Well, the Grammys for 2014 were certainly eventful, and now that they’re over, here’s a quick rundown of what went down on the R&B/hip-hop performance front (in no particular order):
In a nutshell, Beyoncé and Jay Z opened the night with a performance of her current single “Drunk In Love,” while Pharrell, Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers recruited Stevie Wonder for their “Record of the Year” “Get Lucky” easing in with a quick transition into Chic’s “Le Freak.” John Legend romanced the audience (and his new wife Chrissy Teigen in the spotlight) with his ballad “All Of Me,” and the slightly-snubbed Kendrick Lamar shut the venue all the way down with his collab rising rockers Imagine Dragons in a mash-up of their songs "Radioactive" with "M.A.A.D City" for something explosive. Robin Thicke and the band Chicago teamed up to do a mashup of the band’s songs, all before breaking into a minute or so of Thicke’s 2013 hit “Blurred Lines,” and Lorde c performed her hit “Royals” before taking home two Gramophone trophies. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis swept the Rap categories, with Queen Latifah officiating the nuptials of dozens of same-sex couples during their performance…no one saw THAT coming!
Anyway, catch a few of the performances and a list of R&B/Hip-Hop winners below, but check out Grammy.com for the full list.
Record of the year: "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
Album of the year: "Random Access Memories" – Daft Punk
Song of the year: "Royals" – Lorde
Best new artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best pop solo performance: Lorde – "Royals"
Best pop duo/group performance: Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers – "Get Lucky"
Best pop vocal album: Bruno Mars – "Unorthodox Jukebox"
Best R&B performance: Snarky Puppy with Lala Hathaway – "Something"
Best traditional R&B performance: Gary Clark Jr. – "Please Come Home"
Best R&B song: "Pusher Love Girl" – Justin Timberlake
Best urban contemporary album: Rihanna – "Unapologetic"
Best R&B album: Alicia Keys – "Girl on Fire"
Best rap performance: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz – "Thrift Shop"
Best rap/sung collaboration: Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake – "Holy Grail"
Best rap song: "Thrift Shop" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best rap album: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – "The Heist"
Producer of the year, nonclassical: Pharrell Williams
Best song written for visual media: Adele — "Skyfall" – "Skyfall"
Best music video: Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z – "Suit & Tie"
