Drake Cements the Grammys’ Irrelevance
The 61st annual Grammy Awards didn’t kick off so much as it sputtered into gear. In the show’s opening performance, Camila Cabello, the Fifth Harmony alumna, served up just enough razzle-dazzle to prep audiences for the still-transcendent Ricky Martin. Katy Perry reached desperately for a broad range of notes during a later tribute to Dolly Parton, only to be outshined by the legendary country star’s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus. And Alicia Keys, first as the show’s host and later as a performer, was flatter than the hair she hid under an ill-advised scarf. But just about halfway into the lethargic ceremony, a black-turtleneck-clad Aubrey Drake Graham shook things up when for Rihanna, no heartfelt recounting of . Instead, the rapper took an unexpectedly condemnatory tone when speaking about the industry that catapulted him to success and about the Grammys as an institution.
