November 21, 2025 • 16 mins
In a shorter episode, Dez gives his picks and predictions for the 2026 GRAMMYs Rap categories: Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Melodic Rap Performance. He evaluates each nominee's chances at winning their category, shares his winners versus who he believes the recording academy will select, dishes on Clipse's chances of winning multiple awards, and more.
Enjoy and share your thoughts! Thank you for all the support! - Dez
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Enjoy and share your thoughts! Thank you for all the support! - Dez
Keep up with all things Hip 2 Da Games:
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Follow 19 Media Group:
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Discover our favorite podcast gear and support the show—shop our studio must-haves on our Amazon Affiliate page! https://www.amazon.com/shop/19mediagroup
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Hip to the Games, the podcast for you
the basketball junkie and the hip hop hit. I'm your host,
Desmond and I too have had hoop dreams and enjoy
the beautiful genre of hip hop and its history. Together
we will enjoy some of the greatest albums, songs, artists, players, moments, teams,
and so much more, while even mixing the two on occasion.
(00:20):
All in my hope that you remember why you love both.
For either of these to begin with, you'll soon understand
that Hip to the Games is more than just a podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's a lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
And if you were looking for a platform that combines
both basketball and hip hop, you've come to the right place.
(00:50):
Is getting into that Grammy's Talk, Man, It's a Grammy season.
The hip hop slash rap categories have been released and
I'll be given my thoughts on those, and I want
to start with the rap album of the Year Clips.
Let God sort them out, Glorilla, Glorious, Jid, God does
like Ugly, Kendrick Lamar, gn X and Tyler the Creator Chromacopeia.
(01:10):
You know, do you give it to Clips or do
you give it to Kendrick? For me? Is down the
Clips or Kendrick. I mean, considering what Clips did, I
think they they had an amazing rollout when you think
about their interviews, their performances, even after well before and
after music videos, like everybody knew they were coming with it.
I think they had the hype of just the simple
(01:32):
fact that they dropped an album for the first time
in what like it was like since two thousand and nine, right,
So like they had all the recipe of having like
a highly anticipated album, and then once it dropped, they delivered.
It was high quality, features were good versus were good.
You got people saying Malice is the wrap MVP of
(01:52):
twenty twenty five. So like it's hard to beat Clips,
even if you're Kendrick Lamar, who had a great gn
X album, right. I think for for Kendrick, I think
he really did it for California. He really did it
for la you know, he really did it for the
culture over there and had a lot of hits, right,
And he wasn't trying to be deep philosophical or anything
like that. It wasn't like a crazy concept album like
(02:14):
Mister Morale or a lot of his past albums. It
was really just something that was a lot more lighthearted,
even though it did contain a lot of deep messages
in it when you look at Reincarnated Man at the Garden, right,
it was a lot of deep introspective stuff like that,
And again it was great. But I just think I
do think Clips is gonna have the edge here just
because of an overall like again, they pull you in
(02:36):
with the heartstrings, with the burdsdone sing right, they have
a lot of the classic Clips you know mafio so well,
maybe not mafioso, but like luxury rap, heavy songs and whatnot.
They had the bars obviously, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
They did they thing, They did they thing.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think J I D would be an honorable mention,
you know, I think in this category, again, being up
against heavyweights like Clips and Kendrick Lamar, it's hard for
j ID to get the W in this category, but I.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Definitely think he's third place.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
The thing about it is that Tyler the Creator is
also in this category, and a lot of what he
does gets a lot of fanfare, so I wouldn't be
surprised if even he edges out J I D. But
I would love that top three if it was me,
I would love that top three to be Clips, Kendrick
j I, d Tyler, and then Glorilla. Again, there's no
(03:31):
dish to Glorilla. I just feel like she's in a
tough category here. She's in a tough category here. When
you think about a lot of the albums that drop
this year, you know it's awesome that she's in the running,
that she's nominated. I just think she's unfortunately subject to
a stacked category. If it was me, I'm picking Clips
or Kendrick, but I think Clips runs with this one,
(03:53):
or I shouldn't say runs with it, but they're probably
gonna win this one. The next category is Best Rap Song,
and the nominees for Best Rap Song are the aforementioned
The Birds Don't Sing by Clips featuring John Legend and
Voices of Fire. We got Anxiety by Doci, TGIF by Glorilla,
tv Off, Kendrick Lamar Left the Gunplay, and then we
(04:14):
got Sticky Tyler The Creator featuring Glorilla, Sexy Red and
Lil Wayne. All Right, So first off, my immediate thought
was that Anxiety isn't necessarily a rap song, all right.
I think it just barely makes it because there are
moments in between where Doci is rapping right, she ain't singing,
she's rapping. But for that, for the majority of that song,
(04:37):
she is singing, she is getting in her bag and
did an entirely different song compared to what she does
as a MC. Right, And because it's Doci and she
did a little bit of rapping, it fits this category.
But I just can't help but consider this a pop
song or like to me, it just doesn't scream better
(05:00):
rap song. If we're gonna call it best rap song,
you gotta be rapping. And Docie's gotten a lot of
other songs where she is rapping. Anxiety is not that
great song. Love what Doci did with it, love the
music video right, love the story behind it, but I
just don't categorize it as best rap song. Okay, clips,
(05:21):
I think again, this is one of those ones where
they're probably gonna win because it pulls the heart strings, right.
They talk about the passing of their parents, right, and
the perspective of each right, that's automatically pulling the heart strings, right.
And then I think even Goloilla right, she got a
banger this year.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You can't. You couldn't walk two steps.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Without hearing TGIF right, even if it ain't ninety ninety
five degrees or whatever she said in the song you
gonna you gonna play that record, And the thing is,
anxiety is on the same playing field.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
You could not take two steps, You could not blink.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Your eyes without hearing this song. Right, So Clips, they
got some hefty competition here. If the Grammys are just
going off virality and popularity, not substance, right, even the
last song, right, Sticky, that just got.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Too much going on. Catchy as heck.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
But again, I would not categorize that as the best
rap song of the year to me.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I mean, like, come on, I feel like they could
have went underground.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
They could have went anywhere and found a last nominee
other than Sticky, Like I just have to be a hundred,
I have to be a hundred. I just think that
song is doing way too much and it isn't even
featuring a lot of dope verses. If I'm being a hundred,
it's just a catchy song. So they threw it in
here as best rap song. So if they lean towards
hip hop, I think they go Clips. Dochi Glorilla Kendrick Tyler,
(06:46):
I think Dochi wins. If they go off pop popularity,
and virality. I think Dochi edges out Glorilla. But if
they keep it hip hop and they really trying to
do it justice, I think Clips can get this award
as well. But this is gonna be closer than you
would think. This is gonna because Clips is fighting against
two of the literally the biggest songs.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Of the year.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And then I didn't even mention TV OFF right like
TV off again for its time, you know that that
little stint when it was hot, it was great, But again,
it's just not on the level of t G I
F in my opinion, it's not on the level of
anxiety as far as virality and fanfare, and it's obviously
it's just not as uh substance based as as the
(07:27):
birds don't sing.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But again it's.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Got the quote, it's got, it's probably got the best
quote out of all these you know, crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious. Right,
Like again, this is this is a tough group. But
I do think this is either gonna go to Clips
or DOCI. And then we got the nominees for Best
Rap Performance, Cardi B Outside Clips featuring Kendrick, Chains and Whips, DOCI, Anxiety,
(07:50):
Kendrick lamar Let the Gun play TV off ty the
Creator featuring Tizo Touchdown Darling. I, Okay, this is actually
interesting because anxiety. Right again, given what I just said,
are we counting this as a best rap performance or
or are we just giving it a little bit of
a past because it's dogy right?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
She again?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I thought her music video was great. I thought it
was It almost gave like a Broadway effect, which I
think is really cool how she like combined hip hop,
pop and like Broadway into one song. I think again,
with that in mind, she's gonna be hard to beat. Uh,
Chains and Whips, Clips, I think that's gonna be hard
to beat because it felt like they performed this track everywhere, right,
(08:34):
So even then, I think, like I think Clips, with
their album roll Out, they knew what they were doing.
Like if we just if we perform the songs the
right way and really get them in front of different
audiences and and and mass platforms, like we're gonna we're
gonna allow people to hear what we're what we're spitting.
And so I think with that alone, like the campaign
(08:56):
of it, all the Clips has a chance. Uh. I
was really impressed with Tyler's Darling. I I was really
impressed with that. And even if we're thinking of the
music video right like having knee along on that joint,
like come on, like that's gonna get people in itself.
But this song, I think it would have been even
bigger in like two thousand and four. This would have
(09:18):
went crazy in two thousand and four, and to me,
it has a legit chance to win that performance. That
song from Tyler really dope. I was really impressed with
that song, really, like listening to it with fresh ears,
I was really impressed.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I was really impressed.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
That, Like I would not sleep on Tyler for this.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
For this best rap performance.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And I think again, I think Cardi B and Kendrick
Lamar even they just got caught inside better competition in
my in my opinion, I think, which is saying a
lot considered on how much I liked TV OFF and
how popular it was. Obviously, Cardi B dropped her album. Honestly,
I didn't listen to her album, but I saw highlights,
you know. Obviously, you know Outside was one of her
(10:00):
bigger songs of the year, up there with the Imaginary
Player's remix right that she did. Uh, But again, I
just think she's she's in a tough category. It's hard
to beat anxiety. It's hard to It's gonna be really
hard to beat Darling I.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
In my opinion.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And again, if if Clips is really trying to do
something like crazy Sweep, they got a chance too. So
again that's my top three. Like, honestly, if I'm if
I'm going, let's give it to like a different a
different artist like or I shouldn't say different artists, but
let's just with this category, give it to somebody different.
I would probably go, uh, Tyler, ah Doci Clips as
(10:40):
the top three. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Clips, Doci, Tyler,
but ooh man not saying it out loud though, something
is telling me that Tyler creator or Doci is gonna
walk away with this grammy. I love what Clips did
with chains and whips. It's enforcing. It reminds you of
No Church in the Wild. You know, when No No
Church in the Wild came out, it was it. It
(11:03):
was it and I and I get those same vibes
with chains and whips, but Anxiety and and and and
and Tyler, like they really put on a performance. So
you know, we'll see how it goes. But it's gonna
to me I would pick one of those two if
we just don't want Clips to win all the awards.
And then the last category is Best Melodic rat Performance. Uh.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
This is always an interesting category.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Because sometimes they like to put songs that aren't necessarily melodic,
not not the angelic melody that you think of when
you hear the word melodic. But I thought they did
pretty good with this year. Friday and Meek Mill were
Proud of me h j I d tdy dollars sign
and black with Wholeheartedly, Kendrick Lamarin says a Luther Party
next Door, and Drake Somebody Loves Me, and Terris Martin
(11:47):
and Kenny and Dixon featuring a Rhapsody we made all right,
and again with Fresh Ears. Okay, going down the list,
I love the way Friday and Meek Mill poured their
hearts out on Proud of Me. That's a really deep record, right,
It's got themes of grief and things of that nature.
Really touches the heartstrings. I think, you know, Meek Meek
(12:08):
always had a way of doing that, and this is
one of those songs. And again I was not mad
at this. I'm not mad at this nomination. I think
it's a really really dope song. I think j I
d Ty Dollas Sign and Black what they did, that's smooth. Okay,
that is smooth, but it just didn't pull me in.
(12:28):
How how even Friday and meet Mill did. Right. I
thought Friday and Meek Mill pulled me in a little
bit more than j I D. Although that like the
beat and everything song structure was really smooth from JID,
but it just didn't pull me in like the other ones.
The next one Terris Martin, Kenyan Dixon and Rhapsody we made.
That is a jazz masterpiece where lyrics and the instruments
(12:53):
are on one accord the entire duration. It is a
short song, it is a quick listen, but for what
it is, it is a jazz masterpiece, great quality, and
I think it would Honestly, I would pick this one
as the winner by far if it had as much
impact as Luther. Okay, again, hard to beat what Kendrick
(13:14):
and siss It did. They basically made the wedding song
of like the next generation right the way A lot
of you know, obviously, people like I would say a
lot of millennials and maybe some Gen zs millennials, but
definitely millennials. How they feel about uh, you're all I
need Mary Jay and method Man. I think is how
(13:36):
like my generation and probably the next generation is gonna
feel about Luther playing that song at weddings and parties
and whatnot, Like it's just gonna be the perfect encapsulation
of falling in love in the year, you know, twenty
twenty five, right Like, I just think Luthor had that
impact with Kendrick and obviously the tribute to Luther Vandroz
(13:57):
like it was great.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
If the Terras Martin Kenya, Dixon and Rhapsody joint had
that fan fare, I think they should win.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
It by a mile.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
To me's that's that record right there, you know, Drake
and Party next Door.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I think to me it was a.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Prototypical early mid twenty ten song for the ladies. I
just wasn't too impressed. When I listened to it with
fresh ears. I immediately was just thinking of all the
girls that you know, I mean shout out twenty sixteen,
duck Lips and dog Filters. I mean I thought of that.
I thought of again early twenty early twenty ten's Instagram,
(14:31):
right when Instagram first came out. I think of that
everybody was using different filters and duck clips and peace signs,
like it was just that it satisfied that era for me,
and you know, I just wasn't too impressed with compared
to the other songs in this category. So again, for me,
I think it's Luther we made Friday and Meet Mill
(14:51):
with Proud of Me, j I d and then Drake
are probably gonna be fighting for fourth and fifth. That
to me, I don't really care about that because I
think but I solidify that top three for me, at
least I would give the slight edge to Luthor. But Boy,
Terris Martin, Kenya Dixon and Rhapsody did they think like
I would not be surprised if if the Grammys was like,
(15:12):
you know what, let's give it to them. But I
do think obviously Luther is gonna get that award. So
those are some of my brief thoughts on the rap
categories of the Grammys. Definitely let me know what you think,
all right, this is always the best time of year
where we get to go back and forth or who
we think is gonna win, or who we think deserves
to win, or you know, are the Grammys gonna you know,
are they gonna get it right this year? Or are
(15:32):
they not?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
So you know, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hip to the
Games and if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to
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Hip to the Games on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok so
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the podcast platform you're on right now, as your support
is greatly appreciated.
Welcome to Hip to the Games, the podcast for you
the basketball junkie and the hip hop hit. I'm your host,
Desmond and I too have had hoop dreams and enjoy
the beautiful genre of hip hop and its history. Together
we will enjoy some of the greatest albums, songs, artists, players, moments, teams,
and so much more, while even mixing the two on occasion.
(00:20):
All in my hope that you remember why you love both.
For either of these to begin with, you'll soon understand
that Hip to the Games is more than just a podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's a lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
And if you were looking for a platform that combines
both basketball and hip hop, you've come to the right place.
(00:50):
Is getting into that Grammy's Talk, Man, It's a Grammy season.
The hip hop slash rap categories have been released and
I'll be given my thoughts on those, and I want
to start with the rap album of the Year Clips.
Let God sort them out, Glorilla, Glorious, Jid, God does
like Ugly, Kendrick Lamar, gn X and Tyler the Creator Chromacopeia.
(01:10):
You know, do you give it to Clips or do
you give it to Kendrick? For me? Is down the
Clips or Kendrick. I mean, considering what Clips did, I
think they they had an amazing rollout when you think
about their interviews, their performances, even after well before and
after music videos, like everybody knew they were coming with it.
I think they had the hype of just the simple
(01:32):
fact that they dropped an album for the first time
in what like it was like since two thousand and nine, right,
So like they had all the recipe of having like
a highly anticipated album, and then once it dropped, they delivered.
It was high quality, features were good versus were good.
You got people saying Malice is the wrap MVP of
(01:52):
twenty twenty five. So like it's hard to beat Clips,
even if you're Kendrick Lamar, who had a great gn
X album, right. I think for for Kendrick, I think
he really did it for California. He really did it
for la you know, he really did it for the
culture over there and had a lot of hits, right,
And he wasn't trying to be deep philosophical or anything
like that. It wasn't like a crazy concept album like
(02:14):
Mister Morale or a lot of his past albums. It
was really just something that was a lot more lighthearted,
even though it did contain a lot of deep messages
in it when you look at Reincarnated Man at the Garden, right,
it was a lot of deep introspective stuff like that,
And again it was great. But I just think I
do think Clips is gonna have the edge here just
because of an overall like again, they pull you in
(02:36):
with the heartstrings, with the burdsdone sing right, they have
a lot of the classic Clips you know mafio so well,
maybe not mafioso, but like luxury rap, heavy songs and whatnot.
They had the bars obviously, right, you know.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
They did they thing, They did they thing.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think J I D would be an honorable mention,
you know, I think in this category, again, being up
against heavyweights like Clips and Kendrick Lamar, it's hard for
j ID to get the W in this category, but I.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Definitely think he's third place.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
The thing about it is that Tyler the Creator is
also in this category, and a lot of what he
does gets a lot of fanfare, so I wouldn't be
surprised if even he edges out J I D. But
I would love that top three if it was me,
I would love that top three to be Clips, Kendrick
j I, d Tyler, and then Glorilla. Again, there's no
(03:31):
dish to Glorilla. I just feel like she's in a
tough category here. She's in a tough category here. When
you think about a lot of the albums that drop
this year, you know it's awesome that she's in the running,
that she's nominated. I just think she's unfortunately subject to
a stacked category. If it was me, I'm picking Clips
or Kendrick, but I think Clips runs with this one,
(03:53):
or I shouldn't say runs with it, but they're probably
gonna win this one. The next category is Best Rap Song,
and the nominees for Best Rap Song are the aforementioned
The Birds Don't Sing by Clips featuring John Legend and
Voices of Fire. We got Anxiety by Doci, TGIF by Glorilla,
tv Off, Kendrick Lamar Left the Gunplay, and then we
(04:14):
got Sticky Tyler The Creator featuring Glorilla, Sexy Red and
Lil Wayne. All Right, So first off, my immediate thought
was that Anxiety isn't necessarily a rap song, all right.
I think it just barely makes it because there are
moments in between where Doci is rapping right, she ain't singing,
she's rapping. But for that, for the majority of that song,
(04:37):
she is singing, she is getting in her bag and
did an entirely different song compared to what she does
as a MC. Right, And because it's Doci and she
did a little bit of rapping, it fits this category.
But I just can't help but consider this a pop
song or like to me, it just doesn't scream better
(05:00):
rap song. If we're gonna call it best rap song,
you gotta be rapping. And Docie's gotten a lot of
other songs where she is rapping. Anxiety is not that
great song. Love what Doci did with it, love the
music video right, love the story behind it, but I
just don't categorize it as best rap song. Okay, clips,
(05:21):
I think again, this is one of those ones where
they're probably gonna win because it pulls the heart strings, right.
They talk about the passing of their parents, right, and
the perspective of each right, that's automatically pulling the heart strings, right.
And then I think even Goloilla right, she got a
banger this year.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
You can't. You couldn't walk two steps.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Without hearing TGIF right, even if it ain't ninety ninety
five degrees or whatever she said in the song you
gonna you gonna play that record, And the thing is,
anxiety is on the same playing field.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
You could not take two steps, You could not blink.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Your eyes without hearing this song. Right, So Clips, they
got some hefty competition here. If the Grammys are just
going off virality and popularity, not substance, right, even the
last song, right, Sticky, that just got.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Too much going on. Catchy as heck.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
But again, I would not categorize that as the best
rap song of the year to me.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I mean, like, come on, I feel like they could
have went underground.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
They could have went anywhere and found a last nominee
other than Sticky, Like I just have to be a hundred,
I have to be a hundred. I just think that
song is doing way too much and it isn't even
featuring a lot of dope verses. If I'm being a hundred,
it's just a catchy song. So they threw it in
here as best rap song. So if they lean towards
hip hop, I think they go Clips. Dochi Glorilla Kendrick Tyler,
(06:46):
I think Dochi wins. If they go off pop popularity,
and virality. I think Dochi edges out Glorilla. But if
they keep it hip hop and they really trying to
do it justice, I think Clips can get this award
as well. But this is gonna be closer than you
would think. This is gonna because Clips is fighting against
two of the literally the biggest songs.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Of the year.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And then I didn't even mention TV OFF right like
TV off again for its time, you know that that
little stint when it was hot, it was great, But again,
it's just not on the level of t G I
F in my opinion, it's not on the level of
anxiety as far as virality and fanfare, and it's obviously
it's just not as uh substance based as as the
(07:27):
birds don't sing.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But again it's.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Got the quote, it's got, it's probably got the best
quote out of all these you know, crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious. Right,
Like again, this is this is a tough group. But
I do think this is either gonna go to Clips
or DOCI. And then we got the nominees for Best
Rap Performance, Cardi B Outside Clips featuring Kendrick, Chains and Whips, DOCI, Anxiety,
(07:50):
Kendrick lamar Let the Gun play TV off ty the
Creator featuring Tizo Touchdown Darling. I, Okay, this is actually
interesting because anxiety. Right again, given what I just said,
are we counting this as a best rap performance or
or are we just giving it a little bit of
a past because it's dogy right?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
She again?
Speaker 1 (08:12):
I thought her music video was great. I thought it
was It almost gave like a Broadway effect, which I
think is really cool how she like combined hip hop,
pop and like Broadway into one song. I think again,
with that in mind, she's gonna be hard to beat. Uh,
Chains and Whips, Clips, I think that's gonna be hard
to beat because it felt like they performed this track everywhere, right,
(08:34):
So even then, I think, like I think Clips, with
their album roll Out, they knew what they were doing.
Like if we just if we perform the songs the
right way and really get them in front of different
audiences and and and mass platforms, like we're gonna we're
gonna allow people to hear what we're what we're spitting.
And so I think with that alone, like the campaign
(08:56):
of it, all the Clips has a chance. Uh. I
was really impressed with Tyler's Darling. I I was really
impressed with that. And even if we're thinking of the
music video right like having knee along on that joint,
like come on, like that's gonna get people in itself.
But this song, I think it would have been even
bigger in like two thousand and four. This would have
(09:18):
went crazy in two thousand and four, and to me,
it has a legit chance to win that performance. That
song from Tyler really dope. I was really impressed with
that song, really, like listening to it with fresh ears,
I was really impressed.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
I was really impressed.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
That, Like I would not sleep on Tyler for this.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
For this best rap performance.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
And I think again, I think Cardi B and Kendrick
Lamar even they just got caught inside better competition in
my in my opinion, I think, which is saying a
lot considered on how much I liked TV OFF and
how popular it was. Obviously, Cardi B dropped her album. Honestly,
I didn't listen to her album, but I saw highlights,
you know. Obviously, you know Outside was one of her
(10:00):
bigger songs of the year, up there with the Imaginary
Player's remix right that she did. Uh, But again, I
just think she's she's in a tough category. It's hard
to beat anxiety. It's hard to It's gonna be really
hard to beat Darling I.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
In my opinion.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And again, if if Clips is really trying to do
something like crazy Sweep, they got a chance too. So
again that's my top three. Like, honestly, if I'm if
I'm going, let's give it to like a different a
different artist like or I shouldn't say different artists, but
let's just with this category, give it to somebody different.
I would probably go, uh, Tyler, ah Doci Clips as
(10:40):
the top three. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Clips, Doci, Tyler,
but ooh man not saying it out loud though, something
is telling me that Tyler creator or Doci is gonna
walk away with this grammy. I love what Clips did
with chains and whips. It's enforcing. It reminds you of
No Church in the Wild. You know, when No No
Church in the Wild came out, it was it. It
(11:03):
was it and I and I get those same vibes
with chains and whips, but Anxiety and and and and
and Tyler, like they really put on a performance. So
you know, we'll see how it goes. But it's gonna
to me I would pick one of those two if
we just don't want Clips to win all the awards.
And then the last category is Best Melodic rat Performance. Uh.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
This is always an interesting category.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Because sometimes they like to put songs that aren't necessarily melodic,
not not the angelic melody that you think of when
you hear the word melodic. But I thought they did
pretty good with this year. Friday and Meek Mill were
Proud of me h j I d tdy dollars sign
and black with Wholeheartedly, Kendrick Lamarin says a Luther Party
next Door, and Drake Somebody Loves Me, and Terris Martin
(11:47):
and Kenny and Dixon featuring a Rhapsody we made all right,
and again with Fresh Ears. Okay, going down the list,
I love the way Friday and Meek Mill poured their
hearts out on Proud of Me. That's a really deep record, right,
It's got themes of grief and things of that nature.
Really touches the heartstrings. I think, you know, Meek Meek
(12:08):
always had a way of doing that, and this is
one of those songs. And again I was not mad
at this. I'm not mad at this nomination. I think
it's a really really dope song. I think j I
d Ty Dollas Sign and Black what they did, that's smooth. Okay,
that is smooth, but it just didn't pull me in.
(12:28):
How how even Friday and meet Mill did. Right. I
thought Friday and Meek Mill pulled me in a little
bit more than j I D. Although that like the
beat and everything song structure was really smooth from JID,
but it just didn't pull me in like the other ones.
The next one Terris Martin, Kenyan Dixon and Rhapsody we made.
That is a jazz masterpiece where lyrics and the instruments
(12:53):
are on one accord the entire duration. It is a
short song, it is a quick listen, but for what
it is, it is a jazz masterpiece, great quality, and
I think it would Honestly, I would pick this one
as the winner by far if it had as much
impact as Luther. Okay, again, hard to beat what Kendrick
(13:14):
and siss It did. They basically made the wedding song
of like the next generation right the way A lot
of you know, obviously, people like I would say a
lot of millennials and maybe some Gen zs millennials, but
definitely millennials. How they feel about uh, you're all I
need Mary Jay and method Man. I think is how
(13:36):
like my generation and probably the next generation is gonna
feel about Luther playing that song at weddings and parties
and whatnot, Like it's just gonna be the perfect encapsulation
of falling in love in the year, you know, twenty
twenty five, right Like, I just think Luthor had that
impact with Kendrick and obviously the tribute to Luther Vandroz
(13:57):
like it was great.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
If the Terras Martin Kenya, Dixon and Rhapsody joint had
that fan fare, I think they should win.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
It by a mile.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
To me's that's that record right there, you know, Drake
and Party next Door.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I think to me it was a.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Prototypical early mid twenty ten song for the ladies. I
just wasn't too impressed. When I listened to it with
fresh ears. I immediately was just thinking of all the
girls that you know, I mean shout out twenty sixteen,
duck Lips and dog Filters. I mean I thought of that.
I thought of again early twenty early twenty ten's Instagram,
(14:31):
right when Instagram first came out. I think of that
everybody was using different filters and duck clips and peace signs,
like it was just that it satisfied that era for me,
and you know, I just wasn't too impressed with compared
to the other songs in this category. So again, for me,
I think it's Luther we made Friday and Meet Mill
(14:51):
with Proud of Me, j I d and then Drake
are probably gonna be fighting for fourth and fifth. That
to me, I don't really care about that because I
think but I solidify that top three for me, at
least I would give the slight edge to Luthor. But Boy,
Terris Martin, Kenya Dixon and Rhapsody did they think like
I would not be surprised if if the Grammys was like,
(15:12):
you know what, let's give it to them. But I
do think obviously Luther is gonna get that award. So
those are some of my brief thoughts on the rap
categories of the Grammys. Definitely let me know what you think,
all right, this is always the best time of year
where we get to go back and forth or who
we think is gonna win, or who we think deserves
to win, or you know, are the Grammys gonna you know,
are they gonna get it right this year? Or are
(15:32):
they not?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
So you know, we'll have to see.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Hip to the
Games and if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to
hit up the socials at Desmond Powell Underscore and at
Hip to the Games on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok so
you don't miss out on the fund and please follow
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is greatly appreciated.
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