With Michelle Obama’s appearance, Lady Gaga’s head banging and Alicia Keys playing two pianos simultaneously, the 61st annual Grammy Awards was quite the show. But it wasn’t just entertaining, it was also historic thanks to Cardi B and Childish Gambino.
Both recording artists marked firsts during the 2019 Grammys when they won Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy and Song of the Year for “This Is America,” respectively.
Aside from being Cardi B’s first official Grammy win, her Best Rap Album nod is the first time a female solo act has been victorious in the category. (Who run the rap game now? Girls.) The stakes were especially high, as late rapper Mac Miller’s Swimming, Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap and Travis Scott’s Daytona were all in the running for the coveted gramophone. In 1997, Lauryn Hill and the Fugees nabbed the distinction for The Score, but Cardi is the first single lady (you know what we mean) to win.
As for Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), his track “This Is America” became the first rap song to ever win Song of the Year. He beat out the A Star Is Born original song “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, “God’s Plan” by Drake, “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin, “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile, “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, “Rockstar” by Post Malone and 21 Savage and “The Middle” by Zedd, Grey and Maren Morris.
