. Sharpton said that he plans to visit Meek Mill in an effort to secure a new hearing for the 30-year-old rapper, and to draw attention to the mass incarceration of young black men in America.  “I think this is about an injustice that is representative of many young men of color that face an abuse of a probation or parole system,” Sharpton said Saturday at the Harlem headquarters of his civil rights group, National Action Network.

DJ Khaled, one of hip-hop’s best known producers, celebrated his 42nd birthday on Sunday.  Khaled is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable figures in the music industry, and has become famous on the strength of his two monster singles “I’m The One” and “Wild Thoughts.” Khaled is a huge social media presence so he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to show his fans as well as those close to him some love to mark the occasion of his birthday.