Image via Getty Images for Warner Music
Grammys weekend is a funny time of the year.
Artists don’t make music for the sole purpose of winning awards, and fans don’t listen for the accolades, but there’s a time and a place for celebrating the world’s most important musicians. As Ella Mai told me last week, “We don’t do it for the awards, so to speak, but the recognition from your peers and from such a prestigious organization is always amazing.”
With that in mind, I ended up in Los Angeles for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards this weekend. After a few consecutive Grammy weekends that were heavily affected by COVID (including last year’s Vegas experiment), this year felt like a full return to the days of old. The Grammys were back in LA, and everyone made up for lost time.
Like usual, it was impossible to attend all of the parties stretched out throughout the weekend, but I made it to a fair share. I’m bummed I didn’t have time to make it to the Black Music Collective’s celebration of Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne, and Sylvia Rhone, the Clive Davis gala, and Steven Victor and Tod’s party with Pusha-T and The-Dream, but here’s a quick roundup of the events that I did make it out for. Needless to say, it was an extremely full weekend, and the drinks were flowing (thanks to the Grammys’ official spirits sponsor Grey Goose and their Passion Drop drinks).
From a late night at French Montana’s house to a roller rink adventure with Usher and Floyd Mayweather, here are some highlights from my weekend in LA (in chronological order).
Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party (Feb 2)
The Warner Music Group party stretched out across so many rooms at the Hollywood Athletic Club that it felt like a maze (and I mean that in a good way). In the main room, you could find Anderson .Paak putting on a DJ set, just down the hallway from a quieter corner where executives like Kevin Liles brushed shoulders with artists like Saweetie and NLE Choppa. The whole thing had the energy of a mansion party, but a little more approachable (and with more free Grey Goose cocktails). Warner always knows how to throw a hell of an event, and this year was no exception.
Spotify Best New Artist Party (Feb 2)
Spotify’s Best New Artist party was one of the most in-demand events of the weekend (guest list spots were nearly impossible to find) and it’s easy to see why. There were appearances (and performances) from all of this year’s Best New Artist nominees, plus special guest cameos by everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Doja Cat to Charli D’Amelio. Even Trevor Noah pulled up. The artist who stole the show, though, was Omar Apollo, who had the performance of the night. We’ve been telling you he’s a star for a while now, but this weekend reminded us just how far he’s come, and by the looks of it, he’s on the brink of much bigger things. The whole point of the Spotify Best New Artist party is to celebrate artists who are at a pivotal breakthrough moment in their careers, and that’s exactly what’s happening with Omar right now.
Grey Goose and Raedio Rhythm & Bleu Pre-Grammy Party (Feb 3)
If you’ve been paying attention to Grey Goose’s affiliations with music lately, you already know they have great taste for R&B. Before this year’s Grammys even started, they produced a series of Sound Sessions performances, featuring Ella Mai, Pink Sweat$, and Muni Long, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about Tinashe’s performance next to a giant waterfall at their Grammys brunch in Vegas last year. Anyway, they brought that same energy to their R&B party this year, dubbed Rhythm & Bleu. The night featured sounds from Siobahn Bell and Bryan-Michael Cox, plus a performance by Josh Levi. The food was great, the vibes were chill, and, of course, the specialty cocktails were flowing.
GRAMMYsNextGen Party (Feb 3)
This year, the annual GRAMMYsNextGen party took place inside the Bourbon Room in Hollywood at the GRAMMY House. The decor paid homage to this year’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop, complete with impressive gallery walls featuring some of the best music photographers in the game, including Gunner Stahl and Greg Noire. Attendees included NBA YoungBoy’s engineer Jason “Cheese” Goldberg and Rolling Loud’s co-founder Tariq Cherif, and the energy was great, thanks in large part to the DJs, who played some of the best music I heard all week (I’m sad to report this was the only time I heard Lil Yachty’s “Poland” during Grammys weekend).
UnitedMasters Celebration of Independence (Feb 3)
UnitedMasters held a massive concert at the Hollywood Palladium with performances from Brent Faiyaz, Russ, and Tobe Nwigwe. The performers weren’t the only stars in attendance, though, because everyone from Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Nas to Future to Jermaine Dupri pulled up for a celebration of independent music. I had to leave for another event in Calabasas before Brent took the stage, but Russ and Tobe held it down while I was there.
Boi-1da’s Producer of the Year Nomination Celebration With ISLA Management and Bacardi (Feb 3)
This year, Boi-1da was nominated for Producer of the Year at the Grammys, and his whole team made sure to celebrate him in style with Bacardi. Hosted by ISLA Mgmt, the Simon Gebrelul-founded management company that represents Boi-1da (along with a long list of other talented producers and artists), the event took place at the lavish rooftop of the Pendry West Hollywood. There were beautiful skyline views of Los Angeles, great food, and appearances from the likes of Giveon, NAV, Jack Harlow, Bryson Tiller, Freddie Gibbs, Ella Mai, PartyNextDoor, Murda Beatz, and more. (And, of course, free custom-made Bacardi cocktails). What else could you ask for? (This might have been the classiest event I made it to all weekend, for those keeping score at home.)
EMPIRE’s Pre-Grammy Party (Feb 3)
I’m sad to report that I didn’t actually end up making it to this one because of everything else going on Friday night, but I regret it, because it looked like a great time. As I’ve heard, EMPIRE celebrated Adam Blackstone’s nomination in the Best Traditional R&B category by holding an event that drew guests like Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Key Glock, Too Short, NLE Choppa, and a lot more. I’ll be sure to make it next time.
Katastic's Grammys Soirée at French Montana’s House (Feb 3)
A little before midnight, my friends and I took a long Uber ride out to the hills for a party at French Montana’s house. When we walked inside, there were hookahs set up all over the living room, a giant French Montana plaque hanging in the living room, and lots of food. If you have any doubts about it being a lavish affair, I’m here to tell you that the chicken was painted gold. Gold! I’m not joking. Anyway, the whole event took place in celebration of Katastic, a new company that’s launching this month. It’s been referred to as “NASDAQ for artists” and promises to give musicians the opportunity to “value and sell their IP like any other publicly traded company.” In celebration, CEO and founder Dragos Stanescu threw a party that lasted deep into the wee hours of the night, and I must say it took place at the most memorable location of any Grammys party I ended up at this year (or any year, for that matter).
Grey Goose Sound Sessions Brunch (Feb 4)
Last year, Grey Goose’s Sound Sessions brunch was my favorite event of the entire Vegas Grammys weekend, and they lived up to those lofty expectations with 2023’s follow-up. On the rooftop of the picturesque Grammy Museum in downtown LA, they were serving a variety of cocktails (the Sound Sessions Fizz was my favorite) with delicious food, while a mix of hip-hop, R&B, and pop music blared from the speakers.
Then the star of the show arrived: Jazmine Sullivan. The two-time Grammy winner performed a tight set of songs from Heaux Tales, highlighted by “Pick Up Your Feelings,” and I have to say: she might just be the best pure vocalist I’ve seen live in years. Ending the performance on a fun note, she even came back out and sang “Happy Birthday” for her brother, while he held a cake onstage. What more could you want?
Interscope Records x Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace (Feb 4)
Here’s a scene I never thought I’d witness with my own two eyes: Usher and Floyd Mayweather roller skating to songs from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic in celebration of the album’s 30th anniversary. Usher, a co-owner of Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace, was the star of Interscope’s Grammy event (I’ve literally never seen anyone nicer on a pair of skates) but Floyd was a close second. I never expected to see a boxing legend like Floyd on a roller rink, but I’m glad as hell I did. This is the kind of shit you want to witness at Grammys weekend. Thanks, Interscope.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards (Feb 5)
This year’s awards ceremony was a great time overall, but I have to take an extra moment to praise the special performance for hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. It’s not an easy task to celebrate (and represent) five decades of great music from an entire genre, but they did a great job within a narrow window of time. They made sure to include a variety of subgenres and eras (everyone from Too $hort to GloRilla represented for their respective corners of rap) and they pulled it off in an entertaining way that fit within the strict confines of a Grammys telecast. Hats off to Questlove and the rest of the crew that pulled that off.
Oh, and before the show, I spent the afternoon with the rest of the Complex crew on the red carpet. We got weird with it, to say the least (there was a lot of talk about ghosts and artificial intelligence). So I’ll leave you with a clip of Too $hort talking about his alien sightings below, and you can check out the rest on our TikTok feed in the days to come.