As the votes for the 2023 nominees are released, Common, Kid Cudi, and The Weeknd have joined the Emmy Awards musical ring and are currently competing against one another.
The Weeknd (actual name Abel Tesfaye), according to Variety, is one of 19 contenders in the music direction category. The Weeknd Live at Sofi Stadium, an HBO special that aired back in February, was submitted by the multi-hyphenate.
The Idol inventor and star would likely compete with prior winners like Adam Blackstone (entered for the Oscars, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show, and “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” ceremony), bassist Rickey Minor, and the Super Bowl LVII Half-Time Show, if nominated.
Rapper and actor Kid Cudi from the Netflix series Entergalactic and Donald Glover from the dark comedy Swarm on Prime Video are also competing. They’ll face off against Al Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on Roku, Steve Martin in Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, Lainey Wilson in Yellowstone from Paramount, David Byrne in John Mulaney: Baby J from Netflix, and Ryan Tedder in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin from Peacock.
For his efforts to Netflix’s Mo, Common now ranks among the 158 nominees for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. Along with P.J. Harvey for Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters, Meshell Ndegeocello for Starz’s BMF, T Bone Burnett for FX’s The Old Man, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Hulu’s Unprisoned, starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo, the Chicago native joins a number of other notable actors and musicians.
It’s important to remember that Common made history in 2017 when he won an Emmy for his politically charged song “Letter to the Free” and became the first rapper to ever win an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar.
At the moment, the Chicago rapper told Deadline, “I want to thank God first and foremost. Every time I get the opportunity to collaborate with Ava DuVernay, something good and powerful results.
His remarkable career started when he won a Grammy for his 2002 Erykah Badu collaboration, “Love of My Life.” After then, Common entered Oscar territory in 2015 when he won a prize for the song “Glory” with John Legend.
It would be a first for Kid Cudi and The Weeknd to receive nominations in their respective categories.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. on Monday, September 18. PT
