Hours before the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards were set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night, the world was hit with devastating news: Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.
The awards show was about to kick off in the house that Kobe quite literally built, and thousands of his fans were already on their way to the arena to pay respects to the legendary player. Because of this, there were whispers online from fans who argued that the Grammys should be canceled or postponed. Instead, the show went on. Early in the evening, host Alicia Keys explained the reasoning onstage: âI know how much Kobe loved music. I know how much he loved music. So weâve got to make this a celebration in his honor, you know? He would want us to keep the vibrations high.â
The tragic news inevitably cast a dark shadow over the ceremony, but there were some highlights that did in fact keep vibrations high. And, of course, this is the Grammys weâre talking about, so there were some low points as well. The Complex Music staff put together a list of the five best (and the five worst) moments of the 2020 Grammys.
Best: Alicia Keysâ opening tribute to Kobe Bryant
When Alicia Keys took the stage on Sunday night, everyone was reeling from the news of Kobeâs passing, and no one knew how the Grammys would handle it. The already challenging task of hosting the Grammys was suddenly even more difficult, but Alicia handled it all beautifully. âTo be honest with you, we're all feeling crazy sadness right now,â she acknowledged to the crowd at the beginning of the show. âBecause earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole wide world, lost a hero. And we're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built."
After a moving speech, Alicia brought out Boyz II Men for a short musical tribute, then reminded everyone of the important role music plays in moments like this. âWe're going to make sure that we are celebrating the most powerful energyâthe most beautiful thing in the worldâthe one thing that has the power to bring all of us together: that's music,â she said. âIt's the most healing thing in the world.â Itâs difficult to imagine a Grammys host handling a situation like this with more grace and poise than Alicia Keys did on Sunday night. Weâre all lucky to have her. âEric Skelton
Worst: Show bogged down with boring performances
Best: Tyler, the Creatorâs performance and first Grammy win
Tyler, the Creator has been telling people about his dreams of winning a Grammy for 10 years now, and he made the most of his big night when it finally came. Providing the eveningâs first real jolt of energy, Tyler put on his signature blonde IGOR wig and somehow topped what heâs been doing on tour every night:Â There was a Boys II Men appearance;Â Charlie Wilson stopped by; dozens of IGOR clones ran out at one point; there was even a fucking earthquake during âEARFQUAKE.â It easily became one of the most memorable Grammys performances weâve seen in years.
But Tyler wasnât finished. He also had a Grammy to win. Shortly after his performance, Tyler took the stage with his mother to accept the award for Best Rap Album. Onstage, he graciously accepted the Grammy, but during a post-award interview, he addressed the elephant in the room: Wouldnât it have made more sense for Tyler to get nominated in the overall Best Album category, since IGOR isnât even really a rap album?
âIâm half and half on it,â he told reporters. âOn one side, Iâm very grateful that what I made could be acknowledged in a world like this, but also, it sucks that whenever weâand I mean guys that look like meâdo anything thatâs genre-bending or thatâs anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category, which isâI donât like that âurbanâ word. Thatâs just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me.â
âWhen I hear that, I think âwhy canât we just be in pop?ââ he added. âHalf of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment,â Tyler said. âLike, oh, my little cousin wants to play the game, letâs give him the unplugged controller so he can shut up and feel good about it. Thatâs what it felt like a bit.â In closing, Tyler pointed out, âAnother half of me is very grateful that the art that I made can be acknowledged on a level like this, when I donât do the radio stuff. Iâm not playing to Target, Iâm in a whole different world than what a lot of people here listen to.â âEric Skelton
Worst: Aerosmith and Run-DMC's performance
As the millennium drew to a close and rap metal reached its crescendo, MTV saw fit to reunite Run-DMC and Aerosmithâand throw in Kid Rock, then enjoying his own âpeakââfor a rendition of âWalk This Way.â Twenty-one years later, the subgenre that song gave us has largely vanished, but the Grammysâ programmers wanted to recreate that moment anyway, this time without the generational talent behind âBawitdaba.â Why? Weâd be hard-pressed to answerâor to find anything further removed from contemporary music. Or to argue that the performance sounded good. Weâll never know who else may have taken this slot. But whoever the Academy considered would have made more sense than this combination, at least if it wanted to look like it was in touch with music in 2020. âLucas Wisenthal
Best: Nipsey Hussle winning multiple Grammys and honored with tribute
Nipsey Hussle was honored at the 2020 Grammys in a major way. The night kicked off with the late rapper being awarded for Best Rap Performance for his collaboration with Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy, âRacks in the Middle.â Nipâs longtime partner Lauren London, along with Nipâs brother, sister, grandmother, and daughter came up to accept his posthumous award. âNip did it not just for the awards but, for the people,â London said in an acceptance speech that was not televised during the main ceremony. âAnd God allowed him to speak his truth, give us wisdom and something that we will forever be able to live with.â
Nipâs grandmother, Margaret Boutte, also shared a few words, thanking the fans âfor showing all the love that I have felt for him all of his life and will always live in my heart.â And finally, Nipâs brother, Blacc Sam finished the familyâs acceptance speech, saying, âLast year bro was nominated and it meant the world to bro. When it was given to somebody else, we looked at each other and the whole team and said, âGod meant to give it to that person. If itâs meant to be, heâll be back here.'âÂ
The salutes to Nipâs life and legacy did not stop there. Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, Roddy Ricch, YG, and John Legend took the stage midway through the ceremony to perform a beautiful tribute to the late rapper. Meek and Roddy kicked the performance off with a rendition of their newly released track, âLetter to Nipsey.â Meek announced on Twitter that all profits from the new single, which was officially released on streaming platforms today, will go toward Nipseyâs family. As the performance continued, John Legend and DJ Khaled played their Grammy-winning hit âHigher,â which featured a posthumous verse from Hussle. YG also joined friends on stage.Â
Itâs also worth noting that all of the performers were dressed in traditional Eritrean garments, which was an ode to Nipâs heritage. The moving tribute ended on an even more powerful note with two large images of Nipsey and the late Kobe Bryant standing side by side. During DJ Khaledâs acceptance speech for Rap/Sung Performance for âHigher,â he said it best: âThis is for Nipsey Hussle. This is for hip-hop.â âJessica McKinney
Worst: Sharon Osbourne fumbling through the Best Rap/Sung nominees
The Grammys have always had a soft spot for forcing weird pairings and collaborations that barely made any sense, but even by their standards, having Sharon Osbourne present the Best Rap/Sung Performance award was bad. There were lots of comments online about how âcuteâ it was to see her fumble through the names of artists like Lil Baby and Gunna, which is likely what the Academy was looking for. But the whole thing felt gross when she mispronounced the name of winner DJ Khaled (twice!) and made weird remarks like, âYes, good one!â after struggling to read âRoddy Ricchâ off the teleprompter. There has long been an underlying feeling that the Grammys donât respect hip-hop, and this only confirmed those concerns. They really couldnât find anyone to do this who actually understands and respects these artists? âEric Skelton
Best: Ariana Grandeâs performance
Ariana Grande shut down the Grammys stage with a medley of hits off of her Grammy-nominated album, thank u, next. She began with her single âimagine,â which is believed to be a song about her late ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller. She later performed a stirring rendition of the original 1965 record, âMy Favorite Thingsâ before transitioning into her own song, â7 rings.â During â7 rings,â Grande showcased her strong choreography and growth as a live-performance artist. The performance was noticeably more hip-hop and R&B than past performances, from the dance routines to the pink set design (which was inspired by 2 Chainzâs pink Trap House design). She finished the performance by singing the first verse of âthank u, next.â Although she appeared to change the words to the song, likely to avoid mentioning Macâs name, she began to tear up a little. Luckily, she was able to keep it together until the final moment. Overall, Ariâs performance showed a lot of range and versatility. âJessica McKinney
Worst: No Juice WRLD tribute or shout out
Best: Billie Eilish's big night
Every year, we ask: Who won the Grammys? This year, the answer is obvious: Billie Eilish. Not only did the 18-year-old singer win five of the six awards she was nominated for, she also became the youngest artist to sweep all four major categories: Record of the Year (âbad guyâ), Song of the Year (âbad guyâ), Best New Artist, and Album of the Year (WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?). And she did so with class. Accepting the award for Album of the Year, she made a point to tell the crowd that she thought fellow nominee Ariana Grande should have won instead: âCan I just say, I think Ariana deserves this. Thank U, Next. I think it deserves more than anything in the world.â And if you were still (somehow) doubting her talents, Billie also delivered a memorable performance with her brother Finneas, which you can see below. Something tells us weâre going to be seeing her a lot at Grammys for years (decades?) to come. âEric Skelton