The Country Music Association celebrated the most talented artists of the year on Wednesday, gathering for its 59th annual awards show in Nashville. Hosted by Lainey Wilson and airing live on ABC, the Whirlwind artist topped this year’s nominees with six categories, including Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year, tying with Megan [.].
The London rapper Dave might be the single biggest star in the entire UK rap universe. His first two albums, 2019’s Psychodrama and 2021’s We’re All Alone In This Together, were both platinum-selling #1 hits over there, and he won the Mercury Prize for the former. He’s a J. Cole type — an insular and expressive serious-thinker rapper who plays piano and does a lot of his own production. But much like Cole, he makes bangers sometimes, and he’s really good at it. In 2023, Dave and Central Cee released the all-bangers collaborative EP Split Decision, and their song “Sprinter” was a giant hit all across Europe. Today, Dave releases The Boy Who Played The Harp, his third solo album. No bangers on this one.
