Jennifer Lopez at 2000 GRAMMYs

Jennifer Lopez at 2000 GRAMMYs

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GRAMMY Rewind: Jennifer Lopez (In The Green Versace Dress) & David Duchovny Present Best R&B Album At The 2000 GRAMMYs

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Back at the 2000 GRAMMYs, J.Lo received her first nomination and broke the internet with her iconic plunging palm-print dress
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 24, 2020 - 1:44 pm

On Feb. 23, 2000, stars filled Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles to close out the last century with a celebration of the best in music from its final year. The 42nd GRAMMY Awards was filled with big moments, including Santana sweeping the night with eight golden gramophones for Supernatural and then-emerging pop princess Christina Aguilera winning Best New Artist.

Yet one of the most talked about moments from the evening was Jennifer Lopez's now-iconic plunging green Versace dress. To celebrate the legendary J.Lo on her 51st birthday today (July 24), for the latest GRAMMY Rewind, we revisit this day she took our breath away, as she presented the first GRAMMY of the night with actor David Duchovny.

J.Lo Presents Best R&B Album At 2000 GRAMMYs

Another GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Jennifer Lopez Crown Marc Anthony 2016 Latin GRAMMY Person Of The Year

On duty to present the award for Best R&B Album (which went to TLC for FanMail), the pair entered the stage to raucous cheers applause. "The X-Files" star noted it was the first time in five or six years he was sure no one was looking at him. He added that he'd always wanted to meet the Six Million Dollar Woman.

"Well, I'm not bionic. I'm real," the singer/dancer/actor joked.  

Then it must be something in the water, because the "I'm Real" singer revisited an updated version of dress on the Versace runway last fall, turning heads and breaking the internet yet again. This prompted Google to confirm that the creation of Google Images was directly birthed from countless people searching for images of J.Lo in her much-buzzed about 2000 GRAMMYs fashion win.

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In a video shared to her YouTube channel on April 2019, she shared how the memorable fashion choice came together the day of the show because she was busy filming "The Wedding Planner." Her stylist was limited to a few options because of the timing and advised against wearing the Versace number because several people, including Donatella Versace herself, had already worn it, but Lopez knew it was "the one."

Also at the 2000 GRAMMYs, Lopez received her first nomination—Best Dance Recording for "Let's Get Loud," from her stellar 1999 debut album, On The 6. 

Happy birthday, eternal icon J.Lo!

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Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Chuck Berry, Little Richard at the 1974 GRAMMYs

Stevie Wonder with his mom, Lula Mae Hardaway, and others at the 1974 GRAMMYs

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GRAMMY Rewind: Stevie Wonder Shares His First GRAMMY Win With His Mom

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In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, rock 'n' roll icons Chuck Berry and Little Richard present Wonder—and his beaming mother—with the GRAMMY for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstition"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 10, 2020 - 10:11 am

In the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, GRAMMY.com takes a journey back to the 1974 GRAMMY Awards when a then-23-year-old Stevie Wonder took home his first four GRAMMY wins for music for his classic albums Talking Book (1972) and Innervisions (1973).

The soulful musical legend had already earned six GRAMMY nominations during four prior shows, beginning at the 1967 GRAMMYs for his 1965 hit, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)." Just seven years later, he'd take home his first of many golden gramophones.

In March 1974, rock 'n' roll icons Chuck Berry and Little Richard presented Wonder—and his beaming mother—with his first-ever GRAMMY, winning the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male category for "Superstition," an iconic track from Talking Book.

Watch Stevie Wonder Win Best R&B Vocal Performance

Immediately before Berry and Richard jokingly fought over the microphone to announce the "Higher Ground" singer's name, the two dynamic forces of rock performed a high-powered medley of their music on the GRAMMY stage. Wonder, rocking a perfect afro puff and an embroidered earth-toned shirt-and-pants set, brought up his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who looked glamourous in a magenta gown and big feather boa.

"First of all, I'd like for you all, please, not to give this to me, but to my mother," Wonder announced, as Berry handed the golden gramophone to Hardaway. "My mother is going to accept the award for me. I am so very happy; you don't even know how happy I am," he said with a huge smile.

"I would like to thank you all for making this the sunshine of my life tonight," a radiant Hardaway said, nodding to her son's song, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," which would also win a GRAMMY that evening.

Read: More Innervisions: Stevie Wonder On Music, Politics & Love

The groovy "Superstition," released in October 1972 on Tamla/Motown as the lead single to Wonder's 15th studio album, Talking Book, won for Best Rhythm & Blues Song that night. "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," the album's second and only additional single, won for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. 

Later in the night, Wonder's next album, Innervisions, released in August 1973, less than a year after Talking Book, would win the prestigious Album Of The Year gramophone, rounding out an epic run at the 1974 GRAMMYs.

Stevie Wonder Wins Album Of The Year

His next two (also classic!) albums, Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs In The Key Of Life (1976), would also win the Album Of The Year award, at the 17th GRAMMY Awards and 19th GRAMMY Awards, respectively, along with three additional wins each year.

To date, Wonder has earned 25 GRAMMYs, in addition to his six recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. He received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and was named MusiCares Person Of The Year in 1999, among many other career accolades.

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Grammys Newsletter

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Obama & Alicia Keys at the 2019 GRAMMYs

Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Alicia Keys, Michelle Obama & J. Lo at the 2019 GRAMMYs

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, J. Lo & Jada Pinkett Smith Open The 2019 GRAMMYs

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At the 61st GRAMMY Awards, host Alicia Keys kicked off the show with an inspiring moment celebrating diversity, inclusion and creativity
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2020 - 12:32 pm

For the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we revisit the powerful moment when five amazing women opened the 2019 GRAMMYs with a message of hope and strength—and stunning looks, of course.

Host Alicia Keys shared the spotlight with former First Lady Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Jada Pinkett Smith, whose moving speeches celebrating inclusion, diversity and creativity had the audience on their feet before the music even started.

"They said I was weird. That my look, my choices, my sound, that it wouldn't work. But music told me not to listen to them," Gaga stated.

Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga & More Open 2019 GRAMMYs

Read: Alicia Keys Pens Touching Poem To Her Son

"Back in the Bronx, music gave me a reason to dance," J. Lo continued. "It kept me moving from the block to the big stages and t even bigger screens. It reminds me where I came from, but also reminds me of all the places I can go."

"We express our pain, power and progress through music whether we're creating it or just appreciating it. But here's what I know; every voice we hear deserves to be honored and respected," Pinkett Smith affirmed.

Watch Helen Reddy Win Best Female Pop Vocal Performance In 1973 | GRAMMY Rewind

Understandably, the audience was feeling the uplifting energy and inspiring words of the women on stage. When Obama began to speak, she initially couldn't get more than four words out over the deafening cheers of encouragement.

"From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side [of Chicago], to the 'Run The World' songs that fueled me through the last decade, music has always helped me tell my story," she said.

"Who runs the world?" Keys asked, eliciting more cheers.

That evening, Gaga took home three GRAMMY wins, two of which were for her A Star Is Born smash hit, "Shallow."

This past year, at the 2020 GRAMMYs, the Mother Monster earned two more golden gramophones, including for the film's soundtrack. Obama earned her first-ever win, for Best Spoken Word Album for her memoir, "Becoming." Keys also returned as to host, bringing more of her positive energy and golden-voiced wisdom to the stage.

Last week, Gaga, the Obamas, Keys, Beyoncé and others delivered timely, inspiring words during YouTube's Dear Class of 2020 virtual commencement ceremony.

Grammys Newsletter

GRAMMY Rewind: See Beyoncé Accept The GRAMMY For 'Dangerously In Love' In 2004

Beyoncé at 2020 BET Awards

Beyoncé at 2020 BET Awards

Photo: BET Awards 2020/Getty Images

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Watch Beyoncé Dedicate BET 2020 Humanitarian Award To Those "Marching & Fighting For Change"

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Michelle Obama presented the honor to her friend, saying, "You inspire me, you inspire all of us"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 29, 2020 - 1:33 pm

Yesterday, June 28, Beyoncé joined the virtual presentation of the 2020 BET Awards, to accept the Humanitarian Award and offer a powerful speech. The seven-and-a-half-minute segment, which you can view in full below, also included former First Lady Michelle Obama, who presented the award and a video detailing the many philanthropic initiatives the honoree has led with her BeyGOOD Foundation and more.

According to Pitchfork, Chance the Rapper, Nipsey Hussle, John Legend and Quincy Jones have been past recipients of the Humanitarian Award.

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"She's always turning up, looking out and making us a little bit better, a little more fierce and she's doing it all while staying devoted to her children and the loved ones she holds dear," Obama said. "You inspire me, you inspire all of us."

Obama's speech was followed by the video detailing the extensive work Queen Bey has done giving back in her hometown of Houston and beyond. Beyoncé and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, through their nonprofits, collectively donated $6 million to various orgs fighting COVID-19 and supporting mental health, both focused on communities of color. BeyGood's coronavirus work helped open a wing at Houston Memorial Hospital, as well as offer mobile testing and food supplies. It also supported the National Alliance On Mental Health for their on the ground work supporting communities of color in New York, New Orleans, Houston and Detroit.

In the video, we heard from Tina Knowles-Lawson, Treyvon Martin's mother, the director of BeyGOOD, Homecoming Scholarship recipients and others. The scholarships are given to Black students in the U.S., especially those going to HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities). In partnership Global Citizen and Tyler Perry, BeyGOOD has also launched fellowship programs in Africa to support young people there.

Beyoncé Celebrates Juneteenth With "BLACK PARADE" & Epic Black-Owned Businesses Directory

Beyoncé was up next, looking stunning with natural makeup, a diamond choker and strapless black dress. She used her speech to celebrate those taking action in protests around the country, encouraging everyone to not give up and to please vote.

"I want to dedicate this award to all of my brothers out there, all of sisters out there, inspiring me, marching and fighting for change. Your voices are being heard and you're proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain. Now we have one more thing we need to do to walk in our true power, and that is to vote. I'm encouraging you to continue to take action, continue to change and dismantle a racist and unequal system.

We have to continue to do this together, continue to fight for each other and lift each other up, because there are people banking on us staying at home during local elections and primaries happening in states across the country. We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does. So please continue to be the change you want to see."

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Her poignant words were followed by the trailer for her upcoming Disney+ film, Black Is King, featuring music from her 2019 Lion King: The Gift album. During the show, the "Formation" singer also earned the BET Her Award for "Brown Skin Girl," a track featuring daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Wizkid and Saint Jhn from the The Gift album.

The broadcast was filled with other powerful moments, including Public Enemy opening the show with a 2020 update on their still pertinent 1989 classic "Fight The Power," with support from Nas, Black Thought, Rapsody, YG and more. Another moving performance critiquing police brutality came from DaBaby and Roddy Ricch rapping "Rockstar," with DaBaby beginning the set on the ground as a white man dressed as a police officer kneeled on his neck, evoking the brutal killing of George Floyd by Derek Chuavin.

Houston Rappers Talk George Floyd's Musical & Community Legacy

Alicia Keys delivered the first-ever live performance of her touching new track "Perfect Way To Die," Jennifer Hudson brought chills with Nina Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted & Black" and Anderson .Paak and Jay Rock delivering "Lockdown," among other epic musical moments. Watch more via BET's YouTube here.

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Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

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Beyoncé Celebrates Juneteenth With "BLACK PARADE" & Epic Black-Owned Businesses Directory

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The BLACK PARADE ROUTE, curated by Queen Bey's stylist Zerina Akers, is a massive database of Black-owned businesses, ranging from art and design, beauty and wellness to restaurants and bars and more
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 22, 2020 - 2:16 pm

Late on Fri., June 19 a.k.a. Juneteenth, Beyoncé sent waves of positivity across the world with the surprise drop of new song, "BLACK PARADE," along with a beautiful new page of her website highlighting Black-owned businesses. In addition to the amazing resource, proceeds from the powerful track will benefit go to the 24-time GRAMMY-winner's BeyGOOD's Black Business Impact Fund, which supports Black-owned small businesses.

"I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power," she wrote on Instagram. "'BLACK PARADE' celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses."

Read: Rapper Niko Brim And Activist Opal Lee On The Importance Of Juneteenth: "It Represents Freedom"

The database, entitled the BLACK PARADE ROUTE, showcases Black-owned businesses and can be filtered by categories including Arts & Design, Restaurants & Bars, Beauty, Fashion and more. It's curated by Queen Bey's stylist Zerina Akers, who is accepting applications to be added here.

"Happy Juneteenth. Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right," the opening message on the database reads. Since its Friday evening launch, many of those included on the site shared messages of gratitude to Bey and Akers.

"S/O to @jesuisjeniece for sending me this, I am in shock! Wow thank you B," N.Y.C.-based fine artist Megan Gabrielle wrote on Instagram. "Wow. I am speechless & beyond honored. Thank you @beyonce," fashion designer Carlton Yaito echoed.

"I'm fully hyperventilating right now," Atlanta visual artist Osaze Akil wrote on Twitter. In the comments he added, "I'm so honored and grateful to be recognized on such a platform. So so so grateful. Thank you to everyone who's ever put my name out there, and supported me. My work is being seen."

Los Angeles restaurant and coffee shop Hilltop, which has been featured in Issa Rae's "Insecure," was included as well. "Black Parade Route. Wow. What a time to be alive Big thanks to @beyonce for using her platform to share so many amazing black owned businesses and @zerinaakers for curating this amazing list. We are honored to be included," they wrote.

More Beyoncé: Justice For Breonna Taylor Would Demonstrate The Value Of A Black Woman's Life

With the song, Beyoncé's message of Black excellence and uplifting her melanated brothers and sisters is also clear. As Complex states, "Beyoncé is unapologetically Black on this track… [her] discography has always been an expression of Black culture, but fans really started to see her step into her own voice and explore the Black experience in more depth on 2016's critically-acclaimed album, Lemonade."

"Ooh, goin' up, goin' up / motherland, motherland drip on me. / Ooh, melanin, melanin, my drip is skin deep," Queen Bey sings. "Motherland, motherland drip on me. / Ooh, yeah, I can't forget my history is her-story. Being Black, maybe that's the reason why / they always mad, yeah, they always mad."

Learn: The Impressions' "People Get Ready" At 55: How Curtis Mayfield Created A Musical Balm For Black America

She also shouts out fellow Black leaders of past and present throughout the track. In the following lines, she nods to soul icon Curtis Mayfield, slain civil rights activists Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr., along with her mother Tina Knowles and Black Lives Matter and Women's March activist Tamika Mallory.

"Black love, we gon' stay together / Curtis Mayfield on the speaker. / Lil' Malcolm, Martin mixed with momma Tina. / Need another march, lemme call Tamika. / Need peace and reparation for my people."

"BLACK PARADE" is Beyoncé's first new music since July 2019's Lion King: The Gift album, which she executive produced and contributed to as part of her lead role in the Lion King remake. Back in April, Queen Bey hopped on Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage Remix" to raise money for COVID-19 relief in their hometown of Houston.

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