Music

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Beyonce, the reigning queen of contemporary music, is set to add more to her growing list of Grammys.

Leading with 11 nominations for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, she now has a record-setting 99 career Grammy nods, the most ever by any artist.  Quincy Jones previously held the record for the most nominations in history with 79, followed by composer Georg Solti. The album “Cowboy Carter” earned the “Bootylicious” singer a nomination for the top prize of Album of the Year, a fifth in the category, and the most ever for a Black artist.

Previous Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo and Rocky Dawuni will face off for the Best Global Music Performance Grammy while Asake & Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tems and first-time nominee Yemi Alade will battle it out in the Best African Music Performance category. Kidjo took home the Best World Music Album for ‘Celia’ at the 62nd Grammy Awards. This is the fourth time Rocky has been nominated.

The Grammy nominations were announced in livestream Friday led by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., joined by Grammy winners Kirk Franklin, Kylie Minogue, along with Grammy-nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan and “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King.

“Today we celebrate the amazing creative achievements of our music community,” Mason said in a statement after the announcement. “It was an incredible year in music and these nominations reflect the work of a voting body that is more representative of the music community than ever before. Congratulations to all the nominees.”

The 67th Grammy Awards, also known as Music’s Biggest Night, will be presented Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, California, and broadcast live on CBS.

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

A prominent figure with an illustrious musical career spanning seven decades, Quincy Jones, the first Black composer to be nominated in the Original Song category for an Oscar, died on Sunday in California at age 91.

A unique force in music and popular culture, he was one of the most powerful forces in American popular music for more than half a century. Beyond his own acclaim as a trumpeter, producer, conductor, composer and arranger, Jones’s inimitable gift to discover the biggest talents of the past half of the century is unprecedented. He composed the soundtracks for “Roots” and “In the Heat of the Night,” organized President Bill Clinton’s first inaugural celebration and oversaw the all-star recording of “We Are the World,” the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa.

Jones also mentored and cultivated the careers of young talents, from Michael Jackson, Will Smith to Oprah Winfrey who paid tribute on social media to the icon saying that he ‘discovered her.’

Jones earned a total of seven Oscar nominations for his work on “In Cold Blood,” “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple,” receiving a Best Picture nomination for the latter.

The Academy is yet to issue a statement on their plans for a posthumous honor.

Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Nigerian-American rapper Anike was one of several artists who performed at Gospel music’s biggest night of the year. It was the first time, Anike, formerly known as Wande, has performed at the Dove Awards.

An annual event which showcases many of the nation’s leading Christian music artists, this year’s awards show was held in Nashville, Tennessee.

Other performers included Chandler Moore, Tye Tribbett and gospel icon CeCe Winans, who not only took home three trophies but opened the show with a joy-fueled performance of “That’s My King” complete with a 24-person choir.

“I’m known for my music all over the world,” shared CeCe Winans as she accepted her accolade for Artist of the Year. “People know me for my music. God only knows me for my relationship with Him. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.”

An event where artists from every style of gospel music come together for a night of music and celebration, winners included Jonathan Smith, Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, and Jason Ingram. Song of the Year went to “Holy Forever,” honoring songwriters Chris Tomlin, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Jason Ingram and Phil Wickham. Gospel Music icons Bill and Gloria Gaither were honored with the Jackie Patillo Leadership Award.