Black Excellence Wins Big at 67th Grammy Awards

While Los Angeles continues to battle devastating wildfires, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards went off without a hitch last night; sparkling not only with big wins and iconic moments, but also with a powerful spotlight on Black excellence, just in time for Black History Month.

After rumors went viral last week that Beyonce was expected to attend the show this year, fans and critics alike speculated that she would finally win the award for Album of The Year, and they were right. Queen Bey won the prestigious award presented by the Los Angeles fire department for her critically-acclaimed country album, Cowboy Carter, which also won Country Album of The Year. The two wins make Beyonce the highest award-winning artist in Grammy history, after a total of 99 career nods over the years. Beyonce was also previously nominated for Album of The Year four times, the most an artist has ever been nominated for the category.

Kendrick Lamar was another big winner of the night, taking the award for Record of The Year and Song of The Year for “Not Like Us.” The crowd rapped the song word for word as Kendrick sauntered to the stage in his signature Compton cool to receive his honor along with DJ Mustard.

Kendrick’s fellow Top Dog Entertainment label mate, Doechii, made Grammy history with her win for Best Rap Album for her project, Alligator Bites Never Heal. The Tampa-bred rapper became only the third woman ever to win in the category, following the the trail blazed by this year’s presenter Cardi B and Lauryn Hill.

During her acceptance speech, Doechii took a moment to offer an empowering message to young Black girls everywhere. “I want to tell you that you can do it. Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes onto you. You are exactly who you need to be where you are, and I am a testimony of that,” she said, reminding us all that success knows no bounds when you’re true to yourself.

Queen Latifah, a living legend in her own right, honored Alicia Keys with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, and Keys made a strong political message about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), calling it a “gift” and “not a threat.”

She also took the time to call out the under-appreciation of women producers in the music industry – pointing out how names like Missy Elliot, Linda Perry, Solange and Patrice Rushen have long influenced the music world from behind the scenes. “I’ve always had to fight for a certain level of respect as a songwriter, a composer, and especially a producer,” said Keys. It’s strange that we don’t think of women as producers like Quincy or Dre or Swizzy, but female producers have always powered the industry.”

The Grammy stage was truly a celebration of artistry across the board, but if there’s one takeaway from last night’s show, it’s that Black excellence continues to shine at the forefront of the music industry.