The Urban Daily » Grammys

Grammy Performances 2012 [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:40:04 +0000

After an opening prayer by host LL Cool J, some of music’s biggest stars took the stage at the 54th Grammy Awards. Catch performances from Rihanna & Cold Play, Chris Brown and more right here! (props to Yardie)

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Who tore it down and who was just tore down? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Jennifer Hudson (Whitney Houston tribute)

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Rihanna and Coldplay

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Chris Brown

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Bruno Mars

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Alicia Keys and Bonny Raitt tribute to Etta James

2122122227 by YardieGoals

Chris Brown Wins Best R&B Album For “Fame”

Black Artists Who Never Won a Grammy [PHOTOS]

Lil Wayne Takes Shots At “The Throne” At Pre-Grammy Party

Nicki Minaj Gets Pretty For Grammy With LL Cool J [PHOTOS]

Darnella Dunham, Senior Producer — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:10:42 +0000

Nicki Minaj recently posed for Grammy promotional photos with LL Cool J, and she looked really pretty! Instead of wearing a crazy look or making her trademark silly faces, Nicki Minaj kept it simple and cute.

Where The 2012 Grammys Will Be Held

Take a look at Nicki looking really pretty in these photos!

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Chris Brown To Perform At The Grammys?

Darnella Dunham, Senior Producer — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:57:16 +0000

If reports are true, Chris Brown will be busy on Sunday, February 12th, when he performs at the Grammys. He was supposed to perform in 2009, but withdrew after getting into a vicious physical altercation with his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

So Much To See While Attending The Grammys

The last time Chris Brown appeared at the Grammys was 2008, which makes it a really big deal for him to return in 2012.

Rihanna will be in attendance at the Grammys and is scheduled to perform with Coldplay. Find out who else will be performing right here.

Chris Brown “Turn Up The Music” [NEW MUSIC]

Win A Trip To The 2012 Grammys!

Jonathan Hailey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:05:47 +0000

The Grammy Awards are a music lover’s Superbowl. Plenty hope and dream about attending the biggest night in music. If you are such a music fiend, here is your chance to go to the Grammys. Entering the contest is easier than you think. All one must do is tune into Fuse on Monday January 30th which is the start of Grammy Nominee Takeover Week. Keep an eye oen for the special code at the bottom of the screen and head over to Insider.fuse.tv to enter.

The winner and a guest will receive tickets to the Grammy ceremony with the opportunity to walk the red carpet! After the ceremony, you and your guest will be whisked off to the official Grammy after-party. How cool is that. Check out the video below for more details. Good luck!

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Kelly Rowland To Be Honored By Essence Magazine

Brad Wete — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:04:38 +0000

R&B songstress Kelly Rowland, 30, will be honored by Essence Magazine this February during Grammy weekend at their third annual Essence Black Women in Music event.

Rowland, alongside Beyoncé Knowles, launched iconic, multi-platinum girl group Destiny’s Child. Since the DC breakup in 2005 Rowland’s scored a few hit singles as a solo artist and was a host on the eighth season of British talent show The X Factor.

Kelly’s up for a Grammy this year, nominated for in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category for her slow jam “Motivation” featuring Lil Wayne.

In a statement, Essence editor-in-chief Constance C.R. White says Rowland’s “talent, drive and remarkable creative force show what it truly means to be a young powerhouse in an ever-changing industry.”

See Who’s Nominated For Grammys!

Darnella Dunham, Senior Producer — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:47:18 +0000

Congratulations to the Grammys nominees! It’s so exciting to see hip-hop and R&B is very well represented in major categories. Nicki Minaj was one of the presenters, and Common, Usher, Lady Gaga, Lupe Fiasco, Valerie Simpson, Rihanna, and more performed on the live announcement show.

VIDEO: Top 10 Grammy Performances [VIDEO]

Check out the list of the contenders for the highest honor in music, and tune in to see who won on February 12th.

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Adele “Rolling In The Deep”
Bon Iver “Holocene”
Bruno Mars “Grenade”
Mumford & Sons “The Cave”
Katy Perry “Firework”

SONG OF THE YEAR
Kanye West “All Of The Lights”
Mumford & Sons “The Cave”
Bruno Mars “Grenaded”
Bon Iver “Holocene”
Adele “Rolling In The Deep”

BEST NEW ARTIST
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Adele 21
Foo Fighters Wasting Life
Lady Gaga Born This Way
Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna Loud

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
Adele “Someone Like You”
Lady Gaga “Yoü And I”
Bruno Mars “Grenade”
Katy Perry “Firework”
Pink “F***in’ Perfect”

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse “Body And Soul”
The Black Keys “Dearest”
Coldplay “Paradise”
Foster The People “Pumped Up Kicks”
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera “Moves Like Jagger”

See the entire list of nominees right here.

Don’t forget to check out our Grammys nominees gallery below!

Aretha Responds To Fantasia’s Grammy Boycott

The Urban Daily — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:45:20 +0000

Fantasia Barrino boycotted the Grammy‘s this year because she wasn’t asked to participate in the tribute to Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul has responded to Fantasia’s boycott.

Franklin issued a statement to USA Today:

“I was sorry to hear that Fantasia was upset because she did not get the opportunity to participate in my Grammy Tribute this year. I recall that in the past, Fantasia participated in both my MusicCares Person of the Year Tribute and my United Negro College Fund Tribute. Fantasia is still young in the business and although we all love and appreciate her she must understand that in this business of show business she will not always get to participate in everything she would like participate in. I’m sure it was not an intentional omission. I will see Fantasia over the summer here in Detroit.”

Jermaine Dupri Says Grammy Voting Process Is “Crazy” [VIDEO]

Bill Johnson — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 22:00:32 +0000

Jermaine Dupri served as President of the Atlanta chapter of the Grammy board in the early 2000s so he knows a little bit about how the Grammy’s work. After reading Steve Stoute’s letter to the NARAS, Dupri made a video response.

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In his video, Dupri lays part of the blame on the Grammy board, and a hefty part of the blame on the hip-hop community’s lack of involvement in the NARAS’ day-to-day operations. Dupri even thinks that half of the hip-hop community aren’t even members of the organization.

Spotted @ Vibe.com

Steve Stoute Says Grammys Are Out Of Touch With Popular Culture

The Urban Daily — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:00:44 +0000

Advertising executive, and former music biz exec “Commissioner” Steve Stoute took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and their annual Grammy Awards ceremony as out of touch with popular culture.

Stoute, who previously managed Nas, reached a breaking point after this year’s Grammy Awards and watching artists like Justin Bieber and Eminem lose in big categories.

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“Where I think that the Grammys fail stems from two key sources: (1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic,” Stoute writes.

“As an institution that celebrates artistic works of musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and technical specialists, we have come to expect that the Grammys upholds all of the values that reflect the very best in music that is born from our culture. Unfortunately, the awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate.”

The Grammys are voted on by NARAS members, who are generally comprised of label employees, artists, and technical staff (engineers, mixers, etc).

Read Stoute’s full letter at The Huffington Post

Recap Of The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards

Shamika Sanders — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:17:00 +0000

The 53rd annual Grammy Awards kicked off with a tribute to Aretha Franklin. LL Cool J hit the stage to introduce Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams in an unprecedented performance of “Natural Woman.” Christina Aguilera redeemed herself from her mishap during the singing of the national anthem at the 2011 Superbowl with the best vocals I’ve heard on a white girl thus far! Aretha filmed a special thank you speech, appearing abnormally thin(for her) after her highly successful surgery.

Lady Gaga performed her new single “Born This Way “ for the first time with freakishly real, abnormal shoulders, makeup and transparent outfit. Not to mention she pulled up to the Grammys in an egg?!

Lenny Kravitz looked amazing.

With 14 Grammy nominations between them, B.O.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae took to the stage performing one of the biggest songs of 2010—“Nothing On You.” While B.O.B looked like the man from the Monopoly box, Janelle stole the show with her natural beauty and signature bouffant singing “Cold War”

Bruno Mars and his charming smile sang his little heart out in a black and white Smokey Robinson reminiscent performance.

***Justin Beiber Alert***

Footage of the first meeting between Usher and Justin Beiber graced the screens of millions to cheese over. It was followed by a corny acting session between the two on stage. With Usher crowning the 53^rdGrammys as Beibers “time” Justin hit the first note on his guitar singing “Baby.” A couple of martial art moves later Beibs was joined on stage by Jaden Smith(who was wearing leopard jeans). Will and Jada were in the crowd smiling proudly and singing along to their son’s verse on “Never Say Never”

***End Justin Beiber Alert***

Justin joined Usher on stage for the same dance routine we have been seeing ever since “OMG” first came out. None-the-less it was the best performance I’ve seen from Usher in a long time!

Lady Gaga took home the Grammy for Pop Vocal Album over Beibs, Katy Perry and John Mayer. She surprisingly thanked Whitney Houston for inspiring her to write her new single “Born This Way.”

The Teddy Pendergrass tribute was sort of suspect, probably because it was performed by a white trio with guitars.

Jamie Foxx introduced Cee Lo Green but didn’t warn us that he would be wearing a costume that looked like it was designed by Missy Elliot, a 300 Spartan and showgirl. Though dressed like a gay chicken, Cee Lo’s performance was highly invigorating to an otherwise boring award show. Gwyneth Paltrow made an appearance wearing a jumpsuit with secy Louboutin’s and proved that she can actually sing before humping the piano.

Cee Lo and Eminem lost Song Of The Year to Lady Antebellum.

Seth Rogen joked about getting high with Miley Cyrus before introducing Rihanna, Dr. Dre and Eminem. Rihanna kicked her Side-Show Bob hairstyle for a sleek bob and paper bag dress. There was a slight technical difficulty with Eminem’s mic as Rihanna seductively walked to him from across the room. Dr Dre shortly made his highly anticipated debut which was as overrated as Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” song.

Esperenza robbed Drake and Justin Bieber of Best New Artist.

Finally Nicki Minaj showed her face, along-side Will.I.Am to present the award for Rap Album which Eminem snatched early for his work on “Recovery.” He thanked Rihanna for helping propel his album to such heights and bigged up Detroit.

Beyonce looked amazing as usual, although they only showed a glimpse of her.

P.Diddy looked absolutely ridiculous with gold fronts introducing Ri Ri and Drizzy. Rihanna heated up the stage,literally(cue the Illuminati rumors) and even got Drake to bust a wine during “What’s My Name.”

Record Of The Year went to Lady Antebellum and beat out Cee Lo, Jay-Z, and Eminem…very upsetting!

Album Of The Year went to…The Suburbs

P.S-Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne were nowhere to be found.

All in all, I fell asleep three times during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards it was completely BORING!

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys need to retire “Empire State Of Mind” and performance of the night went to Cee Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow followed by Rihanna and Drake! I know exactly what the awards could have used; a performance by…Chris Brown!

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Rihanna & Drake Rehearse For 53rd Grammy Awards

Christina Aguilera Added To Aretha Franklin Tribute

Rihanna & Drake Rehearse For 53rd Grammy Awards [VIDEO]

Shamika Sanders — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:40:38 +0000

Rihanna and Drake plan on heating up the stage at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards tonight. The biggest music event all year will honor A Tribe Called Quest and have tribute performances to Aretha Franklin. Drake and Ri Ri are performing their hit single “What’s My Name.”

Dr. Dre Will Join Eminem For Grammy Performance

The Urban Daily — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:45:07 +0000

Eminem has been slated to perform at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, where he is nominated for 10 awards. He will be joined on stage by the one and only Dr. Dre.

The performance, confirmed by CNN Showbiz’s Twitter account, will be Dre’s first televised performance in over 10 years. Dre & Eminem will presumably perform their latest single, “I Need A Doctor,” which will appear on Dre’s long-awaited upcoming album Detox.

Other performers at this year’s Grammy awards include Rihanna, Drake, Raphael Saadiq, Cee Lo Green, and many more.

B.O.B. Performs “Airplanes” On Delta Airlines Flight [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:21:26 +0000

Delta Airlines provided travelers on a recent flight to Los Angeles International Airport to some in-flight entertainment courtesy of B.O.B. The Grammy nominee performed his hit single “Airplanes” during the flight.

Delta Airlines also happens to be the official airline of the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, happening on February 13th in Los Angeles.

Spotted @ KarenCivil.com

Raphael Saadiq To Perform At Grammys With Mick Jagger; Announces Spring US Tour

The Urban Daily — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:34:46 +0000

Raphael Saadiq has been confirmed to play at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony and will be joined on stage by a music legend, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones on February 13th. The two will pay tribute to the late R&B singer Solomon Burke, who died in October 2010. The performance will be Jagger’s first time performing at the Grammy’s.

The pairing is rather clever, as Saadiq plans to release his fourth solo studio album, titled Stone Rollin’, in March. The album is slated to be a tribute to the sounds of the 50s and 60s, the period in which Burke became an R&B legend. The Rolling Stones have also publicly stated that Burke was a huge inspiration to them. The band covered Burke’s classic songs “Cry To Me” and “Everybody Needs Someone To Love” in the 1960s, and brought Burke on tour with them.

Saadiq has also announced his own upcoming tour in support of Stone Rollin which will cross the United States this spring. Check out the tour dates below!

March 15^th Dallas, TX House of Blues
March 16^th Austin, TX SXSW
March 19^th New Orleans, LA House of Blues
March 20^th Houston, TX House of Blues
April 16^th Indio, CA Coachella Music and Arts Festival
May 9^th Minneapolis, MN First Ave
May 16^th Boston, MA House of Blues
May 20^th Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 21^st Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head
May 23^rd Raleigh, NC Lincoln
May 24^th Charlotte, NC Fillmore
May 25^th Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
May 27^th Orlando, FL House of Blues
May 28^th Tampa, FL Ritz