This Sunday night, the Grammy Awards will once again be held at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 54th version promises to be an eventful night with confirmed performers like The Beach Boys, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, the night promises to be memorable, but maybe not in the way you may expect. Over the years, some of the artists (or even fans) have taken it upon themselves to upstage the event, and are some examples of that.
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4. Ol' Dirty Bastard interrupts Shawn Colvin, 1998: There must have been something in the water in NYC that year (or at least etiquette went out the window) because the Wu-Tang Clan member also felt the need to overshadow someone, albeit this was an acceptance speech rather than a performance. During Colvin's speech for her “Song of the Year” award, ODB went on stage and proclaimed, “I went and bought this outfit that costed a lot of money today…you know man, 'cause I figured that Wu-Tang was going to win… Puffy is good but Wu-Tang is the best.” If that moment doesn't sum up ODB's legacy, I don't know what does.
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3. Eminem and Elton John duet on “Stan,” 2001: Way back when the Marshall Mathers LP was released in 2000, gay and lesbian groups were outraged with Slim Shady and his liberal use of derogatory words. It was all in the name of art claimed the rapper, but the civil rights groups weren't buying it. When the openly gay Elton John sang the hook to “Stan,” it showed that the Detroit rapper's claims that not all of his lyrics were to be taken seriously were true and showed that actions, especially in this case, spoke louder than words.
2. 50 Cent interrupts Evanescence, 2004: After the release of Get Rich or Die Trying, 50 Cent was debatably most famous rapper in the world. A hit laden album propelled the Queens-native to think that he was a shoo-in to take home the Grammy for “Best New Artist.” Alas, things didn't go according to Fiddy's plan when the rockers took home the prize. However, before Kanye could even think about hurting Taylor Swift's feelings, Fiddy stormed the stage during Amy Lee's acceptance speech, walked around for a minute, and roamed back to his seat in disgust.
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1. Eddie Vedder says the Grammys mean nothing, 1996: To kickoff that year's Grammys, Pearl Jam were presented with the “Best Hard Rock Song” award for “Spin The Black Circle.” However, that didn't impress Vedder. In a speech that left many scratching their heads, but made perfect sense (at least to me), the singer said “I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything. That's just how I feel, but I think my dad would have liked it.” Shockingly, Pearl Jam hasn't been back to the ceremony since.
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Daniel Kohn is a writer based in Southern California. With bylines in an assortment of outlets, Kohn primarily specializes in music with other interests ranging from sports to food. As a transplant, Kohn loves the beautiful weather and is glad he no longer has to deal with brutal winters. If you see him, say hi and of course, he’s always willing to down a beer or two…if you’re paying.
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