@barrons That’s a pretty broad and ignorant statement to make. Do you listen to a lot of rap or Hip Hop? Have you listened to the lesser known artists or artists from various cities? Out of ideas? how so? Since these are two of the biggest mediums to express oneself. Lacking in quality? Do you mean as compared to the rap and Hip Hop of the 90s? Or compared to pop music?
I just honestly don’t care for rap or hip hop much. I like Hamilton – it is telling a story I’m interested in and it (mostly) understandable, and even the rap portions have some decent melody to them sometimes. I just didn’t get into what I saw on the Grammy’s last night in the genre at all. I understand that the Grammys are about all kinds of music. But I personally won’t spend my money, or much time on genres I don’t like. I don’t like opera, either, and have only a limited tolerance for country (gets old pretty quickly for me). So I don’t know if I think they are out of ideas or lacking in quality – but what was played didn’t catch my ear or interest.
The Grammys try to appeal to a range of musical interests. I think they did a good job of that last night, covering a real spectrum of genres. I’m sure hip hop/rap folks thought there was too much country and/or show tunes. 
I think that was once said about the Beatles 
Every generation since the dawn of time has disparaged the music of the next generation.
That was said about the Beatles when they were a sensational novelty. Rap has been around for so long that it can’t be claimed as a new thing…
I agree with @doschicos . At one point last night I said “wow, they are really giving a taste of so many genres!”
It’s ok if you don’t like some genres - most of us do have favorites. But to say the stuff you don’t like is meaningless is…meaningless and not very thoughtful of the art. Maybe you don’t like the music but you might appreciate the lyrics? (and yes, with rap sometimes you might appreciate the lyrics if you could understand them!)
It is true that some of the music is tattered with bad language - but even if you took out those words you might see there is some really deep - oops, almost wanted to include a swear word! - meaning there.
IF you really watched the whole show - and still didn’t like ANYTHING, ok. But if you watched here and there or quit watching after a 1/2 hour - then you might have missed stuff you might have liked!!!
The original comment was not that hip hop is not new, but that it is no longer original. So same statement can then be made for rock/jazz/country/latin/R&B/gospel/classical/etc. ??? I recognize that you did not make the original statement @BunsenBurner , so I’m not singling you out. I do recognize that some people don’t appreciate/enjoy hip hop (or fill in the blank of any genre). But for one to claim that hip hop has not evolved since the 80’s would be a bit naive, IMO. However, since this is not a debate site, I guess we would need to agree to disagree.
Yeah… but I can barely think of one thing I heard last night that I really, really liked. And I watched the whole thing. I was really unimpressed… I’ve watched the Grammy’s before and don’t remember being this “meh” about all the music before.
Ben Platt was the highlight of the night. Most of those people at MSG only wish they had his vocal talent.
https://entertainment.theonion.com/bruno-mars-takes-home-coveted-least-threatening-artist-1822516594
I found this funny, probably because I find Bruno Mars so bland and poppish.
Ben Platt was fabulous…and so was Lady Gaga.
I guess people have varied preferences. I thought Ben Platt was very mediocre. Google Barbara Streisand singing “Somewhere”, and those two people aren’t even on the same planet. Just too much of a talent gap.
I also didn’t find any of the political stuff humorous, thoughtful commentary, or anything whatsoever redeeming. While I am not a supporter of this administration, I thought it was all just poor sportsmanship, tiresome and rude. At least if it was funny it would have been worth watching.
When Ben Platt started singing Somewhere, I only thought of West Side Story, where the song originated. I didn’t realize how many artists have covered that song until I looked it up.
Bruno Mars always performs so joyously, I love watching and listening to him.
@busdriver11 Barbra Streisand wasn’t there.
@psychmomma Yes, that was why he was singing it! It was a tribute to Leonard Bernstein.
I have no idea where Barbara Streisand was that night, but honestly, if you watch a video of her singing “Somewhere”, you will understand why I said “meh” to Mr. Platt.
On the other hand, I love Bruno Mars. He puts so much into his performances, with the singing and dancing. I saw him on a Saturday Night Live once, and just singing lightly rehearsed songs that weren’t his, he was actually even better than the canned music we’ve heard so many times.
I’m a music lover. I embrace (not like necessarily, just embrace) all forms of it. I did download a few songs I’d never heard before - including Terrified (Childish Gambino), Praying (Kesha) and Million Reasons (Lady Gaga). So yes, I was introduced to music I hadn’t heard before and am interested in hearing more.
Very glad that Jason Isbell and Aimee Mann won. Beyond that I don’t care
I have to say . . . I love hip-hop, and any number of other genres. I thought the Grammies were a huge snooze. Including Kendrick Lamar (visually great, but I would have liked to hear what he had to say). Including Ben Platt, whom I had never heard before, and who very much did not impress me as a first-rank talent. (It didn’t help that he was followed by Patti LuPone, who is not my favorite either, but who was absolutely a first-rank Broadway talent.) Including Kesha, during whose number my wife asked, “Who is that person? Does anyone think she can sing?” Including U2, who were also visually great but whose song I couldn’t remember even while they were still playing it. Including – and here’s real apostasy – SZA. I have been listening to SZA sporadically since the tsunami of critical praise washed over me, and I still can’t figure out what about her everyone loves. (On the other hand . . . in what universe is Alessia Cara a more important new artist than SZA?)
Some of the Grammies were close to unforgivable. Does no one notice that by contemporary standards “Tiny Dancer” is a song about sexual exploitation? I like it, too, but I wouldn’t slot it into a major awards show, or trot out Miley Cyrus in a mile-wide red gown to turn it into a duet. Who picked Donnie Wahlberg and Hailee Steinfeld to had out a country award? Or Tony Bennett and John Legend for hip-hop? The “Tears In Heaven” number was maudlin. James Corden – whom I absolutely love – managed not to say a single funny thing.
I did like some stuff. The Target ad with Maren Morris was legitimately interesting. Patti LuPone reminded me that Andrew Lloyd-Weber wrote at least one good song. Ain’t nothing wrong with Chris Stapleton. And Bruno Mars is a sensational dancer/performer and an even more sensational royalties machine as a songwriter. I only wish he aspired to something more than to dominate the playlists of wedding/bar mitzvah DJs. He’s like Prince and Michael Jackson rolled together and then put through a wringer to squeeze out all of the weirdness and 95% of the art.
I thought Miley Cyrus did a good job trying to blend with Elton John and hold her own. Bruno has the moves, can’t take that away from him. Nothing boring about him. The one low for me was the country quartet doing Eric Clapton’s tune, If I saw you Heaven as a tribute to those who died at concerts like the one in Vegas…flat at times and painful to hear. They needed more practice. Only the girl was good.
Also, re hip-hop’s lack of originality: That’s a silly charge to level against either Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN or Jay-Z’s 4:44. I’m not sure I love love love either, but they are not tired or unoriginal in any respect. And if you are willing to take half a step beyond Grammy-land check out Residente’s self-titled album (which did win a Grammy this year, just not on TV), or even better his last Calle 13 album MultiViral, or Black Thought’s stunning 11-minute freestyle on Hot97 a month ago https://www.newyorker.com/culture/likes/the-lesson-of-black-thoughts-viral-freestyle.