Kennedy Jones
MC Contributor/Staff Writer
Kendrick Lamar will need to invest in a new trophy case after the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Held on Feb. 15 at the L.A. Staples Center, legendary rap artist LL Cool J hosted the popular event.
Hip-hop artist Lamar was by far the highlight of the show. Leading the pack with a total of 11 nominations, he took home the most awards of the night winning five awards that included Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, Best Rap/Song Collaboration and Best Rap Performance. During his acceptance speech, he dedicated his award for Best Rap Album to hip-hop.
The rapper stole the show delivering the best performance of the night. He performed two songs off of his latest critically acclaimed album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” “Alright” and “The Blacker the Berry”. The Black Lives Matter inspired performance was soulful and politically charged featuring African dance as he performed in chains while his band members played behind bars.
Taylor Swift, who was nominated for seven awards, started the show off nicely opening with her new single, “Out of the Woods”. She took home three awards including Best Music Video, Best Pop Vocal Album and the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, for her latest album, “1989” making her the first female to ever win Album of the Year twice.
The Weeknd performed his hit song “I Can’t Feel My Face” which garnered him a standing ovation. The R&B singer won two awards out of seven nominations for Best R&B Performance and Best Urban Contemporary Album.
The show consisted of many tribute performances. John Legend, Demi Lovato and other artists paid tribute to Lionel Richie, who received the MusiCares Person of the Year Award. Lady Gaga gave an up-beat and electrifying tribute to David Bowie. Musical tributes were also given to legendary Blues singer B.B. King and Rock legend Glenn Frey.
Pop singer Meghan Trainor won her very first Grammy for Best New Artist. Ed Sheeran took home Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for his smash hit “Thinking Out Loud”. Record of the Year went to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for “Uptown Funk”.
Adele hit the stage performing “All I Ask” from her new album, “25”. The performance got off to a rocky start due to sound issues with her microphone. Frazzled by the mishap, the singer was unable to deliver those flawless vocals that she is known for giving an overall underwhelming performance.
A slew of other artists graced the Grammy stage including new R&B artist Andra Day, rock band Alabama Shakes, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, the cast of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton”, and more. Rapper Pitbull closed the show and was joined by Travis Barker, Joe Perry and Robin Thicke to perform his tunes “El Taxi” and “Bad Man”.
Be First to Comment