Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr., known professionally as 6lack, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he gained recognition following the release of his 2016 single "Prblms", which marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Free 6lack (2016), which was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
6lack in January 2017
Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the Recording Academy of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
SOS by SZA is the most recent recipient
Frank Ocean was the first recipient in 2013
The Weeknd is the first artist to win this award twice, in 2016 and 2018
Beyoncé is the first female artist to win this award twice, in 2017 and 2019