For the most part, this year’s Grammy Awards were smooth sailing. There was no on-stage violence (here’s looking at you Will Smith) or notable boycotts of previous years, just good vibes and memorable moments among the biggest stars in the world.
We look at five of our favourite moments from the Grammy weekend.
Bontle Modiselle attends Roc Nation Brunch
While dancer, choreographer and media personality Modiselle was initially mum about the details of her recent trip to the US, by Saturday she had fans in awe as she posted snaps from Jay-Z’s super exclusive annual Roc Nation Brunch.
While haters online continue to question how she got the invitation, all we can do is marvel at one of our own rubbing shoulders with the likes of the who’s who of the entertainment industry.
Jay-Z performs “God Did” with DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Friday, John Legend and Lil Wayne
“God Did” live at the 65th Grammy Awards performed by @DJKhaled, JAY-Z (@sc), @JohnLegend, @LilTunechi, @RickRoss, and @Fridayy. #Grammys pic.twitter.com/gmAOZcW5T4
It has been nine whole years since Jay-Z performed at the Grammys.
After a long hiatus, which saw him criticise the awards on several occasions, it made sense that the veteran MC close the Grammys with one of his most memorable performances on the very same night that his wife Beyoncé became the most successful artist in the history of the awards.
Hip-hop turns 50
50-year anniversary of hip-hop performance at the #GRAMMYs by some of the greats including RunDMC, LL Cool J, Salt N Peppa, Ice T, Queen Latifah, Wu-Tang, Big Boi, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Nelly, Too Short, GloRilla, The Roots, and more... pic.twitter.com/HmGB0bvGZX
— Leon Carrington (@LeonCarrington) February 6, 2023
Hip hop has had a complicated relationship with the Grammy Awards over the years.
Its biggest artists have often criticised the Grammys for not affording them the appropriate respect, given how impactful and successful the genre has grown over the past 25 years.
Despite this, several of hip hop’s “past, present, and future” artists came together and put on a stellar celebratory performance to mark the genre’s 50th-anniversary.
Trevor Noah introduces Adele to The Rock
The hilarious moment when Trevor Noah surprised Adele with The Rock. 🤣 #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/PNjNv51BmY
Grammys host Trevor Noah once again did a stellar job hosting the Grammy Awards.
Apart from flawlessly co-ordinating the evening’s festivities, the South African comedian provided one of the night’s most heart-warming moments when he went up to Adele and introduced her to one of her favourite stars in showbiz, former WWE wrestler and actor Dwyane Johnson, popularly known as The Rock.
Zakes Bantwini, Nomcebo Zikode and Wouter Kellerman bring another Grammy home to SA
Much has been written about Bantwini, Zikode and Kellerman winning the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for their collaborative single “Bayethe”.
But the accolade is so impressive that you’ll probably read and hear about it for at least another week.
While it was Bantwini and Zikode’s first win, Kellerman became one of the few African acts with multiple Grammys to his name.