Beyoncé and Jay-Z Tied for Most Career Nominations Heading Into 65th Annual Grammy Awards

Photo Courtesy of The Recording Academy

When it comes to Grammy Award nominations, no duo is more prolific than music power couple — The Carters.

Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, are the most-nominated artists in Grammy history with 88 apiece.

The accomplishment was revealed on Tuesday when the nominations for the 65th annual Grammy Awards were announced.

With nine nominations to lead the field, the pop music diva tied the rapper — who received five nominations — for the honor.

If she can win at least four of the awards she is in contention for, which include album, record and song of the year, she will surpass classical conductor Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins.

Other leading nominees for the awards, which will take place on Feb. 5 at the Crypto.com center in Los Angeles, included rapper Kendrick Lamar (eight), Adele and Brandi Carlile (seven), and Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige, Future, DJ Khaled and producer and songwriter The-Dream, who each earned six Grammy nominations.

Click here for the full list of nominees.

Chris Rock Chosen to be First Live Performer on Netflix

Chris Rock

Chris Rock is going where no comedian has gone before — live on Netflix.

The streaming giant made the announcement Thursday on Twitter.

"Chris Rock is about to make history as the first artist to perform LIVE on Netflix!" the network posted on its official account, alongside a picture of Rock with a goat. "The legendary comedian, writer, director, and actor’s newest comedy special will premiere live — globally — in early 2023 on Netflix!"

Netflix’s vice president of stand-up and comedy formats, Robbie Praw, elaborated on why Rock — who is currently on the road for his Ego Death World Tour — was chosen for the honor in a statement released by the company.

Chris Rock is about to make history as the first artist to perform LIVE on Netflix!

The legendary comedian, writer, director, and actor’s newest comedy special will premiere live — globally — in early 2023 on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/U8ozz2BLV1

— Netflix (@netflix) November 10, 2022

"Chris Rock is one of the most iconic and important comedic voices of our generation,” Praw said. “We’re thrilled the entire world will be able to experience a live Chris Rock comedy event and be a part of Netflix history. This will be an unforgettable moment and we’re so honored that Chris is carrying this torch.”

The appearance will mark the second time Rock has done a stand-up special for the network. In 2018, he made his Netflix debut with “Chris Rock: Tamborine."

Snoop Dogg Biopic in Development at Universal Pictures

Courtesy Death Row Pictures 

Snoop Dogg is ready for his close-up.

Universal Pictures announced that the gangster-rapper from Long Beach, CA, turned unlikely lifestyle guru and renaissance man, is getting his own biopic.

The studio behind 2015’s Oscar-nominated “Straight Outta Compton” about legendary hip-hop group NWA — which grossed over $200 million and is considered of the most successful musical biopics ever — shared the news on Wednesday (Nov. 10).

"What's his name? Snoop Dooogggyyy Doooooggg," Universal Pictures tweeted. "That's right, we're partnering with the Dogg Father himself @SnoopDogg to bring his legendary life-story to the big screen."

What’s his name? 🎶Snoop Dooogggyyy Doooooggg🎶 That’s right, we’re partnering with the Dogg Father himself @SnoopDogg to bring his legendary life-story to the big screen. pic.twitter.com/X0o9DqfA41

— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) November 9, 2022

The revelation was followed by a statement from the 51-year-old rapper, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, confirming the collaboration.

“I waited a long time to put this project together because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand the legacy that I’m trying to portray on screen, and the memory I’m trying to leave behind,” Snoop said. “It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”

With a script by Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote the two “Black Panther” films, and directed by Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society”), the film will be the first project under his newly formed Death Row Pictures imprint. He will also serve as a producer on the film along with Sara Ramaker.

“Snoop Dogg is one of the most internationally beloved figures in Hip Hop. There’s just something about his energy that brings people of all walks of life together. Snoop Dogg, not just the artist, but the man and his brand, has transcended generations with his connection and appeal to audiences." Hughes added, “His story is so authentic and utterly inspiring, and to have the opportunity to tell his story allows me to go back to the hood 30 years after Menace II Society, and say more now than I could then.”

The film will have an abundance of material to draw from.

A key player on the West Coast rap scene after his discovery by Dr. Dre in 1992 which led to him being featured on the former NWA members classic solo debut album “The Chronic,” Snoop Dogg has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.

He has appeared on television and in the movies and managed a successful career as a brand ambassador and lifetime guru, even partnering up with style icon Martha Stewart along the way.

His career has not been without controversy, however, including one that threatened to end his career before it began.

In 1993, the year his now classic debut album “Doggystyle” entered the charts, he was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of Philip Woldermariam, a rival gang member.

Represented by legal wunderkind Johnnie Cochran, who helped secure OJ Simpson’s not guilty verdict the year before, it was determined that Snoop’s bodyguard pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting.

The drama was documented in the most popular single from “Doggystyle,” “Murder Was the Case.” The song, nor the short film that accompanied it, proved favorable for him at trial. They did help the album become the fastest-selling hip-hop album ever at the time. "Doggystyle" sold over 11 million copies worldwide.

Celebration of Life for Takeoff to Be Held in Atlanta on Friday

A celebration of life will be held for Takeoff in Atlanta on Friday. 

Friends and fans of Takeoff, the Migos rapper shot and killed outside a downtown bowling alley in Houston last week at the age of 28, will have one last chance to celebrate his life.

Quality Control Music and Motown Records have announced that on Friday at noon in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, an event will be held to honor the artist, born Kirsnick Khari Ball, and allow fans to pay their respects to the superstar and his family.

“Takeoff was one of the most influential names in modern music whose creativity left a profound impact on music and culture as we know it today,” read a release from the labels. “The cherished Quality Control/Motown superstar was a part of the supergroup Migos and was a beloved son, grandson, brother, nephew and friend to so many.”

Free tickets to the event were available to Georgia residents on its website. As of this morning (Nov. 9), however, all were accounted for. Organizers are urging those without tickets not to come downtown.

Instead, those wanting to honor Ball can donate to The Rocket Foundation. It was established recently in his honor to support programs attempting to save lives through proven, community-based solutions to prevent gun violence like that which took his life.

No arrests have been made in the shooting, which also wounded another man and woman.

Jay-Z, Diddy Top List of Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Sean Combs

With Kanye West's self-immolation nearly complete, as he continues to burn down his music and fashion empires with his heated and hate-filled rhetoric, another has risen to replace him on the throne of hip-hop's billionaires.

Jay-Z, an idol, mentor, and sometimes partner-in-rhyme with West—who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021—now holds the number one spot thanks to his $1.5 billion fortune.

The news comes courtesy of reporting from former Forbes entertainment editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg. Currently covering the business of music at Substack, Greenburg dove deep into the numbers to find Ye's wealth-heir apparent after the rapper lost a reported $2 billion in net worth.

"All in all, the genre’s top five acts are now worth a combined $3.8 billion," Greenburg, who published his last hip-hop wealth list for Forbes in 2019, wrote. "Since then, the world has changed quite a bit, but the five richest artists’ combined net worth has jumped 20% from a pre-pandemic total of $3.17 billion."

Hailed as the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019, Jay-Z overtook his former protégé with a diverse and growing portfolio that includes investments in everything from real estate to art and spirits.

Fellow mononymous artist, Diddy, another former collaborator surged into second place on the list with a $1 billion net worth, courtesy of lucrative deals with Cîroc, DeLeón Tequila and the Revolt media network, among others.

Following antisemitic comments and other erratic behavior that led to the end of lucrative deals with a slew of companies, including his massive partnership with Adidas — distributor of his Yeezy shoes — Ye fell to third on the list with $500 million.

Gilbert “Berner” Milam ($410 million), and Dr. Dre ($400 million) rounded out the top-five earners in hip-hop. Milam, a Bay Area rapper, secured his spot on the strength of his cannabis empire, Cookies. The company sells 70 strains of weed and 2,000 different marijuana-related products around the globe.

Dre, who once proclaimed himself the first billionaire in hip-hop following the sale of his Beats headphone empire to Apple, was No. 5 on the list. The producer, whose fortune peaked at $800 million, has taken hits to his wealth in recent years thanks to a divorce and some expensive investments, including the purchase of Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s Los Angeles mansion for $40 million.

For more information on Greenburg’s methodology, click here.

Salt-N-Pepa Headed to Hollywood Walk of Fame

Salt-N-Pepa to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Nov. 4.

The first ladies of rap are getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Tuesday that Salt-N-Pepa will receive the Walk's 2,738th star on Friday, Nov. 4.

"This upcoming star ceremony honoring Hip-Hop pioneers Salt-N-Pepa will honor the amazing 80s music we all love and so many grew up with," Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement.

She added that the hip-hop duo would be in good company:

"We’re placing these ladies of Hip Hop royalty adjacent to Amoeba Music and right next to the Walk of Fame star of another Queen of Hip Hop, Missy Elliott!"

👑👑🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 What a Blessing to be beside Salt & Pepa who inspired me to Rap! My sisters for over 2 Decades! & they took a lot of Criticism coming in this game to make the female emcees after them walk through the door a lot easier💜 Thank you S&P RESPECT👑 https://t.co/mqdbMUpnnA

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) October 26, 2022

Comprised of Cheryl "Salt" James and Sandra "Pepa" Denton, Salt-N-Pepa’s 1986 debut album "Hot, Cool & Vicious" sold over one million copies.

The lead single "Push it" topped the charts in three countries and helped the group become the first female rap act to achieve both gold and platinum status.

Salt-N-Pepa enjoyed continued success in the following decades, selling over 15 million albums, racking up three No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart and placing five albums on the Billboard 200.

In 1995, Salt-N-Pepa won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The victory was the first for a women’s rap group in the category.

The group responded to the announcement on Instagram with a post of it captioned, "We are honored and excited!"

Their soon-to-be neighbor on the Walk of Fame was among the first to congratulate them on the accomplishment.

"What a blessing to be beside Salt-N-Pepa, who inspired me to rap,” Elliott tweeted. “My sisters for over [two] decades [and] they took a lot of criticism coming in this game to make the female emcees after them walk through the door a lot easier. Thank you, S&P. RESPECT.”

Salt-N-Pepa replied, "Our stars being beside each other makes it all the more special. Your sisterhood and friendship is such a blessing. Thank you."

Our stars being beside each other makes it all the more special. Your sisterhood and friendship is such a blessing. Thank you @MissyElliott 🇯🇲❤️ https://t.co/BeJaPkbpI3

— Salt N Pepa (@TheSaltNPepa) October 26, 2022

The ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. (PT). Fellow rap legends Mc Lyte and Roxanne Chante will be on-hand as guest speakers. Those unable to attend the event in person can stream it for free at walkoffame.com.

BET Announces 2022 Soul Train Award Nominees

BET revealed the host and nominees for the 2022 Soul Train Music Awards on Thursday.

Actor and comedian Deon Cole will handle emcee duties for the event, which will be filmed on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and broadcast on Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on BET and BET Her.

“Hosting the ‘Soul Train Awards’ is a dream come true. I grew up watching Soul Train and ‘til this day, I’ve never met a Soul Train Line I didn’t bless with my skilled two step,” Cole said in a statement. “It is truly a privilege to be given this opportunity to celebrate Don Cornelius’ legacy, all of the amazing Black talent that illuminated our screens on the iconic TV show, and my favorite genres of music: Soul, R&B and Hip Hop.”

Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige lead all nominees with seven nods apiece. Ari Lennox has six. Chris Brown and Lizzo are tied at five apiece and Burna Boy, Muni Long and Steve Lacy each have four nominations to round out the top contenders.

See the complete list of nominations below:

Best New Artist
CKay
Coco Jones
Dixson
Doechii
Fireboy DML
Muni Long
Steve Lacy
Tems

Certified Soul Award
Chaka Khan
Charlie Wilson
Diana Ross
Mary J. Blige

Maxwell
PJ Morton
Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers
T-Pain

Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
CeCe Winans
Erica Campbell
Fred Hammond
Major.
Marvin Sapp
Maverick City Music X Kirk Franklin
Tamela Mann
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
H.E.R.
Jazmine Sullivan
Lizzo
Mary J. Blige
SZA
Tems

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist
Babyface
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Charlie Wilson
Chris Brown
Giveon
Lucky Daye
PJ Morton

Album of the Year
An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)
Away Message (EP), Ari Lennox
Breezy, Chris Brown
Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige
Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, Jazmine Sullivan
R&B Money, Tank
Renaissance, Beyoncé
Special, Lizzo

Song of the Year
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige
“Hrs & Hrs,” Muni Long
“Last Last,” Burna Boy
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox
The Ashford And Simpson Songwriter’s Award
“Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“Church Girl,” Beyoncé
“Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige
“Hrs & Hrs,” Muni Long
“I Hate U,” SZA
“Last, Last,” Burna Boy
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox

Best Dance Performance
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Call Me Every Day,” Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
“Have Mercy,” Chlöe
“Persuasive,” Doechii
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox
“Smokin Out the Window,” Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)
“We (Warm Embrace),” Chris Brown
“Woman,” Doja Cat

Video of the Year
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
“Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige
“Have Mercy,” Chlöe
“Hrs & Hrs,” Muni Long
“Last Last,” Burna Boy
“Pressure,” Ari Lennox
“Smokin Out the Window,” Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak)

Best Collaboration
“Amazing,” Mary J. Blige feat. DJ Khaled
“Be Like Water,” PJ Morton feat. Stevie Wonder & Nas
“Call Me Every Day,” Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
“Gotta Move On,” Diddy feat. Bryson Tiller
“Hate Our Love,” Queen Naija & Big Sean
“Make Me Say It Again, Girl,” Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers feat. Beyoncé
“Move,” Beyoncé feat. Grace Jones & Tems
“Slow,” Tank feat. J. Valentine

Rihanna Headlining Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show

SIGMA, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Barbadian billionaire musician-cum-fashion mogul, Rihanna, will headline the next Super Bowl halftime show.

The 34-year-old pop star first teased the news Sunday afternoon in a vague Instagram post. She shared a photo of her hand, distinguished only by her iconic tattoos, holding an NFL-branded football.

Jay-Z's music entertainment agency Roc Nation — which oversees the halftime show and includes Rihanna on its roster — reshared the post with a caption that solidified its meaning.

"Let’s GO — @badgalriri @NFL #SBLVII @AppleMusic @NFLonFOX," the label's Instagram caption reads.

The NFL confirmed the news in a joint statement with Roc Nation declaring that the “international icon, entrepreneur and philanthropist” will take center stage at Super Bowl LVII's halftime show in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music. “Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”

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A post shared by Roc Nation (@rocnation)

Jay-Z added, “Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment."

The selection marks a significant milestone for the musician and new mom who gave birth to her first baby with partner A$AP Rocky in May. In 2019 she turned down the same gig in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who eventually reached a confidential settlement with the NFL on charges of collusion to keep the civil rights activist out of the league.

“I couldn’t dare do that," she told Vogue in 2019 of the reasoning behind her decision. "For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”