Admittedly, I initially did not plan on making this post. Because honestly, my overall reaction to this year’s Grammy Awards was – “I mean, I guess…” Plus, at first, I honestly could not think of five moments from the night that I genuinely loved. The worst definitely outpaced the best for me. But I persevered and managed to pull together five things about this year’s Grammy Awards that I didn’t hate. Read on for the full list of best and worst.
BEST
- Everyone’s a Winner – Well, almost everyone. I did appreciate that there was no sweep, like the last time Adele was nominated for example, for 25, and she won AOTY, SOTY, and ROTY, along with the pop categories. This year, Grammy voters definitely spread the wealth. Multiple people went home with at least one or two awards.
- Queer Representation – Kim Petras made history as the first openly transgender woman to win a Grammy for her collaboration with Sam Smith before the duo served up one of the few memorable performances of the night. It was also sweet to have Brandi Carlile’s wife and their two adorable children introduce her performance.
- 50 Years of Hip-Hop/Rap Celebration – I’ll avoid my rant about how Grammy voters obviously have little to no respect for Hip-Hop/Rap (more on that below) and appreciate this brilliantly assembled celebration of the genre. From old-school legends like Rakim and Run DMC to artists who defined the early ‘00s like Missy Elliot and Nelly, and the new talent on the rise, like Da Baby and GloRilla – it was a fitting celebration of one of the most beloved, yet misunderstood art forms. It would have been nice to see some legends like Nas and Eminem, though it was understandable why the latter was not present, considering his feelings about the Grammys.
- Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican Celebration – It was certainly not my favorite opening performance at the Grammys – not even close. Admittedly I’m not the biggest or, honestly, even a mild fan of Bad Bunny’s music. However, I appreciated the high energy of the performance and its tribute to Bad Bunny’s cultural heritage. And it certainly got the audience on their feet, which is always a win.
- In Memoriam – Unless it is the Academy Awards, which for some reason, cannot seem to get something as simple as an In Memoriam tribute right, the In Memoriam segments are usually one of my favorite parts of an award show. I know that may seem a bit morbid, however, it’s more an appreciation of the celebration of the talented artists who left an indelible impact on the industry. And this year’s In Memoriam segment struck the perfect chord from Kacey Musgraves’ tender cover of Loretta Lynn’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, Quavo’s emotional tribute to Takeoff and culminating in Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood’s pitch-perfect performance of Songbird, in tribute of Christine McVie.
Honorable Mention – Taylor Swift NOT winning Song of the Year for a more than decade-plus song originally from a decade-plus old album that was already nominated for Album of the Year years ago. I don’t care that it is a re-recording that was expanded to 10 minutes, complete with an accompanying insufferable video. It is an old song that should not have been nominated.
WORST
- The Show that Wouldn’t End – Four hours! Four long hours. It was like a bad date that seemingly would not end. And for the record, by the third hour, it felt like five. Grammy producers need to do better. There is simply no reason why this show has to be so long. Especially when it is not like most of the performances were particularly interesting or memorable.
- Lackluster Performances – Outside of a few that I have already referenced – Bad Bunny’s opening performance, In Memoriam segment, Hip-Hop/Rap tribute – many of the performances ranged from serviceable to unmemorable, to plain boring. And that just made an already very long night feel a lot longer.
- No Adele, Beyoncé or Kendrick Performance – It probably should have been a sign that this was not going to be a great night when three of the biggest names in music, with the most nominations, all declined to perform. With Adele, one can argue that it may have been down to logistics, as she was still wrapping up her residency show. But with Kendrick and Beyoncé, the cynic in me almost wonders if it was because they knew exactly how this night would go and did not want to give Grammy producers another chance to use their appearance for ratings, all while they never win the big awards.
- Is a Host Necessary – In fairness to Trevor Noah, he wasn’t awful by any means. Certainly not the worse I have seen in terms of award show hosts. However, even while serviceable, I was left with the feeling all night that the show would have lost nothing if there was no host.
- Beyoncé Loses AOTY (Again) – *Sigh* Get comfortable, this one is going to be a little long. A few disclaimers before I start. One, I did not hate Harry Styles’ album. I thought it was a perfectly fine pop album. Two, I am not a Beyoncé stan or one of the Beyhive. I like and respect her as an artist, but that’s it. Three, I didn’t initially love Renaissance. It was an album that had to grow on me over several months. That said, her loss for AOTY this past Sunday night was frustrating because of the many layers and nuances of the situation. It is easy to say, “it’s just an award,” and it is. But it also represents a much larger and deeper conversation. The Grammys were first handed out in 1959. In its 63-year history, only 11 black artists have won AOTY – 11, as in the number after 10. Now stop and think about how many legendary, impactful black artists you can list in a minute. And yet, only 11 have won AOTY. And of that 11, only three were women – the last in 1999. So yes, that means it has also been 24 years since a black woman won AOTY. That’s issue number one. But this year’s ceremony also significantly piggy-backed off Beyonce ́ s popularity by regularly promoting that she could become the most-winning artist ever. And that she did. Except for the quiet part that was left unsaid – that only one of those wins was in the big categories. A SOTY win for Single Ladies. So no AOTY awards, ever. But touting this “most winning artist” narrative allowed them to pat themselves on the back and play, “see, we award black artists. She’s won a lot.” And the narrative extended to some Grammy voters, who in an anonymous voter article, declared how she “won all the time.” See how that manipulative psychology works? Play up her breaking a record so once again, many can insist how, “she always wins,” except for how that never seems to extend to the major categories. Mind you, for all the, “she wins all the time,” voters seem to have no such issue regarding Taylor Swift who currently sits at a record-breaking three Album of the Year awards and is very likely, poised to make it a fourth, come next year. That is okay. That is acceptable and deserving, even. But suddenly Beyoncé, “wins too much.” Issue number two. The bottom line is that a white artist can make a good album that is critically well-received and they will win AOTY. See Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, etc. Yet black artists almost need to be perfect and they STILL don’t win. My friend commented after this year’s show that she’s not sure what else Beyoncé can do. And I warily responded to her that the answer is nothing. Because it’s not that she needs to make an amazing album – she has, multiple times. It’s not that she needs to be culturally relevant and have a musical impact – she has. And repeatedly the voters decided it simply wasn’t good enough – issue number three. And I haven’t even touched on issues regarding the Academy’s attitude towards Hip-Hop/Rap – a genre that is continuously treated as the barely tolerated step-child. It is clear that most recording academy voters, still one, do not understand Hip-Hop/Rap and two, don’t have much respect for the genre. And until they do, we will continue to have situations where Eminem wins an Academy Award for the record-breaking Lose Yourself but loses ROTY for the same song and Kendrick Lamar will win a Pulitzer Prize for his album DAMN. and yet the award that supposedly represents the best of the music industry decides said album is not worthy of Album of the Year.
PoPnOgR@PhY 