Meshell Ndegeocello shares the spacey “Virgo” featuring Brandee Younger and Julius Rodriguez. The song is from her first album for Blue Note The Omnichord Real Book. The R&B legend’s last album was her 2018 covers album Ventriloquism. She was featured on Robert Glasper’s Grammy-winning “Better Than I Imagined” with H.E.R. in 2020. She explained the new album’s title in a statement:

“This album is about the way we see old things in new ways. Everything moved so quickly when my parents died. Changed my view of everything and myself in the blink of an eye. As I sifted through the remains of their life together, I found my first Real Book, the one my father gave me. I took their records, the ones I grew up hearing, learning, remembering. My mother gifted me with her ache, I carry the melancholy that defined her experience and, in turn, my experience of this thing called life calls me to disappear into my imagination and to hear the music.”

Josh Johnson produced The Omnichord Real Book which has guest appearances from Jason Moran, Joan As Police Woman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Thandiswa, Mark Guiliana and more. The new album comes out June 16th but can be pre-ordered now. 

 

The 63rd Grammy Awards took place at the Los Angeles Convention center with Trevor Noah as the host. There were performances from Bruno Mars with anderson.paak, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. Beyonce made history and became the woman with the most Grammys after taking her home her 28th one.  She joined Megan The Stallion onstage for their joint win for Best Rap Song for “Savage” which Jay-Z also won his 23rd Grammy for because he helped write the song. Their daughter Blue Ivy became the second-youngest winner ever at 9-years old for Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl.” Megan Thee Stallion became the first woman to win Best Rap Song. Ice-T’s Body Count took the award for Best Metal Performance. Nas won his first Grammy after 14 nominations over his almost 30-year career. Fantastic Negrito picked up his third Grammy for Contemporary Blues Album. Fans questioned why Taylor Swift became the first woman to win album of the year three times and why Billie Eilish won Record Of The Year two years in a row. See all the winners below: 

 

Song Of The Year:

“I Can’t Breathe” – WINNER
Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)

Best New Artist:

Megan Thee Stallion

Best Dance Recording:

“10%” 
Kaytranada Featuring Kali Uchis
Kaytranada, producer; Neal H. Pogue, mixer

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

BUBBA – Kaytranada

Best Metal Performance: 

Bum-Rush – Body Count

Best Rock Song:

“Stay High” – Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)

Best R&B Performance:

“Black Parade”-Beyoncé

Best Traditional R&B Performance: 

“Anything For You” – Ledisi

Best R&B Song:

“Better Than I Imagined” – Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper Featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)

Best Progressive R&B Album:

It Is What It Is -Thundercat

Best R&B Album:

Bigger Love -John Legend

Best Rap Performance:

“Savage”-Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé

Best Melodic Rap Performance:

“Lockdown”-Anderson.Paak

Best Rap Song: 

“Savage” -Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe & Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé)

Best Rap Album: 

King’s Disease -Nas

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:

Jesus Is King-Kanye West

Best Gospel Album:

Gospel According To PJ -PJ Morton

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? -Fantastic Negrito

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Rawer Than Raw – Bobby Rush

Best Reggae Album:

Got To Be Tough-Toots & The Maytals

Best Global Music Album:

Twice As Tall – Burna Boy

Best Music Video:

“Brown Skin Girl”-Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & WizKid
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Jenn Nkiru, video directors; Astrid Edwards, Aya Kaida, Jean Mougin, Nathan Scherrer & Erinn Williams, video producers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meshell Ndegeocello surprises with a four-song acoustic set for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) concerts. She performs “Step Into The Projects,” “Price Of The Ticket,” “Forget My Name” and “Fool Of Me” with longtime guitarist Chris Bruce. “Price Of The Ticket” is from is from Ndegeocello’s recent project, Chapter & Verse: The Gospel of James Baldwin.

Robert Glasper has unearthed his newest single “Better Than I Imagined” and it features H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello. The song is inspired by Black love and the need to affirm it during the visibility of Black Lives Matters. Glasper made a statement:

“Black lives matter and so does black love; no one wants a life without love, but we have generations of people in our community who haven’t had the tools to actually be in healthy relationships. It seems like people are finally ready to open their eyes to systemic racism in this country, and if we’re going to talk about it, we have to also talk about how it affects our relationships — how we communicate, how we see ourselves, how we treat each other. It’s not always good, even though maybe it could be.”

“Better Than I Imagined” will appear on Glasper’s Black Radio 3 scheduled for release in 2021. Glasper will be performing at the 2020 March On Washington in DC with bassist Derrick Hodge this Friday, August 28th.