In a carefully political Grammys night on Sunday, A Tribe Called Quest kicked the wall down–literally. The hip-hop icons, joined by newcomer Anderson .Paak on drums, delivered a fiery performance at the Grammy Awards–a tribute to their own late Phife Dawg, whose image hung on the stage behind the group; and an unflinching critique of President Donald Trump.
“I just want to thank President Agent Orange, for perpetuating all of that evil,” Busta Rhymes said between songs, calling out Trump’s executive order “Muslim ban” as the group went into their song “We the People.”
2016’s “We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service,” the group’s first album since 1998 and one expected to be their farewell, was released three days after the Nov. 8 election, and predicted the political climate to come with startling clarity. Its lyrics address marginalized peoples, some of whom joined Tribe on stage, and beyond the music, the group offered solidarity. To those “pushing people in power to represent them, tonight, we represent you,” Q-Tip said. At one point, the group pushed their fists into the air in a Black Power salute; as their performance ended, Q-Tip shouted “Resist! Resist! Resist! Resist!”
Though Tribe were the night’s most forceful voice, others came with something to say. In her victory speech for Best Urban Contemporary Album, Beyonce–reading from notes in a golden card, matching her outfit–spoke about family, as her mother, husband and daughter watched from the audience. The next generation, she said, should be able to see themselves from the Grammy stage to the White House, “and have no doubt they are beautiful, intelligent, and capable. This is something I want for every child and every race.”
Katy Perry, a Hillary Clinton supporter, wore a Clinton-esque pantsuit and a “persist” armband, a reference to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s interruption by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell last week. Perry performed the new track “Slave to the Rhythm,” finishing with the Declaration of Independence projected behind her–a message in search of, well, a message, as the song’s vapid lyrics failed do much more than hint at critique of the YOLO lifestyle of Perry’s own gleeful “Last Friday Night.”
The night’s shortest but most effective comment came from Laverne Cox, who introduced Lady Gaga with Metallica but snuck in a Google search request first: Gavin Grimm, the transgender boy whose simple attempt to use a high school bathroom has become a civil rights case now heading to the Supreme Court. (Follow that search and you’ll find this Washington Post story.) And there was a quirky appearance from Paris Jackson, daughter of the late King of Pop, Michael: she called out “Hashtag NoDAPL!,” the Twitter hashtag of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, before introducing the Weeknd and Daft Punk, who were less interested in taking on a cause than making a trip to the singer’s bedroom.
— David Greenwald
dgreenwald@oregonian.com
503-294-7625; @davidegreenwald
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