Hip Hop Awards ‘20: The Nominees Going Head To Head For ‘Best Duo Or Group’
Since its beginning, some of hip-hop’s most talked about moments have often come from duos and or collaborations. There’s just a certain dynamic that emerges from the musical union that can't be captured otherwise.
In recent years, more and more collectives and groups have risen up alongside hip-hop’s OGs. This past year was a big one for a few groups in particular and with the 2020 Hip Hop Awards right around the corner, there are six duos/groups vying for the top honors.
Each of these nominees saw their careers elevate to new heights in different ways. In December, there was Travis Scott’s JackBoys collective. This summer, Chris Brown and Young Thug surprised fans and listeners alike when the two joined musical forces and the City Girls made their much-anticipated return with City on Lock while EarthGang went back to their roots on Spillage Village’s Spilligon. In the midst of that, Run The Jewels hit a new milestone and the Migos have continued to prove why they are Atlanta’s premier trapateers.
Here is a look at the nominees for BET’s Hip Hop Duo/Group of the year.
Chris Brown And Young Thug
Of the least-anticipated things to emerge from quarantine, Chris Brown and Young Thug dropping a mixtape, Slime & B, is pretty high on the list. Both of them have a few collaborative projects under their respective belts with other artists. But Slime & B brought a new energy out of both, meshing together the better qualities of Brown’s R&B sensibilities with Thug’s signature singsong cadence. Furthermore, the two scored another No. 1 to their list of hits with “Go Crazy,” which topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
City Girls
City Girls has quickly emerged as the hottest act out of Miami right now. Their appearance on Drake’s summer smash “In My Feelings” skyrocketed the rap duo to the forefront of rap. That was followed by their breakout hit, “Act Up,” which became a defining anthem of the 2018 summer season. Amid their rapidly growing acclaim, City Girls’ rapper JT turned herself in for credit card fraud. Nonetheless, Yung Miami held them down and the team was reunited in October 2019. This June, they returned with their highly-anticipated album, City on Lock. This marked their first release JT’s prison stint and, in true City Girls fashion, the duo was in their bag of lascivious, cocky anthems.
EarthGang
EarthGang has slowly but surely proven themselves as one of hip-hops more experimental and versatile acts. Together, Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot (dually known as WowGr8), have built an eclectic discography of abstract bangers and philosophical musings. In 2019, they released their critically-acclaimed debut album, Mirrorland, and the magic hasn’t stopped. This year, the duo returned to home base on the Spillage Village’s Spilligon, and it has only further stoked anticipation for Earthgang’s next release.
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JackBoys
Capping a highly-successful 2019 run thanks to the success of his Astroworld album, Travis Scott unveiled a new side project: his JackBoys collective. Enlisting Don Toliver, Chase B and Sheck Wes -- who are all signed to his label, Cactus Jack Records -- the collective released their eponymous debut compilation album in December 2019.The 7-track project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the first album to do so in 2020. It waits to be seen what is in store for the crew next.
Migos
The Migos need little introduction as one of more influential forces to rise to the forefront of rap as some of Atlanta’s premier trapateers. The trio has steadily kept the heat in 2020 as fans await the arrival of their long-anticipated album, Culture III, the last chapter of their Culture series. The Migos are coming into the 2020 Hip Hop Awards having already won the Best Duo or Group accolade at the BET Awards this year.
Run The Jewels
There have been many prolific groups in hip hop’s history, and Run The Jewels is making a great case for themselves.The Atlanta duo set a new bar for themselves with the release of their fourth album, RTJ4, in June. The album arrived in perfect sync with nationwide protests and civil unrest, and further cemented why members Killer Mike and El-P is one of hip-hop’s most respected duos. RTJ4 debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, their highest chart position to date.
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