Black culture wins big at this year’s Grammys

Elena Hernandez - Music Editor

A month after a series of deadly wildfires spread across southern California, the Recording Academy held its 67th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 2nd. Instead of postponing the event, the Academy opted for a fundraiser during the main broadcast.

Back in July 2024, CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter to the Academy’s 12,000 members, urging them to cast their votes “with purpose, intention, and integrity” and “without bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting.”

Beyoncé took home a long overdue Grammy for Album of the Year after previously being nominated for the award four times. She’s the first black woman to do so since Lauryn Hill in 1999. COWBOY CARTER also won for Best Country Album, making her the first black woman to win in the category. She remains the most-awarded artist in Grammy’s history with 35 wins and 99 nominations.

The most awarded artist of the night was Kendrick Lamar with “Not Like Us.” It won all five of its nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Best New Artist nominee Doechii won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album, making her the third woman to ever do so after Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy (2018). She also took the stage for a performance of her hits “CATFISH” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER.”

Notably, Academy darlings Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish took home zero awards despite having a combined total of 13 nominations. After her performance of “Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan won the Grammy for Best New Artist.

Chappell Roan used her acceptance speech to call out record labels for failing to provide emerging artists with “livable wage[s] and healthcare,” she finished with: “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”