J. Cole takes home his first Grammy Award. Which one did he win?
North Carolina rapper J. Cole is now a Grammy winner.
He won the first Grammy Award of his career for Best Rap Song for 21 Savage’s “A Lot,” a song that he co-wrote and also was featured on.
The award was announced Sunday at the 62nd Grammy Awards during the non-televised part of the music honors. Alicia Keys hosted the Grammy broadcast on CBS, paying tribute to basketball star Kobe Bryant with Boyz II Men, hours after he was killed in a helicopter crash.
The Best Rap Song award is considered a songwriter’s award, and Cole shares the Grammy with 21 Savage, Dacourty Natche and Anthony White.
It’s one of several nominations for Cole, who was raised in Fayetteville and now lives in Raleigh. While he has been nominated before, including for Best New Artist in 2011 and Best Rap Album in 2015, he has not taken home an award.
He was nominated for three other awards, either as a solo artist or as a collaborator, but did not win.
His Dreamville roster of artists was nominated for Best Rap Album for “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” but lost to Tyler, the Creator”’s “Igor.”
Cole lost for Best Rap/Sung Performance Category for “The London,” by Young Thung with features by Cole and Travis Scott. The award went to “Higher,” with DJ Khaled featuring the late Nipsey Hussle and John Legend
He lost earlier in the night for Best Rap Performance, which went to “Racks in the Middle,” by Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy. Cole had been nominated twice in the category — in a solo performance for “Middle Child” and for “Down Bad,” a Dreamville song featuring Cole, J.I.D, Bas, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy.
Charlotte rapper DaBaby’s “Suge” also was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song with Jetsonmade and Pooh Beatz.
North Carolina Grammy Nominees & Winners
Here are other nominations with North Carolina ties:
▪ The band Bon Iver’s album “I, I” was nominated for three awards: Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package with Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson.
“When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” by Billie Eilish won Album of the Year.
It lost the Best Alternative Music Album to Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride.”
The late Chris Cornell won Best Recording Package.
The song “Hey, Ma” is nominated for Record of the Year. Band members Matt McCaughan and Jenn Wasner make Durham their home, The News & Observer reported.
▪ Two North Carolina nominees were up for Best American Roots Performance Category: Rhiannon Giddens, of Greensboro, with Francesco Turrisi for “I’m on My Way” and Iron & Wine and Calexico for “Father Mountain.” Sara Bareilles’ “Saint Honesty” won the award.
▪ Iron & Wine and Calexico also were nominated for Best Americana Album for “Years to Burn.” Sam Beam, who goes by Iron & Wine, lives in the Triangle. The award was won by “Oklahoma” by Keb’ Mo’.
▪ Country singer Luke Combs was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Brooks & Dunn for “Brand New Man” but lost to Dan + Shay for “Speechless.” Combs, who was born in Charlotte, grew up in Asheville.
▪ Eric Church, a native of Granite Falls, was nominated for two country categories but lost to Tanya Tucker in both. He was up for Best Country Album for “Desperate Man.” Tucker won for the album, “While I’m Livin’.”
He also was nominated in the Best Country Song category for “Some of It,” with Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson. The award was won by Tucker’s “Bring My Flowers Now,” written by Tucker, Brandie Carlile, Phil Hanserothand Tim Hanseroth.
▪ Branford Marsalis, who lives in Durham, was nominated for two awards, but did not win. In the Best Improvised Jazz Solo, “The Windup” lost to “Sozinho” by Randy Brecker.
The Branford Marsalis Quartet was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for “The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul.” Brad Mehldau won for “Finding Gabriel.”
▪ Composer Caroline Shaw won the Grammy in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for the Attacca Quartet for “Shaw: Orange.” Shaw, a Greenville native, lost Best Contemporary Classical Composition for “Shaw: Orange” to “Harp Concerto” by Jennifer Higdon.
▪ Che Apalache’s “Rearrange My Heart” was nominated for Best Folk Album but lost to Patty Griffin for her eponymous album, “Patty Griffin.” The group’s founder is from Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 6:50 PM.