CNN —
Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts may be under attack by some, but the Grammys didn’t get the memo.
There was a vocal and visual celebration of diverse culture at Sunday’s event, with performances and wins by a broad range of artists and tributes to the first responders and citizens who have come together to help Los Angeles recover from its devastating wildfires.
During the show, rapper Doechii, who is bisexual, became only the third Black woman to ever win a best rap album – Cardi B. and Lauryn Hill being the others – for “Alligator Bites Never Heal.”
“I know that there is a Black girl out there – so many Black women out there – that are watching me right now. And I want to tell you, you can do it,” Doechii said. “Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here.”
Alicia Keys took a similar tact when accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
“This is for all the ladies that know the magic that they bring to the room,” Keys said. “This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices. We’ve seen on this stage talented, hard-working people from different backgrounds with different points of view and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.”
Chappell Roan, who is queer, used her acceptance speech for best new artist to advocate for young musicians working to break into the industry.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,” she said.
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Women weren’t the only ones whose wins reinforced that membership in the Recording Academy – the organization behind the Grammys, which had long been criticized for its lack of representation – has worked to evolve.
Kendrick Lamar became one of the most-celebrated hip-hop artists Sunday with his five Grammy wins, including two of the night’s top prizes.
His “Not Like Us” snagged both record of the year and song of the year.
As the audience sang along to the diss track aimed at fellow rapper Drake, it became obvious that both hip hop – and Lamar – were having a moment.
Rap has long struggled to get respect at the Grammys, which first started recognizing the genre in 1989.
During a tribute to Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder recalled how the late musician brought a range of artists together to produce the aid effort, “We Are the World.”
“I say to you: We’re still the children, we are still the people who fight and will die for this nation,” Wonder said. “So we definitely have to be able to celebrate each other.”
