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Odds to Win Best Rap Song, Pop Duo Performance and More at The 63rd Grammy Awards

JJ De La Torre

by JJ De La Torre in Entertainment

Updated Dec 7, 2020 · 1:04 PM PST

Lady Gaga poses in the press room with her awards for best pop solo performance for "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" and best pop duo/group performance and best song written for visual media for "Shallow" at the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
  • The upcoming 63rd Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for January  31, 2021
  • Nominations in the field categories feature perennial favorites such as Taylor Swift and rising stars such as Phoebe Bridgers
  • See odds and best bets for big genre-specific song categories in rap, rock, and pop

The Grammy Awards odds give us a clear picture of where the pop culture landscape is at the moment. Spoiler alert: Taylor Swift isn’t always a guaranteed winner. Shocking, I know.

The initial Grammy nomination announcement got everyone talking with respect to the big general field categories. But now that we’ve all had a chance to digest the more popular nominations, let’s talk about the specific genre categories.

It’s easy to get excited about Song of the Year, sure. But what genre-specific artists are doing really made 2020 a year for the books in terms of pop culture impact. From Megan Thee Stallion to Phoebe Bridgers, there’s been a whole lot to celebrate with new music releases. Let’s see if the Grammys get it right when the awards are handed out on January 31.

Best Rap Song Odds

Song Odds
“Savage” – Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé -110
“Rockstar” – DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch +300
“The Box” – Roddy Ricch +550
“The  Bigger Picture” – Lil Baby +600
“Laugh Now, Cry Later” – Drake feat. Lil Durk +700

All odds as of Dec. 7

Classy, bougie, ratchet. That’s how Best Rap Song is going to go down in 2021. Easily the most memorable rap song of the year (and undoubtedly the best of this short list), “Savage” is slated to steal the show.

Another worthy bet? Roddy Ricch’s “The Box”. It exploded from TikTok favorite to top-charting game changer making Ricch a bona fide star. But regardless of how long it sat on the top of the charts, it doesn’t quite compare to the overall impact of “Savage”.

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Megan and Beyoncé pulled out all the stops in redefining rap as a bad-ass woman agenda. On “Savage” these two stars supported one another in an empowering and endearing way. Rather than being pitted as rivals like women have been doing in rap for decades (here’s looking at you Nicki and Cardi), “Savage” was about friendship as much as it is about strength.

Pick: “Savage” – Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé (-110)

Best Rock Song Odds

Song Odds
“Kyoto” – Phoebe Bridgers +150
“Lost in Yesterday” – Tame Impala +200
“Shamelka” – Fiona Apple +500
“Not” – Big Thief +500
“Stay High” -Brittany Howard +650

The Grammys love artists like Tame Impala and Fiona Apple. What do they have in common? They’re both just edgy enough to give the Recording Academy some street cred without being too out there to alienate a television fan base.

It makes sense that Apple and Tame Impala are nominated in Best Rock Song, but it doesn’t mean they’ll win– nor should they.

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But even more so than quasi-outsider rockers, the Academy loves a singer-songwriter. Phoebe Bridgers is also a little more current than the other artists having 2020 being the year she first reached mainstream status. “Kyoto” also just happens to be a wonderful song.

Pick: “Kyoto” – Phoebe Bridgers (+150)

Best Pop/Group Duo Performance Odds

Song Odds
“Rain on Me” – Lady Gaga feat. Ariana Grande +150
“Exile” – Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver +200
“Dynamite” – BTS +400
“Intentions” – Justin Bieber feat. Quavo +700
“Un Dia (One Day)” – J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny +900

Here’s a task for you: Name a pop earworm in 2020 more catch and relevant than “Rain on Me”. Can’t do it, can you?

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande shook the pop culture landscape when they dropped their Covid-era music video for this pop bob back in the spring. But “Rain on Me” didn’t fade away– it prevailed.

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While BTS and Taylor Swift are both venerable pop icons in their own right (deservedly or not), the songs they’re nominated for this year just aren’t their best. But Gaga and Grande brought the hooks and the catchiness in full force.

The Pop/Group Duo Performance category has typically been awarded to a major banger in previous years. Past winners include “Old Town Road” and “Uptown Funk”, so expect Grammy voters to go with the most popular tune of the bunch. There’s a high chance of rain, y’all.

Pick: “Rain on Me” – Lady Gaga feat. Ariana Grande (+150)
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