Black Girl Magic Slay at the Grammys 2024
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Posted By: S. Moore on February 06, 2024 JAY Z—WHO RECEIVED THE GLOBAL IMPACT AWARD—CALLED OUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY, SAYING THAT HIS WIFE, BEYONCÉ, “HAS MORE GRAMMYS THAN EVERYONE AND NEVER WON ALBUM OF THE YEAR.” Hailed as “music’s biggest night,” the 66th Grammy Awards was truly one to remember. Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the ceremony aired Sunday evening from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and featured all of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars. Building on her meteoric rise to success, SZA picked up the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the song, “Ghost in the Machine.” Leading all artists with nine nominations, the New Jersey native also won for Best Progressive R&B Album, and Best R&B Song for “Snooze.” During her acceptance speech for the latter, SZA spoke about the obstacles she’s faced through her career, telling the crowd she “came really, really far.”  The singer also hit the stage at one point during the ceremony to perform her smash single “Snooze” in front of a flaming dumpster, followed by “Kill Bill,” which saw SZA accompanied by several dancers who reenacted fight scenes from the classic film of the same name. Throughout the course of 2023, several people transitioned something that the Grammy Awards continue to recognize. During the event’s “In Memoriam” segment, the iconic Stevie Wonder paid homage to the late Tony Bennett. Lenny Kravitz then gave a tribute to the heralded music executive Clarence Avant, before introducing Jon Batiste, who sang “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” by the great Bill Withers.  Oprah Winfrey also made an appearance in honor of Tina Turner, saying that “she was a special kind of role model.” The Color Purple star Fantasia Barrino then sang “Proud Mary,” while donning a Turner-esque ensemble, perfect for the evening, as well as the moment at hand. Shawn “Jay Z” Carter received the Global Impact Award, and gave a powerful speech alongside his daughter Blue Ivy. While on stage, Carter called out the Recording Academy for never giving his wife, Beyoncé, a specific award despite her being the most decorated musician in the show’s history. “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year,” Jay-Z said.  “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys; never won Album of the Year—that doesn’t work.” As Beyoncé looked on, Jay Z finished the speech, telling the audience to “Keep showing up.” He added, “Forget the Grammys, you gotta keep showing up. Until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve. Until they call you ‘chairman,’ until they call you a ‘genius,’ until they call you ‘the greatest of all time.’ You feel me? Thank you.” In three rap categories, the Atlanta-raised emcee Killer Mike swept the competition. He won his first Award in over two decades for Best Rap Performance for “Scientists & Engineers,” which featured André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane. The Run The Jewels member also won for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album, but also ended up in police custody due to an alleged altercation.  Outside of SZA’s set during the Grammys, Travis Scott also performed several of his songs in front of an enamored audience. The Afrobeats star Burna Boy graced the stage to recite his hit “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” and surprised viewers worldwide by bringing out Brandy and 21 Savage. The past twelve months belonged to singer and songwriter Victoria Monét, who was nominated in seven categories at the 2024 Grammys. She took home awards for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, along with Best R&B Album for Jaguar II. She also took home Best New Artist, presented by last year’s winner Samara Joy. In the speech, Monét told viewers that her “award was a 15-year pursuit.”  “I moved to L.A. in 2009, and I liken myself to a plant who was planted and you can look at the music industry as soil,” Monét said. “And it can be looked at as dirty, or it can be looked at as a source of nutrients and water, and my roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen, for so long.” The night’s other winners included Coco Jones, Theron Thomas, Dave Chappelle, Tyla, Alicia Keys, and many more. Michelle Obama won a GRAMMY Award for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for the audiobook of The Light We Carry. This was her second GRAMMY; she previously won for her narration of Becoming. SOURCE Essence If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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