Last night’s Grammys took a political turn, with Beyoncé saying her album Lemonade aimed to “give a voice to our pain”, and “confront issues that make us uncomfortable.”
Her album was not the only political mention of the night. Rapper Busta Rhymes made jokes about the American President Donald Trump during his performance of A Tribe Called Quest, calling him “President Agent Orange”.
The rapper joined in the political debate whilst performing with Anderson .Paak. They used images from the anti-muslim ban protests during their performance of Movin’ Backwards and We The People.
Katy Perry debuted her new track Chained To The Rhythm with Skip Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson. The new single has political metaphors.
Singer Joy Villa made a political statement through her outfit choice. She arrived at the Grammys wearing a dress with the slogan “Make America Great Again” emblazoned across the front.
After receiving online criticism, she responded with an Instagram post reading: “Go big, or go home. You can either stand for what you believe or fall for what you don’t.”
“Above all make a choice for tolerance and love. Agree to disagree. See the person over the politics, carry yourself with dignity, always. Life is made to be lived, so go boldly and give no effs,” said Joy Villa.
During the award ceremony’s opening segment, host James Corden performed a rap implying there are troubled times ahead for America with Donald Trump as its President.
The Dakota Access Pipeline was also discussed when Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter, asked for the audience to support the protesters.