With the Hip Hop community still buzzing over Sunday night’s Grammy awards show, this week’s Top 10 is built largely from the ceremony’s performances. Despite losing out to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for Best Rap Album, Kendrick Lamar’s performance alongside Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons—who won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance—leads the list. The Compton to Las Vegas connection is followed up by Katy Perry and Juicy J’s performance of “Dark Horse.” The Top 3 is closed out by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ now well-publicized performance with Madonna and Mary Lambert in which Queen Latifah presided over the wedding of 33 couples. Jay Z and Beyonce’s show-opening performance of “Drunk In Love” and the audio of Kendrick and Imagine Dragons together follow behind.
The rest of the list is rounded out by appearances from Yelawolf, J. Cole, ScHoolboy Q, and more.
Kendrick Lamar & Imagine Dragons Perform At The Grammys
Despite never having collaborated officially in the past, Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons took to the stage at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 26) and performed a medley of “m.A.A.d. city” and the Grammy award winning “Radioactive.
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The performance kicked off with Imagine Dragons performing a line from their song and then quickly transitioned to Kendrick’s energetic “m.A.A.d city.” The performance switched back several times from one song to the next and included a Kendrick Lamar monologue and the rapper lending a hand to the percussion section.
Earlier this week, Alex da Kid spoke exclusively to HipHopDX about Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar’s collaborative performance.
“I think it’s a perfect collaboration,” Alex da Kid said. “They’re both really representing the new school…a new form of music that I’m excited about. Kendrick is obviously like the new guy in Rap who is killin’ it right now. We’re like the new guys of Rock. I think it sums up where music is going. Kendrick is so eclectic with how he writes and what beats he picks that it’s just effortless when they get together. He has no problem rhyming over Rock. The same goes for Imagine Dragons. My goal when I started them was to mix Hip Hop and Rock together. They both [represent] where music is going.”
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Stream Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragon’s Grammy performance here.
Katy Perry & Juicy J Put Together Fiery Grammy Set
Performing the singer’s 14th Platinum selling single, “Dark Horse,” Katy Perry and Juicy J put on an elaborate, dramatic show for their live portion of the Grammys. Shortly after appearing on the cover of GQ, Perry’s Grammy performance kicked off with the singer in a crystal ball and included props like a horse, flames, and gothic stylings. Perry’s “Dark Horse” functions as the third single to her album PRISM.
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As recently reported by DX, Juicy J was asked to modify his original verse submission for the now-trending hit. “I did my verse in the studio, and then [Dr. Luke] called me,” Juicy J said in an interview with Billboard. “[He] said, ‘Hey man, she wants you to change up a couple bars, so she wants to meet you in the studio.’ So I jumped in my car, drove fast as I could to get to the studio. I got to the studio before she came. I fixed up all the bars, she came in, [and] she loved it. The rest is history. She’s super professional. She’s a genius.”
Describing the upcoming video for “Dark Horse,” Juicy J added that fans can expect a movie-like experience. “It’s a movie,” Juicy J said. “It’s a major motion picture. I can’t really tell you because it’s definitely going to be a surprise, but I’ll tell you this much right here: you’ve seen her other videos, this one’s gonna be just as big. Everything she does is like grade A.”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ Performance Includes Collective Wedding
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ recent Grammys appearance has been drenched in criticism, not for their performance of the pro gay rights and marriage anthem “Same Love,” but for their nearly sweeping the Hip Hop categories at the ceremony. Still, before winning all four of their awards, the duo took to the stage in a history-making performance that included the public wedding ceremony of 33 gay and straight couples. The song’s supporting vocalist, Mary Lambert, also appeared on stage alongside Pop icon Madonna. Queen Latifah, who introduced the set, was also a part of the performance as she presided over the marrying of the couples in attendance.
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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were awarded three of the four Grammy awards within the Rap categories at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The duo beat out Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, and Drake with their award for Best Rap Album. The Seattle artists also won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for their 2013 hit “Thrift Shop” which was also Billboard’s #1 song of the year. Their award as Best New Artist outside of the Rap categories brought their total tally to four awards.
Stream the duo’s Grammy performance here.
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This Week’s Top 10
1. Kendrick Lamar & Imagine Dragons – “m.A.A.d city” & “Radioactive” (2014 GRAMMY Performance)
2. Katy Perry & Juicy J – “Dark Horse” (2014 GRAMMY Performance)
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3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f. Madonna & Mary Lambert – “Same Love” (2014 GRAMMY Performance)
4. Beyonce f. Jay Z – “Drunk In Love” (2014 GRAMMY Awards Performance)
5. Imagine Dragons f. Kendrick Lamar – “Radioactive Remix (Full Version)”
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7. J. Cole – “Revenge of the Dreamers”
8. ScHoolboy Q – “Break THe Bank [Prod. Alchemist]”
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9. YG f. Drake – “Who Do You Love?”
10.Kendrick Lamar – “Kurupted”
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RELATED: Kendrick Lamar Sees 99% Increase On Spotify Following Grammys
