24K night for Mars; Bruno wins six awards

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R&B artist Bruno Mars won the top prize at the Grammy Awards, denying rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z the honour of becoming the first hip-hop artist in 14 years to win the coveted album of the year award.

Mars won six Grammys including song of the year for his hit single “That’s What I Like,” and both record and album of the year for “24K Magic.”

“These songs were written with nothing but joy, with love, and that’s all I wanted to bring with this album, seeing everybody dancing,” Mars, 32, said.

He also paid tribute to his album of the year rivals – Jay-Z, Lamar, Childish Gambino and Lorde – saying: “Thank you, guys, for blessing the world with your music.”

Lamar, 30, regarded as one of the most innovative rappers of his generation, won five prizes mostly in rap categories, for his album “DAMN.” and single “Humble.”

Lamar’s victories came at the expense of veteran Jay-Z and his soul-baring album “4:44.” Jay-Z won none of his eight nominations and chose not to perform at the three-hour show. Rap last year surpassed rock as the dominant genre in U.S. music.

Meanwhile, on the night before the Grammy awards, Jay-Z took the stage at a New York dinner attended by music industry titans to discuss his complex relationship with music’s highest honors.

Jay-Z, who was honoured by the Recording Academy at veteran music producer Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party on Saturday, spoke about his decision to boycott the Grammy awards in 1998 when rapper DMX did not get any nominations despite having two hit albums out that year.

Jay-Z said he only returned to the awards show in 2004, when Beyonce, to whom he is now married, was nominated for her breakout solo album.

“The Academy, they’re human like we are and they’re voting on things that they like, it’s subjective … we care because we’re seeing the most incredible artists standing on that stage and we aspire to be there, so I was like, I have to be here,” the rapper said. “It’s our duty to make sure that not only are we making the greatest art, that we’re upholding and supporting things that are super real,” he added. In 60 years of the Grammys, only two hip-hop albums have ever won album of the year; Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” in 1999 and Outkast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” in 2004.

(REUTERS)

Main awards and winners

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“24K Magic” – Bruno Mars

RECORD OF THE YEAR
“24K Magic” – Bruno Mars

SONG OF THE YEAR (Songwriters award)
“That’s What I Like” – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip

BEST NEW ARTIST
Alessia Cara

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
“Divide” – Ed Sheeran

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
“Starboy” – The Weeknd

BEST R&B ALBUM
“24K Magic” – Bruno Mars

BEST ROCK ALBUM
“A Deeper Understanding” – The War on Drugs

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
“From A Room: Volume 1” – Chris Stapleton

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
“Sleep Well Beast” – The National

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Greg Kurstin