Grammys Speak Truth to Power, D'Angelo & Roberta Flack Remembered Brilliantly

 Last night's Grammy show was an amazing platform on which artists united in a powerful demonstration of the importance and power of the First Amendment. The freedom to speak one's mind freely without hesitation or fear of reprisal. Last night the reverberations were in protest of Ice. Freedom of Speech  is a right that has made the US envied around the world and is one of the primary reasons that thousands of immigrants flock to our country yearly.

 The truth flowed eloquently whether it was a very short sentence by Billy Eilish who stated "You can't be illegal on stolen land", Bad Bunny's "Ice Out" followed by "love  is more powerful than hate, including a reminder that "we are human, we are American." The cameras switched across the audience and zoomed in on what appeared to be a very proud faced Gloria Estefan who looked genuinely pleased about what he was saying. 

Shaboozey's prepared speech extending gratitude to his mother an immigrant who worked three jobs to support him and his four siblings was an emotional moment for him as tears streamed from his eyes.

Kehlani who received her first award ever, the Grammy for Best R&b performance, mentioned the power of all the voices coming together and concluded with an expletive deletive "f... Ice."

Olivia Dean who picked up a Grammy for Best New Artist mentioned how she came from a family of immigrants and they should be recognized for their bravery.

It was a good show. Trevor Noah did a great job hosting. The interlude between him and Bad Bunny where he got him to sing along in Spanish was priceless.

That memorial tribute to D'Angelo and Roberta Flack curated-led by Lauren Hill and the other artists who have passed on the year past was brilliant, very stunning, spiritually and musically uplifting. They took us to church--Lela Hathaway, October London, Bilal, John Baptiste, Chaka Kahn and John Legend. Check out the videos on YouTube:

Pharrell Williams received the Dr.Dre Global Impact Award for 2026:

Other performances to check out that were memorable in their own right. Leon Thomas picked up a Grammy for his song MUTT which I understand Chris Brown's vocals influenced and  were featured on.

Btw,that was a very soulful performance of Yukon by Justin Beiber. I was just a little surprised by his attention grabbing  sleek attire. He only wore shorts and socks. Here's an explanation behind his outfit at this link.

  Stay tuned for podcast episode.

Edited by Cynthia Wilson on 2.6.26 @5:33p.m 

More on my podcast.

Grammy Elegance: Beyonce, Alicia,Doechii, Roan et Al

 

Alicia Keys Global Impact Award Acceptance Speech

Beyonce Wins Album of the Year Award 

The Grammy Awards show last night, I would describe as pure elegance from the set,stage decor,the performances and of course the acceptance speeches, of which the most vibrant were Beyonce, Keys,Doechii and Roan. Trevor Noah excelled again as host.
It was good and was glad to see Beyonce I
(and vicariously hubby Jay-Z) finally get that album of the year award even though Beyonce has won the most Grammys than any other artist ever with 27 wins before she won the coveted Album of the Year Award and a few others last night. Now with a total of 35.Kudos to her and the graceful manner in which she and daughter Blue lvy accompanying her on stage,accepted the long overdue bonus. I say bonus because her range and excellence in the pop music field had been proven time and time again
by her numerous Grammy wins in the past. And, quite frankly it was a shrewd move to go country.

 If Swift could cross over from country to pop and skyrocket up the charts why not Beyonce switching over from pop to country. It definitely paid off in more ways than one. Shaboozey, Lil Nas, Darius Rucker deserve their cross over propers as well and Mickey Guyton for paving the way as well in country genre are all blacks in country. Beyonce did Charlie Pride and many more little known Black country artists proud while elevating the genre in the black community and globally. While showing her country roots Texas style. Savvy move. 

Alicia Keys was simply stunning from her approach to the stage accompanied by one of her children to the dynamic way in which she lauded the artists community for how they were coming together to support one another inserting a well timed reminder in light of recent events by the current administration. She mentioned and I am paraphrasing, about how diversity is a gift and not something to be discarded or frowned upon. It should be welcomed and nurtured.How she reached out to the community of female musicians and opened up doors with. She is in the Music, helped children in Africa with Keep A Child Alive and other programs she initiated and developed over the years. Queen Latifah's introduction of Alicia was beautiful. She lifted her up as a good friend who is always there when you call on her. The camera zoomed in on Alicia returning a warm and appreciative smile for the props.Alicia not only received the Dr. DRE Global Impact Award,but she also received a Grammy for her Broadway bioplay Hell's Kitchen.

I especially resonated with Roans speech and how she in a soft spoken manner. Her slogan,sure to become a popular adage among artists was "labels we got you, but do you have us"?  Well done Roan in an unassuming,yet forcefully gentle way.
She spoke out about the need for health coverage and other financial benefits that often go missing from artists compensation in a multi million dollar industry. Right on Roan!

Link to my podcast episode here for more commentary on the show.