Grammy Awards

The **Grammy Awards**, also referred to as the **Grammys**, is an awards show presented by the Recording Academy to recognize "Outstanding Achievement in the music industry" of the United States. American rapper Nipsey Hussle was nominated for five Grammys, winning two posthumously for the songs "Racks in the Middle" and "Higher" in Best Rap Performance and Best Rap/Sung Performance, respectively.

## Biography

Born Ermias Ashgedom on Aug. 15, 1985, in Los Angeles, Calif., rapper Nipsey Hussle is known for his humor and took his stage name from a twist on comedian Nipsey Russell. A West Coast classic who got started in 2005, his own way of doing things consistently stands out, for example pricing his 2013 mixtape *Crenshaw* at $100 each. In 2018 Hussle released his first full-length album, *Victory Lap*, and described more of his signature style on the Recording Academy video-series launch for **#NoCover**.

## Background

Nipsey Hussle told *Rolling Stone* that he heard of a possible Grammy nomination, though didn't look into it until it was officially announced. He added, "I caught the official word 5:30 this morning at the gym. I been working on an early morning program. Me and my engineer and one of my business partners have been getting up at five and going to the gym the last two or three days." While there was talk of Grammy nominations, he cut the talk down: "That ain't really what the spirit of the project was. It was more trying to deliver on our potential as producers, writers, rappers. We knew we had potential to make dope, next-level rap music. So when they started the Grammy talk, I'd be like, 'Don't do that.' We don't want to judge the success of the album based on whether it gets recognized or not. I want to create in a vacuum."

He noted of The Recording Academy overall, "It's people. It's opinions. Those opinions can deliver a really prestigious award to an artist, but it's just opinions at the end of the day. There are a lot of great hip-hop albums. Sometimes they get recognized, sometimes they don't. [...] I'll say maybe they should think about expanding the number of artists that can go in the rap category. Rap is expanding, and it's already so big — it's the most consumed genre on streaming. So maybe they would consider expanding the amount of nominees. But everything evolves."

In 2019, he received his first nomination for Best Rap Performance with his debut album, *Victory Lap*, though lost to Cardi B's *Invasion of Privacy*.

The following year in 2020, he was posthumously nominated for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance ("Racks in the Middle"), and Best Rap/Sung Performance ("Higher"), where he won in the latter two categories. That year was a pre-telecast ceremony, where his family, including Lauren London, accepted the Best Rap Performance on his behalf. His grandmother stated, "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. So thank you, thank you, thank you." London said, "Nip did it, not just for the awards, but for the people." DJ Khaled and John Legend said, upon receiving the award for "Higher," "We all love him, we all miss him. It is terrible that we had to lose him so early. Thank you for allowing us to use his legacy and lift it up in song tonight." Artists Khaled, Legend, Ricch, Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin and YG honored him with a tribute performance during the show. They performed a medley of Hussle songs, including "Last Time that I Checc'd," "Higher" and "Racks in the Middle". Executive producer of the show, Ken Ehrlich, said: "An activist, entrepreneur and rapper, Nipsey Hussle had a lasting impact on not just his community, but also the culture at large. There is no denying the influence he had and his legacy will be felt for generations to come. We are honored to bring together this amazing group of artists to celebrate Nipsey's life and pay tribute to his many contributions to music. It's sure to be a memorable performance." However, the announced tribute lineup drew some criticism, wondering of any involvement from Hussle's All Money In group. Pacman Da Gunman remarked, "It's crazy we weren't even contacted about the Grammys. This is our brother, and he loved and respected us. I'm pretty sure he would want the team involved. If it wasn't me, put J Stone. If not J Stone, put BH or Cuzzy or Cobby or Twan. Or have our sis Lauren London go and speak. But at the same time, I'm just happy that they're doing a tribute for bro. It's about Hussle at the end the day."

In 2021, he was nominated for Best Rap Performance with "Deep Reverence".

## Accolades

 "Higher"(with DJ Khaled and John Legend) | Best Rap/Sung Performance
 2021

## Gallery

* One Take (2018)
* Red Carpet Interview (2019)
* Roc Nation Brunch Red Carpet (2019)
* Remembering Nipsey Hussle
* Hussle's Family Backstage (2020)
* Best Rap/Sung Performance (2020)
* Fundraiser

## References

1. ↑ Leight, Elias (December 7, 2018). "Nipsey Hussle Wasn't Thinking of the Grammys When He Made 'Victory Lap,' But He Got a Nomination Anyway". *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ Whitcomb, Dan and Borter, Gabrielle (January 27, 2020). "Rapper Nipsey Hussle Wins Two Posthumous Grammys, Honored in Tribute Performance". *Reuters*.
3. ↑ Payne, Chris (January 26, 2020). "Nipsey Hussle Wins First Grammy: Rapper's Family Posthumously Accepts Best Rap Performance". *Billboard*.
4. ↑ Saponara, Michael (January 21, 2020). "Nipsey Hussle Grammy Awards Tribute Performance to Feature Meek Mill, YG, Roddy Ricch, DJ Khaled". *Billboard*.
5. ↑ Kenner, Rob (January 24, 2020). "Meet the All Money In Artists Carrying on Nipsey Hussle's Musical Legacy". *Complex*.
6. ↑ Leight, Elias (December 7, 2018). "Nipsey Hussle Wasn't Thinking of the Grammys When He Made 'Victory Lap,' But He Got a Nomination Anyway". *Rolling Stone*.
7. ↑ Real, Evan (November 20, 2019). "Grammys: Nipsey Hussle Scores 3 Posthumous Nominations". *Billboard*.
8. ↑ Warner, Denise (March 14, 2021). "Here Are All the Winners from the 2021 Grammy Awards". *Billboard*.

Template:Nipsey Hussle