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The Grammys are always packed with controversy and this year will be no exception. Fans were left furious back in 2014 when producers cut to an advert before the end of Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Lindsey Buckingham and Dave Grohl’s set. “Music’s biggest night… to be disrespected. A heartfelt FUCK YOU guys,” tweeted Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor. Here are 18 more shocking moments.
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After getting into a spot of bother with Frank Ocean in a car park a few weeks before the 2013 Grammys, it’s safe to say Chris Brown wasn’t his biggest fan. So when the R&B singer bagged Best Urban Contemporary Album and got a standing ovation, Chris behaved like any mature 3-year-old would and remained seated, before appearing to get a tongue-lashing from Adele for his behaviour.
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At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis scooped four gongs, beating Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West and Jay Z to Best Rap Artist – much to distaste of pretty much the whole rap community, including Macklemore himself. He sent Kendrick a text saying: “You got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have.”
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Arriving with P Diddy, J Lo shocked viewers at the 2000 Grammy Awards by donning a sheer sarong-like frock that was split from neck-to-navel and waist-to-toe.
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Billy Joel took a stand against the Grammy producers’ habit of cutting speeches and tributes short in 1993. He stopped his performance of ‘River Of Dreams’ to ‘waste commercial time’. “Valuable advertising time going by,” he said. “Dollars, dollars, dollars.”
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When Beyoncé and Jay Z opened the 2014 Grammy’s with a raunchy performance of ‘Drunk In Love’, Jay kept in the controversial lyrics in which he compares himself to Tina Turner’s abusive husband Ike. “I’m Ike Turner, turn up, baby, no, I don’t play,” he rapped. “Now eat the cake, Anna Mae said, “Eat the cake, Anna Mae!”
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Wu-Tang’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard stormed the Grammy stage in 1998. He stole the mic and started ranting about Puff Daddy beating them to Best Rap Album. “I went and bought me an outfit today that cost me a lot of money, because I figured that Wu-Tang was gonna win,” he said. “Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best.”
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Nas and Kelis got viewers talking at the 2008 Grammys by turning up in matching tops to promote Nas’ album ‘N*gger’.
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In 1990, Sinead O’Connor received four Grammy nominations but asked that her name be removed. She boycotted the awards – refusing to accept her Best Alternative Music Performance trophy for ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ – because of the “commercialisation of the awards”.