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2015 Grammy awards full of political slants

The 57th Annual Gramm_byuh web.jpg

The 57th annual Grammy performers and hosts used their vast platform and sent multiple political messages while on stage. “This past year has been chalk full of tragedy, incredible loss, and even a rising of a very important movement. It seemed appropriate for these prominent artists to put in their two cents, “commented Barbara Harris, a junior from California majoring in hospitality and tourism management. Common, a prominent hip-hop and R&B artist, accompanied by John Legend, a full orchestra, and a choir, performed “Glory” juxtaposed with clips from the award winning movie, Selma. Common spoke on the increase in racial tensions spread across America and ended the beautiful composition with the eyes Eric Garner, a black man choked to death by a NYPD officer, on the big screens behind himself and the choir. Erin Kach, a junior history major from Utah said, “I loved the performance, it was something unlike anything that has been produced on a Grammy stage. That’s artistry.”Sam Smith was nominated for five awards, and won four of them, including; record of the year, song of the year, best new artist, and best pop vocal album. “I thought it was very entertaining and Sam Smith deserved all of his awards,” said Kelsee Webb, a freshman majoring in biomedical science from California, “I really like him.”Pharrell Williams, though he performed his hit single, “Happy,” added a small hint of social justice awareness to his Grammy performance. All of Williams’ backup dancers wore black hoodies with the hoods up to commemorate Trayvon Martin’s tragic death and even held their hands up as if submitting to a police officer with a gun. Throughout the whole night, various Grammy hosts and newscasters sprinkled in statements branded by recent political movements, Prince being one of them. When he announced the album of the year, Prince framed the announcement by saying, “Like books and black lives, albums still matter.”“The gravity of this statement is so immense. Prince snuck it in, giving absolutely no time for negative rebuttal. He seized the opportunity to remind the larger audience of the importance of the fight against racial inequalities,” remarked Morgan Jaupri, a sophomore communications major from New York. Beck walked away with the prestigious award of album of the year. Others nominated in this category included Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams. Kanye West also made a reenactment of the time when he took the microphone from Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2009. However, this time he made a joke of the situation and did not denounce Beck in any way during their acceptance of album of the year. Student Anna Nelson, a junior majoring in international cultural studies from Utah, said, “I agree with Kanye, I think Beyoncé should have won album of the year.”To watch the Grammy’s recaps and or specific aforementioned performances, visit grammy.com for full coverage. Uploaded by Feb. 19, 2015.
Writer: Morgynne Tora and Alyssa Troyanek