The 61st Annual Grammy Awards took place Feb. 10, and while the award show was one for the books, the events that followed have been what everyone is talking about.
Ariana Grande
Image Courtesy: Latestly
Ariana Grande was set to perform at the Grammys, but in the days leading up to the event, Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich spoke to the Associated Press in regards to her performance claiming, “She felt it was too late for her to pull something together for sure.” Grande denied these claims in a series of tweets stating, “I can pull together a performance overnight and you know that, Ken.” She went on to tweet, “It was when my creativity & self-expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend. [I] hope the show is exactly what you want it to be and more.” The conflict seemed to arise after discussions between Grande and producers about the songs she would perform.
Grande was awarded the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album which was announced prior to the show airing. This being her first Grammy win she expressed her gratitude to her fans through Twitter. Grande’s late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller received a posthumous nomination for Best Rap Album so the Recording Academy invited his family to attend the event. During the show, that award was presented to Cardi B which lead to a reaction by Grande on Twitter. Her tweets read, “f—” and “trash” which she later clarified was not a response to Cardi’s win but to the lack of professionalism shown by the Recording Academy for inviting Miller’s family when he would not be given that award.
For Grande, the good thing to come out of this event seemed to be the Cinderella-esque inspired custom gown Zac Posen designed for her. Posen made an Instagram post with a series of photos of her in the gown to commemorate her first Grammy win.
Cardi B
Image Courtesy: Pitchfork
Cardi B won the Grammy for Best Rap Album, making her the first solo female artist to win in this category. Immediately following the event she posted a collection of videos on her Instagram account thanking her fans for their support. In one of her video posts, she dedicated her award to the late Mac Miller, a fellow nominee in that category, stating, “I read an article that Mac Miller’s family said that if he don’t win, they want me to win so I’m sharing this Grammy with you mother f—er. Rest in peace.” She then posted a screenshot of the news article.
In a now-deleted video posted to her Instagram, Cardi responded to hate she was receiving after her win exclaiming, “I remember last year when I didn’t win for ‘Bodak Yellow’ and everybody was like, ‘Cardi got snubbed’ … now this year’s a f—ing problem?” Following these posts, she deactivated her Instagram but has since reactivated her account.
Fellow Grammy winner Lady Gaga has shown her support for the rapper in a tweet stating, “I love you Cardi. You deserve your awards. Let’s celebrate her fight. Lift her up & honor her. She is brave.” This is just one among many other artists who continue to show their support for Cardi B.
Nicki Minaj
Image Courtesy: Rap Current
BET tweeted their support of Cardi B’s successful night at the Grammys, but not without dissing Nicki Minaj in the process. In a now-deleted tweet, BET wrote that “… Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lacefront,” which lead to a lot of backlash on social media. Minaj responded to the disrespectful comment with a tweet announcing, “Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show.” BET apologized in a statement, “The respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written. The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values. We deeply apologize for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused.”
Minaj also called out Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich in a tweet, “I pissed off the same man Ariana just called out for lying. Grammy producer KEN. I was bullied into staying quiet for 7 years out of fear,” and she continued by claiming she would tell the entire story on her Apple Music radio show Queen Radio.
Despite the drama that arose, the 61st Annual Grammy Awards was an electrifying show and host Alicia Keys did a wonderful job creating an empowering atmosphere.