(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Viola Davis: EGOT winner. Beyoncé? Greatest ever. The 2023 Grammys seize a chance to turn a corner [1] ['Daily Kos Staff', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-06 So many wrongs made right It’s still unbelievable that Macklemore took home best hip-hop album over Kendrick Lamar in 2014 in a shocker that still, to this day, makes absolutely no sense. This isn’t to say Macklemore’s album was bad; it wasn’t. It isn’t saying that white people can’t be active and make an impact in hip-hop, that also isn’t true. What it is saying is that on that night, generational talent Kendrick Lamar put forward a work that still stands out to this day in good kid, m.A.A.d. city. I’m still stunned that Macklemore managed to beat out Lamar, Kacey Musgraves, Ed Sheeran in the Best New Artist category that year, as all of those artists are the ones with serious talent in their fields—and they have turned in record after record proving that point. Side note? Lamar’s legendary cross-genre collaboration with Imagine Dragons that night was unforgettable; cuts to the audience show it blew away some of the most seasoned musicians—from Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to Queen Latifah. Back to Sunday night’s awards, where Kendrick Lamar again won Best Rap Album. This isn’t the first time, it’s the third—and his 2018 winner, Damn., also won a Pulitzer Prize. Lamar’s ability to grab this title frequently has been a sign of a change within how the Academy itself is voting and paying attention to hip-hop and the artists who are performing. Good for the Academy in general. Embracing talent at every level One thing that didn’t surprise me was the winner for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. When the results came back for Disney’s Encanto, I feel like it was expected. It should have been! Son of a gun, this film and these moments still leave me in tears for what they convey about family connections. For many, Disney is in the middle of doing something that has been desperately needed, in showing cultural awareness through film and media, and celebrating traditions and connections, allowing children from all backgrounds to see themselves reflected up on the big screen. They did it so well that when Encanto won for best soundtrack, how could anyone be surprised? Queen B reaches her goals Beyoncé ruled the night in a way that was well deserved. Wins for “Break My Soul,” Renaissance, “Plastic Off the Sofa,” and “Cuff It” showed that her new album crossed from both R&B to Dance and succeeded in the categories it needed to put her over the top—even if she was late to the show due to Los Angeles’ infamous traffic. When Bey won her record-breaking win for Best Electronic/Dance Music Album, she made a point of thanking “the queer community for your love and for inventing the genre.” More history made The LGBTQ community saw a historic win Sunday night when Kim Petras, along with Sam Smith, became the first transgender woman to win a Grammy. “Unholy” won for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. In her emotional speech, Petras thanked her mom, who “believed me that I was a girl.” x "Sam [Smith] graciously wanted me to accept this award, because I'm the first transgender woman to win this award." Watch Kim Petras' acceptance speech from the #Grammys: pic.twitter.com/jQ52Sq0t6f — Variety (@Variety) February 6, 2023 And then there’s Viola Davis! Audiobooks are something I really enjoy, but they are reflective of a work that someone has first put pen to paper. Viola Davis is winning for Finding Me, a book she wrote about her own life, exposing her own struggle. In 2016, Viola Davis became the first Black actor to hold the three acting crowns: Emmy, Oscar, and Tony. This accomplishment, at that point, had never held by a Black performer. Don’t think for one second that one of the greatest performers I’ve seen is done yet. She’ll be a feature in this year’s installment of the Hunger Games franchise, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and continue to play her role in the DC Universe as Amanda Waller, in the upcoming HBO series named after her character, Waller. Celebrating songs that fight for a better world The First Lady herself, Dr. Jill Biden, handed out a brand new award in 2023: Best Song for Social Change. Proposed by our Recording Academy members, the new Best Song For Social Change Special Merit Award now represents one of the highest honors a socially conscious song can receive. It also recognizes the songwriters creating message-driven music that responds to and addresses the social issues of our time head-on while inspiring positive global impact. To qualify or qualifications for the Best Song For Social Change Special Merit Award, which recognizes a song that has had profound social influence and impact, a submitted song should contain lyrical content that: addresses a timely social issue; explores a subject impacting a community of people in need; and promotes awareness, raises consciousness, and builds empathy. The winning song was “Baraye,” by Shervin Hajipour. Hajipour wrote the song to support the protests in Iran that followed the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. [...] The song went viral on TikTok, reaching 40 million views in under 48 hours, according to Salon. Hajipour was jailed after releasing the song, according to the Siasat Daily, but was released on October 4. Listen to “Baraye” (“For” in Farsi) below, if you haven’t heard it yet. It’s powerful and beautiful. Reminder: ”We are good, inherently” A stunned Lizzo won Record of the Year for “About Damn Time,” and delivered a joyful, glorious speech that got me in my feelings. It’s really worth a watch to see the four-time winner (who, incidentally, is halfway to her own EGOT) share not just one, but two of her origin stories. What did you think of the Grammys this year? Did your pick lose? Did you root against (or for) someone and found they won despite it all? We're chatting with one of our favorite fellow election analysts on this week's episode of The Downballot, Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball. Kyle helped call races last year for CBS and gives us a rare window inside a TV network's election night decision desk, which literally has a big button to call control of the House—that no one got to press. Kyle also dives into his new race ratings for the 2024 Senate map, including why he thinks Joe Manchin's unlikely tight-rope act might finally come to an end. In their Weekly Hits, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard recap big developments in two Senate contests: Rep. Adam Schiff's entry into the race to succeed Dianne Feinstein, and the GOP's unexpected show of unity in the open-seat election in Indiana. They also dissect the first poll of this year's hotly contested race for governor in Kentucky and highlight another 2023 battle that shouldn't get overlooked: the race for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/6/2151405/-Viola-Davis-EGOT-winner-Beyonc-Greatest-ever-The-2023-Grammys-seize-a-chance-to-turn-a-corner Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/