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Tag: Kendrick Lamar

  • Grammy: Kendrick Lamar breaks Jay-Z’s record as most-awarded rapper

    Grammy: Kendrick Lamar breaks Jay-Z’s record as most-awarded rapper

    American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar has dominated the rap categories at Sunday’s 68th Annual Grammy Awards, winning all four awards.

    His album “GNX” took home Best Rap Album, while “TV Off” with Lefty Gunplay won Best Rap Song.

    Lamar also received awards for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Luther” featuring SZA, and Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips” with Clipse.

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    The “Luther” collaboration also earned Record of the Year, bringing Lamar’s total Grammy wins to 27, surpassing Jay-Z as the most-awarded rapper.

    Other notable winners included Olivia Dean, who took home Best New Artist, and Bad Bunny, who made history with the first Spanish-language Album of the Year win for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos”.

    Beyoncé remains the most awarded artist in Grammy history with 35 wins.

  • Kendrick Lamar breaks rap record for most Spotify listeners

    Kendrick Lamar breaks rap record for most Spotify listeners

    American rapper Kendrick Lamar has made history by breaking the record for the most Spotify monthly listeners ever for a rapper, with 88.8 million listeners.

    The massive surge in popularity comes on the heels of Lamar’s electrifying headline performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, which drew in a record-breaking 133 million viewers.

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    The performance featured songs from his latest album, GNX, as well as his hit track “Not Like Us.”

    Lamar’s achievement surpasses that of fellow rapper Drake, who previously held the record with 86.6 million monthly listeners.

  • 67TH GRAMMY: Kendrick Lamar wins three awards with ‘Not Like Us’ 

    67TH GRAMMY: Kendrick Lamar wins three awards with ‘Not Like Us’ 

    American rapper Kendrick Lamar made history at the 67th Grammys, sweeping three awards in the rap categories with his diss track “Not Like Us”.

    He took home awards for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video, bringing his total Grammy wins to 20.

    This achievement solidifies his position as one of the most awarded hip-hop artists, just behind Jay-Z and Kanye West, who both have 24 Grammy wins.

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    “Not Like Us” was a pivotal track in Kendrick Lamar’s highly publicised feud with Drake, and its commercial success was unmatched. 

    It’s worth noting that “Not Like Us” made history as the first diss track to win multiple Grammy awards.

  • I’m inspired by Kendrick Lamar, MI Abaga, Shallipopi – Victony

    I’m inspired by Kendrick Lamar, MI Abaga, Shallipopi – Victony

    Afrobeat star Victony, who started his career as a rapper, has named his hip-hop inspirations in a recent interview with Sway Universe. 

    He said his inspirations include global stars Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J.Cole, and Meek Mill, as well as Nigerian rappers MI Abaga, Odumodublvck, and Shallipopi.

    Victony praised Kendrick Lamar’s artistry and visual presentation, Drake’s flexibility and willingness to experiment with Afrobeats, and J.Cole’s lyrical depth. 

    He also acknowledged MI Abaga’s role in popularising rap in Nigeria and inspiring young artists.

     Victony said: “I started [my career] as a rapper. I really looked up to Kendrick Lamar earlier in my career because of his artistry. Kendrick is that one rapper who is not just about what he says but also his visualisation and the way he presents it to his fans. That made me a strong fan of Kendrick.

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    “I also like Drake because of his flexibility. He’s one of the first Americans to hop on the Afrobeats wave. I was a fan of Drake before that. Obviously, I listened to J.Cole as well. I listened to some Meek Mill.

    “MI Abaga inspires me too, because he was one of the rappers that popularised the genre in Nigeria and made young artists believed it was possible to be successful as a rapper in the country. Now, we have the likes of Odumodublvck and Shallipopi. Odumodublvck just did his US tour. Rap is becoming big in Nigeria. Sometimes, I blend it with afrobeats.”

    Victony said he’s also hoping to inspire other Nigerian children to achieve their dreams.

    “I am doing this for Doyin. I am doing this for the kids in Ojo. I hope that they look at me and get inspired,” he said.