CHICAGO — Two South Siders claimed Grammy awards Sunday night, giving one winner a long-awaited trophy after years on the scene.
Englewood native Lil Durk received the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his single “All My Life,” featuring hip-hop superstar J. Cole. This was Durk’s first Grammy win out of four nominations and Cole’s second; his first was from his feature on “a lot” with 21 Savage back in 2020.
“All My Life” beat out SZA’s “Low,” Drake and 21 Savage’s “Spin Bout U,” Doja Cat’s “Attention” and Burna Boy and 21 Savage’s “Sittin’ on Top of the World” for the award.
“It was a task, a lot of bumps in the road, but I think that’s for everybody,” Durk told Billboard. “As long as you stay focused and get it together, you good.”
South Side native and poet J. Ivy won his third Grammy Sunday, receiving the award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for his album “The Light Inside.”
Ivy played a role in getting the Grammys to celebrate poetry. He is a national trustee of the Recording Academy, and pushed for poetry representation.
“The work of the poet is so important. Poets save lives, poets change lives. And ultimately put a lot of love in the world and a lot of healing,” Ivy said in an interview on “The View” last year when the poetry category was introduced to the Grammys.
He became the first winner in the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category last year for his project, “The Poet Who Sat by the Door.” He has now claimed the prize in that category in back-to-back years. Last year, he also won in the Best Roots Gospel Album category for “The Urban Hymnal.”
“So, as I lift this statue, may it not only be a toast to the poets, but a resounding alarm to wake up the spirit,” Ivy said in his acceptance speech. “Let the poetry in our hearts whistle sweet lullabies that will rock our hurt asleep, and wake up the true essence of who we are.”
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