MTV NEWS: At The Grammys
Eminem Makes Statement At Grammys With New Jewelry
Posted 2/15/11 12:23 pm ET by D.L. Chandler in Grammys, Music News, Things That Aren't Hip-Hop ... But Are
Eminem’s title of his latest album takes on a whole new meaning after his Grammy Awards performance revealed that the Detroit rapper is serious about kicking his addictions.
Shown wearing the Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety pendant and necklace, Eminem’s long battle with prescription drug addiction and alcoholism appears to be on the mend. Eminem revealed last year that his addiction to painkillers and other prescribed drugs robbed him of his formidable rhyming skills and that he had to reinvent his approach to music.
R&B crooner Chris Brown is on the comeback trail and the embattled singer is now hard at work to both rebuff his image and also preparing a release for his latest studio album F.A.M.E.
C. Breezy commissioned artist Ron English to design the cover of his upcoming fourth studio album set for a March 22 release. English, a known graffiti and pop artist who has designed covers for some known rock acts, used a multitude of colors in the drawing depicting the somber singer in a large portrait of Brown in the center of the painting. Several smaller images of the maligned star adorn the background, showing the Virginia native in various stone faced poses and some words which could be thinly veiled barbs at his detractors that spell out the phrase “Forgiving All My Enemies” which make up the acronym for the album.
By Kathy Iandoli
Right about now it’s all eyes on Esperanza Spalding. After beating artists like Drake, Justin Bieber and Florence and the Machine for Best New Artist at the Grammys, this is Miss Spalding’s shining moment.
The Jazz artist will undoubtedly have fellow artists vying to collaborate with her. With hip hop having roots in Jazz, rappers might just be a great fit to work with Esperanza. New Orleans Jazz trombonist Trombone Shorty – who also earned a Grammy nod for Best Contemporary Jazz Album (but lost to the Stanley Clarke Band) – has already taken a chance covering Lil Wayne tracks, so perhaps this is the shape of things to come.
By Kathy Iandoli
There is always some shocking moment every year at the Grammys.
This year, it was Jazz artist Esperanza Spalding's defeat of both Justin Bieber and Drake for the Best New Artist award. Spalding also beat two other nominees: Mumford & Sons, as well as UK band Florence and the Machine. While the multi-instrumentalist is far from a "new" artist, her organic buzz turned up a notch this past year.
"Honestly, I was surprised that she won. She is an amazing talent, but I did not think that as many people knew about her," OP! DJ and organizer of New York's I Love Vinyl series and Label Manager at Decon explains. "It is amazing to see that an artist who actually is a musician got the award."
Spalding's first album was 2006's Junjo, followed by 2008's Esperanza, both accompanied by other instrumentalists. Her solo debut arrived this past year with Chamber Music Society, the work that ultimately led to her taking home a Grammy. "The fact that the Grammy committee was hip to her this year, shows a visible shift in the music industry, where consumers are demanding more talent and real music," Boyuan Gao, Editor-In-Chief of The Revivalist explains.
By Kathy Iandoli
While Hip-Hop made a sizeable appearance at the Grammy Awards this year, hip hop artists made an equally large presence on Twitter last night (February 13th) while the Grammys aired.
“Tonight I could have became something else...but I walked away and remain as myself,” a despondent Drake tweeted, no doubt in response to his losing the Grammy awards for both Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for Thank Me Later. Drake lost the New Artist crown to Jazzy soulstress Esperanza Spalding, as Spalding beat both Drake and Justin Bieber.
Detroit superstar rapper Eminem had an epic night at the 53rd Grammy Awards Sunday evening (February 13).
Checking into the festive awards ceremony with a whopping ten nominations, Slim Shady walked away from the bash with just two of the coveted trophies in the Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Album categories respectively. Em won the performance nod with his hit song “Not Afraid” while his chart-topping and continually high selling album Recovery got recognized at the top rap album. But the Motor City bad boy’s night was also notable as a result of his performance with pop star Rihanna and a much hyped performance with his mentor Dr. Dre and singer Skylar Grey.
By Rahman J. Dukes
Roman has finally met his psychotic rapping partner in crime, Marshall. Last November Nicki Minaj introduced her coveted rap guest, Eminem, on her now platinum debut album Pink Friday and earlier tonight two of hip hop's most celebrated rappers finally met in person.
Perhaps the Grammys most anticipated performance of the night, Eminem graced the stage with Grammy winning songstress Rihanna, who won an early award for Best Dance Recording.
Opening with her version of their collaborative song “Love The Way You Lie” the Bajan superstar looked radiant in a billowing black dress backed by a lonely piano. As her vocals soared, Eminem walked on to the stage which was set with a fiery background. As the song’s backing music began to build, so did Em’s voice with the rapper becoming increasingly animated as the song went on.
By Paul Cantor
At this point, Nicki Minaj is synonymous with outrageous. So it wasn’t that far fetched to think she’d show up at the 53rd annual Grammys looking to make waves. Instead, she made a full on splash, dressed in a Givenchy leopard print outfit and a blonde afro hairdo that seemed to rise from her head with no bounds. “This is all my hair,” she joked on the red carpet. “At night if I press a certain button, my hair grows up, and if I press another button, it grows a color on it.”
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