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Your 2023 Grammy Awards Recap

For football fans, February 12 marks the Super Bowl. For music fans, February 5 marked their version of the Super Bowl: the 65th annual Grammy Awards. It’s a day where everyone comes together to celebrate their favorite artists…and brutally criticize the Recording Academy’s decisions.

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Music Features

Corinne Bailey Rae Was Ahead of Her Time

On this day in 2006, "Put Your Records On" had taken over the world. What happened to Corinne Bailey Rae?

Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

A soft-spoken singer-songwriter named Corinne Bailey Rae was geared up to take over the world.

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Tyler, The Creator at Coachella Indio, CA

Photo by Christopher Victorio (Shutterstock)

Tyler, The Creator has a notorious Twitter presence.

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Music Features

"Old Town Road" Deserved Better at the Grammy Awards

While Billie Eilish's sweep is worth celebrating, it comes at the expense of slighting Lil Nas X's leaps towards equal representation in music.

Lil Wayne at the Beverly Hills 2023

Photo by Richard Shotwell_Invision_AP_Shutterstock

In the 13 months since Lil Nas X independently released "Old Town Road," he went from a virtual unknown to one of the Grammys' most discussed artists.

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MUSIC

Billie Eilish Releases New Self-Directed Video for "Xanny"

Ever wondered what Billie Eilish looks like with brown hair?

Billie Ellish performs at Sir Lucian Grainge's 2020 Artist Showcase Presented By Citi and Lenovo on in Los AngelesSir Lucian Grainge's 2020 Artist Showcase Presented By Citi and Lenovo, Los Angeles

Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Billie Eilish, the brilliant 17-year-old who's shaken up the pop world for the past year, just released a new music video for her single "Xanny."

Eilish not only stars in the stirring visual, but also directed it herself. The video depicts EIlish in a cream colored turtleneck and trousers, sitting in a nondescript tiled room. She stares moodily at the camera, singing the haunting melody. As the camera moves closer, the chorus hits and a hand comes out of nowhere, burning Eilish's face with a lit cigarette as she continues to sing. The whole video is done in a single shot, adding to the intensity. It's safe to say Eilish can add talented "director" to her already extensive list of accomplishments.

Billie Eilish - xannywww.youtube.com

It comes as no surprise that the Grammys have once again snubbed some of the year's most prominent talents.

The rap categories are completely lacking in women nominees, despite Megan Thee Stallion, Young M.A., Tierra Whack and Missy Elliot achieving some of 2019's biggest successes in the genre. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Solange, Bruce Springsteen, and Tyler, The Creator were all overlooked for Artist of the Year consideration (though the latter is nominated for Best Rap Album), and Ari Lennox, Summer Walker, DaBaby (who allegedly wasn't considered because he has previously released "mixtapes"), and Lauv were among a of the few rising talents disregarded for "Best New Artist." Goldlink—who has been nominated for Grammy's in the past but whose brilliantly amalgamative Diaspora album wasn't considered for any award this year—sounded off on Instagram. "The lack of relevance you have just solidifed [sic] today is unbelievable," he wrote. "I've just gotten to a point after three years of being silent on this topic, that my value is much beyond what closed door establishments have been giving us."

While The Academy's disrespect this year feels particularly brash, we can take comfort in the fact that award shows are increasingly meaningless, white-washed, and more out of touch with culture as time has gone on. Let's dive back into (some of) the Grammy's biggest f*ck ups from over the years and find some cynical comfort in the the Grammy's mediocrity, since they shouldn't be regarded as any determinant of popular culture.

2005: Maroon 5 Over Kanye West

For some millennials, Maroon 5's "Best New Artist" win over Kanye West in 2005 was one of the first times we felt a need to destroy the patriarchy. While no one could have predicted that Maroon 5 would dissolve into a "karaoke version of themselves," the disregard for Kanye West at (what many called) his breakout moment would forever breed resentment in our little hearts. At least we got this laughably awkward interview out of the whole thing.