Reacting to 2026 GRAMMY Nominations

Debating the current state and historical milestones of the genre, the hosts of Apple Music’s Rap Life Review—Ebro, Eddie, Low, and Know It All Nick—recently engaged in a critical conversation covering the long-awaited return of Max B, the celebrated ascent of G Herbo, and the perennial complexities of the GRAMMY Awards.

The highly anticipated release of Max B after serving approximately 15 or 16 years of a reduced 20-year sentence was a major highlight. French Montana picked him up, and he immediately went to the Jets game. While celebrating his freedom, which Know It All Nick declared means "the wave is free" the panel discussed the pressure for him to release new music. Know It All Nick argued against rushing, noting that the world is "completely different musically, you know professionally" after 15 years, and urged Max B to "just take his time, get back into this living life being around his family". Eddie and Ebro countered, pointing out the "marketing let's call it window to seize in the algorithm while everyone's talking". Ebro cited Young Thug as an example of an artist who took "too long to drop the song" after being released, allowing the conversation to shift. The consensus was that Max B's influence over "my favorite rappers or just popular rappers over the last 10 15 years" makes his return significant.

The team also championed Chicago artist G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), whose recent album landed at number two on Apple Music’s charts, beating expected dominators like Rosalía and K-pop Demon Hunters. Ebro recounted meeting him early in his career and advising him, "Here in New York you don't want to be a herb man... not a little herb", suggesting this feedback contributed to the name change. The panel agreed that G Herbo put out a "phenomenal project" and is an "OG at this point", having been "consistently been putting out music for 15 years that is resonating within the hip-hop culture". Low noted that the ongoing internet joke that G Herbo "rap[s] offbeat" needs to stop, estimating that he was "rapping on beat quite well" "67% of the time in his recent album. The panel praised G Herbo's willingness to discuss mental health; his 2020 album PTSD, which featured 21 Savage, saw him as one of the early street rappers "really going to therapy talking about mental health" and applying those tools in his music.

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The hosts criticized several GRAMMY oversights. Ebro questioned why Gunna did not receive a nomination, stating the album had records that should have been recognized. The panel also discussed Playboy Cardi, suggesting his music—which is "more melodic" and "angsty emo"—often falls by the wayside because it doesn't "neatly fit into categories". Know It All Nick clarified that Playboy Cardi's work is better suited for the Best Melodic Rap Performance category. Know It All Nick also pushed for Glorilla’s Glorious album to receive "more serious consideration" for Best Rap Album due to its high commercial success and "bangers". However, Low dismissed the notion of it winning, arguing it's "not beating clips that shit is not beating Kendrick".

Regarding the nominations for Clipse and Kendrick for Album and Rap Album of the Year, Eddie asserted that both albums are "extremely phenomenal" and "deserve both" categories. Ebro observed that online narratives surrounding the dual nominations—one suggesting Clipse are "old niggas" and the other accusing voters of "kissing Kendrick ass"—sound like "Drake fans trying to find a reason to negate the success". Ebro noted that Kendrick won five Grammys the previous year "with no album out", suggesting "voter fatigue" could potentially favor Clipse.

Finally, the hosts celebrated several historical milestones, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of Salt and Peppa and OutKast. Eddie lauded Salt and Peppa as the "first women group to stomp the door of hip hop". OutKast's induction was seen as a full-circle moment for Southern rap, recalling when they were "booed at the Source Awards" and Andre 3000 declared, "The South got something to say". The only major disappointment was Doja Cat’s performance of "Sorry Miss Jackson," which Eddie allowed grace due to her strong performance history, concluding it was likely a "miscommunication" or lack of rehearsal.