Rumors were swirling earlier this week but now they've been confirmed — Jay-Z is set to perform at the Grammys this year with DJ Khaled, Variety reports. “God Did” is up for three awards, including song of the year.
Jay will obviously join Khaled for a live performance of "God Did" their hit from last year, which sparked conversations for weeks, including on MSNBC. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend and Fridayy, will also be in on the performance.
In a Twitter Spaces held during the height of the chatter about his verse, Jay clarified its meaning. “In the verse, I say ‘my only goal is to make the real [ones] feel seen,’ and when somebody breaks it down in that way, we all feel seen,” he said. “And it wasn’t me, I got calls from everybody like, ‘man, we needed that right there’ or ‘that was amazing.’ [A$AP] Ferg hit me like, ‘we needed that right there so people [can] articulate and understand what we’re going through.'”
Jay's appearance is especially notable given his shaky relationship with the Grammys, which he quickly addressed on 2018's "Ape Shit" when he rapped, "Tell the Grammys fuck that 0 for eight shit" after being nominated for eight awards for his last album 4:44 and walking away with nothing.
That aside, the Grammys are shaping up to be potentially more entertaining than they have been in years. First, they're kicking the awards off right by honoring Slick Rick with a Lifetime Achievement Award in an event that will take place the day before the show. Then, during the awards show, they'll feature a special tribute to Hip-Hop's 50th birthday with an all-star lineup that includes everyone from LL COOL J, Run-D.M.C., and Salt-N-Peppa and Spinderella, to Big Boi, Scarface, Method Man, The Lox, Busta Rhymes, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, and more.
The Grammys take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5.