• Wins Third Grammy For ‘Best World Music Album’
• Hip-Hop Rules, As Adele Falls Flat
• Swift Wins ‘Album Of The Year’, Beats Lamar, The Weekend

Angelique Kidjo, one of Africa’s most prominent musicians, won her third Grammy at the 58th Grammy, which held on Monday, February 15, and dedicated it to aspiring artistes on the continent.

The Beninese-born singer won the Best World Music Album for ‘Sings’, a collection of her songs infused with Western classical traditions in collaboration with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

This is the second straight year that Kidjo has won the Best World Music Album prize, after last year’s ‘Eve’ that paid tribute to African women. A visibly happy Kidjo, dressed in a colourful African print (Ankara), ran to the stage to accept the award and danced to James Brown’s I Feel Good, performed by a pit orchestra.

“I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musicians in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation. Africa is on the rise, Africa is positive, Africa is joyful. Let’s get together and be one with music, and say no to hate and violence,” Kidjo said to a thunderous applause from the audience.

The album merges African songwriting and rhythms with European classical instrumentation, a fusion which Kidjo, has repeatedly experimented. She described the album as an artistic challenge as traditional African bands follow the lead of the soloist much more closely, unlike Western orchestras that generally play off refined scores.

Kidjo, who is based in New York and plans another concert at Carnegie Hall in the upcoming season, said she was open to further work with artistes of other genres. “I work with everyone who believes that music is the tool of peace. For me, music is the only form of art that connects the entire world,” she told AFP after accepting the award.

She hailed the awards as being increasingly open-minded. “What astounds me more and more is the openness of spirit by the Grammys compared with other events. They are showing musical diversity to the rest of the world. What is great at the Grammys is to have people who aren’t only into commercial things, she told AFP.

The Hip-hop genre ruled the Grammys stage, which held on Monday, February 15, in performances that put racial tension back in the national spotlight and where some of music’s biggest stars failed to deliver, or in the case of Rihanna, failed to show up at all.

Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly lost out on the coveted album of the year. But it was his passionate, politically charged performance of The Blacker the Berry and Alright, featuring chained black men in a prison, and African tribal dancers that quickly stole the show.

“I’m African-American, I’m African, I’m black as the moon, heritage of a small village, pardon my residence, came from the bottom of mankind,” rapped Lamar 28, who hails from Compton, California, the birthplace of hip-hop. His performance ended with a backdrop of a large map of Africa with the name Compton written across it.

National Public Radio’s Eric Deggans called it “A performance that woke up a sleepy #Grammys”, while entertainment website E! Online, tweeted, “Kendrick Lamar just SHUT IT DOWN at the Grammys.”

Like it was not just Lamar night, Broadway’s sold-out musical ‘Hamilton’ which mixes rap, jazz, ballads and casts black and Latino actors as the U.S founding fathers, performed live from New York. The show won the Best Musical Theater Album award and its creator, Lin Manuel-Miranda, delivered his acceptance speech in rap.
“Kendrick, then Lin Manuel, serving nonstop back to back black and brown genius”, tweeted Daniel Jose Older.
All eyes had been on Adele, who was returning to music’s biggest night after a four-year absence and following the blockbuster success of her new album ‘25’. But the British singer’s delivery of ballad All I Ask, was marred by sound hitches and uncharacteristic flat notes that dismayed many fans.

“The piano mics fell on to the piano string, that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Shit happens. X” Adele tweeted in response.

Lady Gaga brought the audience at the Staples Center, Los Angeles venue of the award to its feet with a psychedelic tribute to David Bowie, who died in January. Rihanna pulled out at the last minute with bronchitis, disappointing fans watching at home, who complained the 2016 Grammys lacked star power.

“But can we really blame Rihanna? If I was at the Grammys I would ‘ve left too,” Twitter user Sophia commented.

Beyonce made the briefest of appearances to present an award at the end of the three and half hour show, but did not perform.

‘1989’ by Taylor Swift won album of the year. Swfit’s album was nominated alongside Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd, Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes, and Traveller by Chris Stapleton.

Swift is the first woman to win the award twice. “I want to say to all the young women out there – there are going to be people along the way who are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” she said in her speech.

She added, “But if you focus on your work and don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you’ll know it was you and the people that love you that put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”