Grammys 2021: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion shine
Beyoncé and Taylor Swift both made history at the Grammy Awards, while Megan Thee Stallion won three times. Here are some of the big moments.
Entertain This!, USA TODAY
Before graduating in 2012, Derrick Milano was known as the music kid at Concord High School in Brandywine Hundred.
He would battle rap with friends in the hall, jump on the microphone at school events, sing in choir and his laptop would always be open in class or the library with Milano busily mixing songs.
Some teachers would tell him to put his computer away and focus on his schoolwork if he wanted to get anywhere in life. These days, Billboard magazine calls the 27-year-old “hip-hop’s favorite secret weapon” and he’s doing just fine, thank you.
The songwriter won his first Grammy Award earlier this month, earning the honor as a co-writer on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix featuring Beyoncé, which won Best Rap Song.
More specifically, he wrote some of the lines that Beyoncé drops during the hugely popular remix, which was the breakout song of the summer.
That’s right. Some of Queen Bey’s words you’ve been singing along to all year have First State roots. And Milano’s head is still spinning, a full year after getting the call from her management company to work on lyrics.
VIRAL SONG: Delaware firefighter heats up with viral TikTok cover of Brett Young song
“When I listen to the song now and hear her repeating my words, ‘I’m like, ‘Dang, that’s crazy,” the Philadelphia-born musician told Delaware Online/The News Journal from Los Angeles, where he now lives.
“I would have never thought I would have my first No. 1 and first Grammy with Beyoncé on a rap record,” he said, marveling at the pinch-me project. “I’m super grateful. It’s opened so many doors.”
From Bieber to Nicki
He’s been busy over the past 2½ years, building up an impressive list of writing credits, penning songs and lines for everyone from Justin Bieber, Pop Smoke and Nicki Minaj to Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign.
He has also ghostwritten hit songs for other A-list names, but cannot reveal which ones due to nondisclosure agreements.
Now with a Grammy Award to his name, he has the hardware to back up his growing resume and it feels like the sky is the limit.
He recently signed with a major label, which will be announced in the next few weeks. His debut album will follow this spring with guests including Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, Wale, DaniLeigh and Wiz Khalifa.
A ‘trendsetter’ at Concord High
Milano’s family moved to Brandywine Hundred off Naamans Road when he was in the seventh grade, landing him at the old Hanby Middle School. He tried both Brandywine High School and Red Lion Christian Academy before settling down at Concord.
DRINK IT IN: This new bourbon brand has Wilmington roots. And a Delaware preacher’s son is behind it.
His parents, Virginia and Jeff Gray, still live in Delaware part-time where they raised him and sister Autumn. The Grays also have a home in Florida, where Milano went to college and got noticed by befriending DJs, spending time in clubs and making connections.
If you ask former Concord High School chemistry teacher Yolanda McKinney about her former student, she remembers him well. They had a really good relationship and she supported the “music kid.”
“He was a trendsetter even back then. He always went against the grain,” said McKinney, now director of student services for the Brandywine School District. “I just remember him always marching by the beat of his own drum, which is kind of iconic now.”
Now when McKinney hears the song come on the radio, a smile stretches across her face as she thinks about her former student.
‘B wants to jump on this “Savage” record’
Among the lines penned by Milano and sung by on the remix by Beyoncé: “I heard they askin’ for the Queen/They brought some cameras in here.” And then later in the same verse, “All this money in the room/I think some scammers in here.”
Milano said Beyoncé’s team was looking for catchy, quotable lines that would pop in this new music world where TikTok videos and memes can help push a song as much as radio or other traditional methods.
“They called and told me, “B wants to jump on this ‘Savage’ record.’ It was a surreal moment,” he remembers. “And now everybody is asking me, ‘What. Hold up. Why does Beyoncé know about scammers?'”
Grammy night at home with mom
It’s a call that changed his life, even if his Grammy night wasn’t quite like the one you dream about: He was home with his mom and sister when he won.
Due to the pandemic, the stripped down, outdoor awards show meant many nominees were locked out, so there was no red carpet moment on music’s biggest night for Milano. Even so, he said it was special being able to share his win with his family. In fact, he found it fitting, considering their support over the years.
And he wasn’t only honored that night as part of the writing crew behind the “Savage” remix, which also won Best Rap Performance.
He is also a credited writer on Nas’ song “Spicy,” which closes last year’s album “King’s Disease.” It won Best Rap Album, adding to Milano’s haul.
He said he still doesn’t yet have one of the iconic golden gramophone awards in his possession, but he expects a delivery in the mail sometime soon.
MORE: Elliot MacGuire’s photos & livestreams bring Delaware’s beaches to you
His former teacher McKinney said it took her a minute to place the name Derrick Milano when she saw news on Facebook that he had won his first Grammy Award for the hit song. She remembered him by his given name.
“I was so proud, so ecstatic,” she said. “It goes to show that you have to meet kids where they are and encourage them because you never know.”
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormierdelawareonline) and Twitter (@ryancormier).
from WordPress https://ift.tt/3f9rqBG
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment