JAY-Z put his stamp on the 2023 Grammy Awards by closing out the show with a star-studded performance of “God Did” alongside DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend and Fridayy.
Despite missing out on silverware inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday night (February 5), the heavyweight group held court outside the venue where they brought their Grammy-nominated collaboration to life under purple street lights.
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Joined by a live band and with Legend perched behind a piano, Rozay and Weezy kicked things off with their guest verses while Khaled played his familiar role of hypeman. “They ain’t want us to win! So I made sure I’m on the Grammys stage with the biggest! This is for Hip Hop! This for the streets!” he yelled triumphantly.
Channeling the Last Supper, Hov tore through his show-stealing verse in one take while sat behind a lavish dinner table, where he was accompanied by Ross, Wayne and Khaled, as well as loyal associates “OG Juan” Perez and Emory “Vegas” Jones — both of whom he namedropped on the song.
“God Did” entered the 65th Annual Grammys Awards with nominations in three categories: Song of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance. The nods pushed JAY-Z’s career total to 88, tying him with his wife Beyoncé as the most nominated artist in Grammys history.
Although Queen Bey made history by winning four awards on the night, making her the most decorated act in Grammys history with 32, Hov was unable to add to his collection. “God Did” lost out in the aforementioned rap categories to Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5,” while Song of the Year went to Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That.”
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JAY-Z still remains tied with Kanye West as the most Grammy wins by a rapper with 24, a streak that dates back to 1999 when his third LP Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life won Best Rap Album.
That year also marked the beginning of Hov’s contentious relationship with the Recording Academy as he boycotted the Grammys ceremony after his Def Jam labelmate DMX was snubbed, despite a blockbuster year in which he dropped two No. 1 albums: It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.
Elsewhere at the 2023 Grammys, Kendrick Lamar added to his haul by winning Best Rap Album thanks to his chart-topping, critically-acclaimed Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers LP.
“First and foremost, I wanna thank my family for giving me the courage and the vulnerability to share these stories and to share my truth with this album,” Kendrick said during his acceptance speech. “All we ever wanted was to be the biggest underground artist of all time. And I finally found imperfection with this album so I appreciate y’all.”
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Meanwhile, Future’s “Wait For U” collaboration with Drake and Temstook home Best Melodic Rap Performance. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last May and has remained a staple on the chart ever since, while also being certified triple platinum.
Check out the full list of 2023 Grammys winners here.
