The Grammy Awards took place on Sunday night but some of the biggest stars in hip-hop were notably missing, despite their nominations. Kanye West and Drake weren't in the crowd last night, nor was Cardi B, who was nominated for Best Rap Performance for "Up." J. Cole didn't pull up either, but that's because of prior engagements. The return of Dreamville Fest took place in Raleigh, NC this weekend where some of the biggest artists -- Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, etc. -- hit the stage.
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J. Cole didn't end up winning any awards at the Grammys this year. However, he did celebrate the one Grammy he does have from his contributions to 21 Savage's "A Lot." The rapper gave a shout-out to Savage as he performed their i am > i was collaboration. "Y'all make some noise for 21 Savage. He got a n***a his first -- the only Grammy I ever won was because of this n***a 21 Savage," he said.
Cole was nominated in four categories this year, including Best Rap Album for The Off-Season. He also was nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance for "P R I D E.I S.T H E.D E V I L" ft Lil Baby and Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "M Y.L I F E" ft. Morray.
It's been an overall busy weekend for J. Cole. The rapper came through on Thursday night with the latest compilation project from Dreamville, D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape with DJ Drama, who also hosted a Gangsta Grillz performance ft. T.I., Lil Wayne, and Jeezy.
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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years.
Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021.
Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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