Originally published February 20, 2019.

The Grammy’s happened recently, and history was made. Stars of Hollywood flooded the Grammy Awards with their designer outfits and were dressed to impress. This year’s awards were up for grabs and were hard to anticipate a winner.

Cardi B a newcomer to the rap game went alongside Travis Scott, Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle and Pusha T for Best Rap Album yet Cardi took the win. This seemed to be a surprise for some on social media given that Cardi B is still in her rookie years of the rap industry compared to her fellow nominees. With this win Cardi B became the first woman solo artist to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album.

Cardi is not the only one to make history on the Grammy stage. Childish Gambio took home three Grammy’s with his song ‘This is America’ by also making it the first rap song to win Record of the Year. The song which has been accompanied by the record breaking music video has been a form of art that incapsulates the social injustices that the African American community faces still in the twenty-first century.

Speeches have typically been a place where artists not only thank their loved ones and all the people who helped them on their journey, however, it is also a place where artists have established their platform and their perspectives on the industry and politics of the world. While giving his speech for winning Best Rap Song for ‘God’s Plan’, Drake spoke in his speech about how winning an award does not measure the amount of success an artist may have.

“We play in an opinion based sport. Not a factual based sport… This is a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people that might not understand you know, what a mixed race kid from Canada has to say or a fly Spanish girl from New York or anybody else or a brother from Houston, my brother Travis. Look the point is you’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word or if you’re a hero in your hometown,” said Drake.

H.E.R. made her impression this year at the Grammy’s this year with a few nominations and a win for Best R&B Performance for her song with Daniel Caesar called ‘Best Part’ and also won Best R&B Album for ‘H.E.R.” which she states is “not even an album, it’s an EP. So, I really don’t feel right for being up her by myself because I didn’t do this by myself…”. In her acceptance speech, H.E.R. is humbled by her award and invited her entire team who is present at the Grammy’s to come on stage to also be part of the experience.

With women like Cardi B winning Best Rap, H.E.R. winning Best R&B Album, Ariana Grande winning Best Pop Vocal Album and Kacey Musgraves winning Album of the Year while also seeing Childish Gambino win record of the year, the diversity within the nominations and wins for the 2019 Grammy’s made history in the music industry.