Grammy Awards 2018 Review!!! Your thoughts on winners and the performances?

So yeah I just got done watching the Grammys and I have to say that the nominees were very diverse this year and I have to say that I really did enjoy the performances overall. I am not mad at the winners in the Urban (R&B and Rap) categories. The competition was very stiff this year in each and every category especially in the R&B and Rap world.

Award Recipients

Sadly, SZA did not win any nominations this year. She was nominated 5 times just like Jazmine Sullivan was several years ago and they both left with zero during their respective times that they attended the Grammy Awards.

Sadly, JAY-Z did not win ANY of his nominations this year either!!! He was an EIGHT-TIME nominee and lost in each and every category!!! He lost to Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars and the respective categories. JAY Z joins Rihanna and Mariah Carey for having 8 nominations in one night years ago and not winning a single Grammy!

Migos and Cardi B were both nominated two times respectively but neither of them won. Both lost to Kendrick Lamar.

Childish Gambino was 1 out of 5 nominations and he won for Best Traditional R&B Performance beating out the likes of Ledisi and Mali Music.

The Weeknd won his nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album for Starboy.

Bruno Mars was 6 out of 6 tonight meaning that he won each and every one of the awards he was nominated for! Bruno Mars won across the board in all R&B categories and he swept each and every one of the "BIG THREE" --- Song, Record AND Album of the Year!!!!

Kendrick Lamar was 5 out of 7 nominations I believe. He SWEPT each Rap category and then also won for best Music Video.

Alessia Cara was the winner of the Best New Artist Grammy this year which shocked me honestly becuase I read and watched many different musical outlets about how SZA & Khalid were people's top two. I would have loved to see SZA espeically but I am not mad at Alessia Cara because I love her music and her talent for sure.

I am not even mad at Kendrick Lamar and Bruno Mars because each of them had an amazing year in the music industry and they both worked so hard and their hustle was undeniable. I know that each and every person in the categories work hard but tonight's Grammy Awards at the end of the day show me the same thing that we pretty much see each and every year... the winners over 90% of the time are definitely artists with critically acclaimed projects in addition to COMMERCIAL SUCCESS as well!!! That will NEVER change!!!

Performances

The performances were pretty awesome this year and I have to say that my favorite performance was Bruno Mars and Cardi B with the "Finesse (Remix)". I loved hearing the "neo-new jack swing" feel that they brought to the stage in their vocals, their swagger and their style! It is so amazing to see Bruno's evolution as an artist and to see Cardi B's rise from the bottom to the top. She was herself and acted like she belonged at the Grammy Awards! Bruno brought it with the amazing choreography man! Loved it!

My second favorite would definitely have to be DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller with "Wild Thoughts"! DJ Khaled is the definition of dedication, determination and discipline in the music industry! He never gave up! Bryson Tiller did his thing and it is cool to see him rise from basically sleeping in his car, being a single father and now rising to the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop new crop of artists! Now Rihanna... don't even get me started on her! I love this woman's "IDGAF"/rapper-like demeanor! She was looking THICK and simply gorgeous and brought everything from the video to the stage. When she started doing the "Gwara Gwara", which is a South African dance, me and my Nigerian friend lost our sh!t!!!! Oh my God Rihanna hit that dance so well and you could tell that she was enjoying herself!

I also did enjoy P!nk's change in pace with her performance. She just stood in place and let her vocals do all the work and sounded amazing while singing her record "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken"!

I enjoyed Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino as well! I never cared for Gambino artistically until his latest record and I loved how he brought something that was different in the music industry. He changed the texture of sound in the musical landscape and he brought R&B back to the forefront! His falsetto was amazing and I loved that young boy that came by his side and nailed each and every note when Gambino performed his song "Terrified".

I enjoyed SZA soldering through her performance like the queen that she is while performing her new single "Broken Clocks" from her 'CTRL' album! That was super cool and I just love her appeal and how he is one of the most genuine and raw female R&B singers to emerge within the last few years in the music game. She is not trying to be a poster child for anything! She only aims to tell her truth and be authentic in her walk.

Ke$ha and the other ladies did their thing singing her song "Praying" that alludes to her experiences after her sexual harassment accusations against music super-producer, Dr. Luke. It is important for the ladies to stick together and promote a positive message #timesup

Logic, Khalid and Alessia Cara were awesome as well! I loved Khalid's and Alessia Cara's vocal performance on the song! Those two are so young and they are both KILLING IT in the game right now! I remember when Alessia Cara got attention for the "Here" record and while it did not really perform the best commercially across all radio formats (Urban AC, Top 40, Rhythmic and R&B/Hip-Hop), it did serve as a launching pad to her crossover success to join other popular artists on their records that performed well on Top 40 radio. Khalid had "Location" and seemed to look like a one-hit-wonder until he worked with Logic and Calvin Harris on "The Suicide Song" & "Rollin" respectively. Logic's spoken word at the conclusion of his performance was impactful and much needed in the political and cultural climate that the U.S. & even the world is in right now.

I did like seeing Sting and Shaggy on stage doing their thing. Both legends in their own right and coming from opposite hemispheres of the world and fusing their talents together tonight in addition to recording a project that will be coming out in the future.

Now I know that MANY people enjoyed Kendrick Lamar's opening performance featuring U2 & Dave Chappelle... I do not take anything away from Kendrick Lamar BUT the performance did not do much for my musical palette. I derived that the performance had a political component to it and I can appreciate it. I think for me I liked the rapping and the instrumental of the performance BUT the creative direction of the visuals confused me. I am pretty sure that those who really listened to the 'DAMN.' album can appreciate his performance more than I did. Again, it is NO SHADE and I take nothing from K.Dot. I am not mad at him having the opportunity to open the award show!

I think I hit everything that I really enjoyed about the Grammy Awards in 2018 and I am looking forward to the new projects coming out from Urban/black artists in 2018.

What were some of your favorite performances?

Do you think any of the nominees that did not win deserved to win?

What other comments do you have about the 60th Annual Grammy Award ceremony?

@Nick Delmacy @OckyDub @SB3 @Sean P @DreG @acessential @takeyourmeds91 @NikR @Infinite_loop @ColumbusGuy @ControlledXaos @Michael @lyriq88 @Cyrus-Brooks @RolandG @Jai @Omega Level @Lean Lantern @Artistic Arsonist @Juan-Carlos @Ora Obi

 

I did swoon some over Donald Glover's vocals!