How Duckwrth's imaginary Grammy button led to a real Grammy nomination

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Duckwrth manifested a 2026 Grammy nomination for his album while in the recording studio. He just didn't know it.

The singer, songwriter and producer would pretend to press an imaginary Grammy button whenever he and his friends finished a new track.

“It would be certain moments when we’ll be done with the song, and we’ll come up with this thing called ‘Grammy button.’ It’s an invisible Grammy button — we’ll be like, ‘Grammy, Grammy.’ And we said that over and over again ... it was an interesting, beautiful manifestation,” the artist told The Associated Press.

The 37-year-old musician first started turning heads with his genre-fluid debut mixtape “I'm Uugly” in 2016. Soon his eclectic sound could be heard across films and television shows like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and HBO's “Insecure.” Since then, Duckwrth's music has gone against the grain, seamlessly blending elements of hip-hop, funk, rock and soul throughout his projects.

Duckwrth's latest album, “All American F—Boy,” is nominated at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1 for best immersive audio album, a category that honors the technical work of albums mixed using multichannel audio recordings.

If they win, the trophy will be awarded to immersive mix engineer Andrew Law, who formatted the album's previously mixed stereo recording for Dolby Atmos surround sound, a three-dimensional experience that allows listeners to feel as if they are at the center of the songs' layered instruments and melodies.

“The difficult part is you have to keep the essence of the actual song so that when people listen to it on headphones or on other mediums, and not like in the (Dolby Atmos) studio, that it still sounds like the song without making it too crazy,” said Law. “I try to take the approach of keeping the song how it was meant to be heard. And then turn it into a big soundscape and something really, really fun when you’re sitting in an Atmos studio.”

The project is immersive in more ways than one. While brainstorming his next project, Duckwrth knew he wanted to center it on a character who was a bit more “brash and more a Sid Vicious type.”

“So, I feel I had to find a way to blend what they already knew me for,” he said. “I told my friend I gotta trick people, I gotta secretly drop a rock album, but people not know it’s a rock album.”

At the time, he was listening to audiobooks, like George Orwell's “1984,” and wanted the album to feel like the layered soundscapes in a film or audiobook. So, he sat down and, over the course of 2 ½ years, created his own audio drama within the album, starring himself and featuring narration from actor LaKeith Stanfield. The album was produced alongside BLK ODYSSY and 2Fresh, featuring artists like Tanerélle, Sherwyn, Tommy Newport and IDK.

The album follows the titular “All American F—Boy” as he navigates the ups and downs of dating while grappling with a fear of commitment. His character ultimately is forced to confront his toxic playboy tendencies and break the patterns that have kept him in a constant loop of failed relationships. The loosely autobiographical project weaves into its coming-of-age story the invitation to explore the ways generational trauma, patriarchy and toxic masculinity affect romantic relationships.

“I was highly uncomfortable dropping this album, but I think when the wind pushes you so hard, it’s like when you’re like a child throwing a tantrum, and you’re just like, ‘No, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna go to school,' but then your mom is like pushing you out the door, like ‘Boy, if you don’t get in that car,’” said Duckwrth. “So I think making this album, it was a strong wind against my back, pushing me forward to go as deep as possible and be as vulnerable as possible.”

When looking back at the album's journey, both Law and Duckwrth knew they had something great on their hands. For Law, it was an instant win from the narration to the music.

“I was like, this is the one,” he said.

Duckwrth says the album and Law's immersive engineering work receiving a Grammy nomination is rewarding and a reminder to trust himself, his creative intuition and to be just as vulnerable with future projects.

“Yeah, to get a Grammy nomination for just being all out rebellious is pretty cool,” he said with a smile on his face. “And I’m excited for the kids who come after me to see that, whether we win or not, just having a nomination, especially for my album.”

For more coverage of this year’s Grammy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards

Andrew Law poses for a portrait at Amazon's studio 126 in Culver City, Calif on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Duckwrth poses for a portrait at Amazon's studio 126 in Culver City, Calif on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Andrew Law, left, and Duckwrth pose for a portrait at Amazon's studio 126 in Culver City, Calif on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Duckwrth poses for a portrait at Amazon's studio 126 in Culver City, Calif on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Duckwrth, left, and Andrew Law pose for a portrait at Amazon's studio 126 in Culver City, Calif on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

At Taste of East African in Minneapolis, the manager and owner are the only employees who come to work now, serving new customers who aren’t familiar with the food but are trying to support a restaurant challenged by a federal immigration enforcement surge.

Like the employees, the usual patrons are afraid to come to a restaurant in an area heavily populated by immigrants that has been a frequent target of immigrant enforcement actions. Gig workers aren't accepting orders for delivery because they, too, are afraid.

“Even if you tell ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) you’re a citizen they won’t listen, so everyone is scared,” said the restaurant's manager, Hibaq Nimale, who is a U.S. citizen raised in Kenya as a refugee from Somalia.

Businesses across large swaths of Minneapolis have taken a hit as President Donald Trump’s administration carries out a massive immigration sweep that has spurred protests. As staff and customers stay home and protesters target businesses they see as aiding federal immigration enforcement, countless stores have temporarily closed, canceled events or reduced hours. Some hotels that housed federal immigration officers and saw protests have stopped accepting reservations altogether, while Minneapolis-based Target Corp. also has seen protests.

The state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities cited devastating economic impacts in a lawsuit filed this month imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration operations. The lawsuit asserted that some businesses have reported sales drops up to 80%.

An October report from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve noted sluggish economic indicators even before over 2,000 federal immigration officers began arriving in Minneapolis and St. Paul. But a January report emphasized that some Minnesota businesses experienced dampened sales and slower foot traffic out of “fear of immigration enforcement.” Nearly 20% of all businesses surveyed reported lower employment head counts citing similar concerns.

“I’m seeing it impact everybody, just because of the lower levels of people traveling and spending discretionary income,” Adam Duininck, the CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District.

Even white collar businesses have been impacted, according to Fred Haberman, the co-founder and CEO of a small marketing firm in Minneapolis. His operations have been impacted because of significant disruptions to “support systems,” like schools and day care programs, that employees rely on to maintain regular work schedules, he said.

He worries that the city's economic landscape could be permanently altered if the federal government doesn't reverse course soon.

“Many of these businesses don’t have huge margins to play around with,” Haberman said.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin pointed to the protests and what she called “the fact sanctuary policies won't allow us to work with state and local law enforcement” when asked about the economic concerns.

Massive hotel chains like Hilton have struggled to navigate the conflict. At least one location canceled reservations for federal immigration officers after frequent protests — only to reverse course after the DHS accused it of impeding law enforcement.

At least three hotels in the Twin Cities that protesters said housed immigration officers were not accepting reservations Wednesday. Rooms could not be booked online before early February at the Hilton DoubleTree and IHG InterContinental in downtown St. Paul and at the Hilton Canopy in Minneapolis.

Over the phone, an InterContinental hotel front desk employee said it was closing for the safety of the staff but would not elaborate. Signs in front of the DoubleTree and InterContinental said they were “temporarily closed for business until further notice.” The Canopy, which has been the site of noisy protests by anti-ICE demonstrators aimed at preventing federal officers from sleeping, was open but not accepting reservations.

Hilton and IHG did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Duininck said hotels are balancing economically prudent decisions with safety. He noted that many that remain open have reported fewer reservations and more cancellations than usual.

“What feels safe for me as a business person is different from people that are coming down here to go to the job,” Duininck said, noting that many employees in the hotel industry are non-white and fear profiling from federal agents. On the other hand, many hotel owners are trying to avoid intense economic retaliation from the federal government or protesters.

That impossible choice embodies “exactly what the political moment is for our city and for our country,” he said.

Faith leaders, labor unions and activists are calling for residents of the Twin Cities to not work, shop or go to school on Friday “to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions,” according to the event's website.

Boycotts and economic protests are a familiar tactic in the area.

Civil rights leaders in Minnesota were among some of the first nationally to call for a full boycott of Target Corp. early last year after the retailer announced it would phase out a handful of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives following Trump's push to dismantle DEI policies in the federal government and schools.

Last week, roughly 100 clergy protested at the entrance to Target’s downtown Minneapolis headquarters to demand the retailer take a stronger stand against federal law enforcement activity.

Videos have also shown demonstrators at Target locations in St. Paul, carrying signs calling for the abolition of ICE and accusing the massive retailer of allowing federal law enforcement to stage operations on its properties.

Anyone — including immigration enforcement officers — can legally enter the public areas of a business. Those can include dining areas, parking lots, office lobbies and store aisles. In those places, immigration officials can question people, seize information and even make arrests, according to John Medeiros, who leads the corporate immigration practice at Minneapolis-based law firm Nilan Johnson Lewis.

But workers and patrons have some legal protections. They can decline to talk to immigration enforcement officers, refuse to consent to searches or ask for an attorney.

ICE needs permission from the employer or a judicial warrant to enter private spaces of a business, such as a back office or an emergency room. A judicial warrant must be signed by a judge and list a specific authorizing court. Those warrants can be limited to specific days or types of information about the business. Experts stress that it’s important to educate workers about their rights, what areas of the business are private and how to differentiate between warrants.

Immigration attorneys have raised alarm about ICE entering private spaces without proper warrants and detaining people unlawfully.

Medeiros encourages people to record encounters with federal agents.

Nimale said Tastes of East African's economic challenges have been at least temporarily offset by an outpouring of support from her non-immigrant neighbors. Before the crackdown, she estimates that close to 80% of her customers were Somali. Now, it's roughly 10%, with new customers who are otherwise unfamiliar with that regional cuisine filling in the gap despite the slower the usual service due to a lack of employees.

Nimale said she is grateful for her neighbors' kindness but worries it's far from a sustainable solution.

“We don't know how long we can get support,” she said.

Associated Press reporter Wyatte Granthan-Philips contributed reporting.

A view of the 24 Somali Mall in Minneapolis, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

A sign is taped to the outside of the 24 Somali Mall in Minneapolis, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Community members and neighbors of people detained by ICE gather in protest at a Target store, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)