The 60th Annual Grammy Awards, which is being held at Madison Square Garden, will air this Sunday, January 28th. Hip-hop artists absolutely dominated the nominations this year, which is a reflection of how big the genre has become. In 1989, the Grammys introduced the first hip-hop category, Best Rap Performance. DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince won the award, but the rappers boycotted the event because the ceremony wouldn't air the rap category. It was a time where critics were split. Several heavyweights believed rap to be a fad, while many others perceived the growth and potential within the genre as the next big thing. It took another decade before a rapper would win Album of the Year, and then another decade for the Academy to nominate the genre realistically. For almost 30 years, well-favored rock and pop songs took home the most coveted awards while rap records that were far more popular on the charts weren't even nominated.
SZA, Kendrick, Jay-Z, Khalid and Childish Gambino are set to change the game. This year's Grammy nods feature rappers heavily, while no solo white male rock artists were nominated in any of the ceremony's biggest categories. Jay leads all nominees with eight nods, Kendrick follows with seven nods, and SZA and Khalid are tied with five nods each. The Album of the Year category features three rappers pitted against Bruno Mars and Lorde. The Record of the Year category features the same three rappers, Jay, Gambino, and Kendrick. In the Song of the Year category, Logic is the only white male to be nominated, for his suicide awareness record "1-800-273-8255." He's up against Jay, Bruno, and the Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber for their “Despacito” collaboration.
As hip-hop became more popular, its artist started to define the Grammy ceremony. When Will Smith boycotted the ceremony, they didn't even want rappers on television. Fast forward to 2018, and now rappers are the stars of the show. Throughout the years, hip-hop has offered us some timeless moments for the culture during music's most important night. These are the top 15 most epic hip-hop moments in Grammy history.
ATCQ performs "We The People"
Year: 2017
A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Consequence and Anderson .Paak delivered a politically charged performance of "We The People" at last year's Grammys. “I wanna thank President Agent Orange for his unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban,” vented Busta, as the crew promoted togetherness while also giving Phife a proper tribute.
Beyoncé's pregnant performance
Year: 2017
Dressed as a goddess, with a belly bigger than a balloon, Beyoncé took over the stage at the 2017 Grammys. The Queen was carrying twins Sir and Rumi while she killed the performance, which included a segment where Bey balanced on chair at a 160-degree angle.
Kendrick Lamar In Chains
Year: 2016
Kendrick made a controversial, but much needed, statement at the 2016 Grammys. As part of a chain gang, K Dot emerged on stage and performed "The Blacker the Berry" and "Alright," two records with very strong pro-black messages.
Kanye, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney team up
Year: 2015
Mr. West, RiRi, and Paul McCartney combined their star power to perform “FourFiveSeconds” at the 2015 Grammys. The performance marked the first time the trio would perform the single live.
Kanye almost steals the stage from Beck
Year: 2015
At least Kanye has a sense of humor. When Beck won the Album of the Year award, 'Ye began to approach the stage, imitating his famous Taylor Swift moment at the VMAs. At the last second Kanye turned around, but he would go on to ask Beck to hand Beyoncé the award later during an interview.
Lecrae becomes first rapper to win Best Gospel Album
Year: 2013
Before Chance took over the Grammys with his gospel/hip-hop fusion, Lecrae was pioneering the acceptance of the Christian rap genre. He became the first rapper to win the Best Gospel Album Grammy.
"Swagga Like Us" with pregnant MIA
Year: 2009
T.I., Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, and Kanye hit the stage at the 2009 Grammys to perform their banger "Swagga Like Us." MIA, who was sampled for the beat, joined the rappers on stage on the night she was due to give birth. None the less, the starlet sauntered around stage smoothly, and gave birth a few days later.
Nas and Kelis rock "N***ER" outfits
Year: 2008
To promote his next album, Nas decided to rock the title of the project on his shirt at the Grammys. His wife at the time, Kelis, joined her husband in sporting the word "N***ER" on her outfit. The publicity stunt caught everyone's attention, and Nas' label pressured the rapper into changing the name of the album.
Jay-Z, Linkin Park, and Paul McCartney
Year: 2006
RIP Chester. At the 2006 Grammys, Hov and Linkin Park performed their mash-up hit "Numb/Encore." Paul McCartney would join the genre bending performance by adding in a mix of The Beatles classic "Yesterday."
Eminem & Elton John
Year: 2001
After the Grammys announced Eminem's nominations in 2001, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) led a nationwide protest against the award ceremony. In possibly the best PR move ever, Em' teamed up with Elton John to perform "Stan."
THE J. Lo Dress
Year: 2000
Nobody remembers much about the 2000 Grammys, except for J. Lo's dress. Jenny from the block wearing that flowing green Versace dress became an iconic image.
Lauryn Hill wins Album of the Year
Year: 1999
The lovely and talented Ms. Lauryn Hill became the first rapper to win the Album Of The Year award. She also set the record at the time for the most wins by a female at the award ceremony for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
ODB interrupts Shawn Colvin
Year: 1998
Kanye wasn't the first rapper to steal the stage from an award winner. Ol' Dirty Bastard crashed the stage while Shawn Colvin was receiving her Grammy for Song of the Year. ODB bragged about his outfit while also suggesting that Wu Tang is "for the children."
Tupac presents Grammy with KISS
Year: 1996
Before his tragic death in the same year, Tupac and KISS shared the Grammy stage to present the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. The ceremony was held in Los Angeles, and 'Pac declared the members of KISS his homeboys.
Will Smith wins first rap Grammy
Year: 1989
Amid controversy that rap music was just a fad, the Grammys presented the first hip-hop related award in 1989. The first Grammy for Best Rap Performance went to DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince for "Parents Just Don't Understand." Although the duo won the award, they boycotted the event because the Grammys refused to air the rap category on television.