Now I can't say that any of this surprises me....I've been writing in music industry circles (and beyond) for years now. So it takes a lot to make me give the side-eye....

Still, when I check out the white wash that will be the Grammy Awards (Other than rumors that Prince will perform and pulling for Common to take home another Grammy, this show looks like the official black culture coronation for Iggy and Sam Smith), 'Yonce taking Ledisi's spot is still kinda wack...Not because the Grammy folks chose to pick a superstar and mainstream heavyweight, ratings winner like Beyonce to sing "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" which was featured in the Selma movie. It's because the person that actually sung the song for the soundtrack and in the movie (Ledisi) will be sitting in the audience while Beyonce takes the spotlight...

Hey, what's little ol' Ledisi to the lighter, "gorgeous" Beyonce anyway?

Life ain't always fair....yep...

---

Ledisi Snubbed by 2015 Grammys Due to Beyonce Performance, Fans Say
By Trent Fitzgerald

Read More: Ledisi Snubbed by 2015 Grammys Due to Beyonce Performance, Fans Say | http://theboombox.com/ledisi-snubbed-2015-grammys-beyonce-performance-fans-say/?trackback=tsmclip

http://theboombox.com/ledisi-snubbed-2015-grammys-beyonce-performance-fans-say/


We are days away from the 2015 Grammy Awards and already there’s some controversy surrounding one of the performances. The conflict surrounds the Grammy producers’ decision to have Beyonce perform the spiritual song ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand,’ which was originally sung by Ledisi in the Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic, ‘Selma.’

If you’ve seen the movie, then you would know that Ledisi, who portrays the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, sings the spiritual ode to David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King, Jr.

So it would make sense that Ledisi would perform the song on the Grammys telecast alongside Common and John Legend, who are scheduled to sing their Oscar-nominated tune ‘Glory,’ which is also from the movie.

However, the Grammys requested Queen Bey to perform the song instead of Ledisi. Ironically, both ladies are nominated in the Best R&B Performance category for ‘Drunk in Love’ and ‘Like This,’ respectively.

Ledisi fans went on Twitter to voice their disappointment. They feel that the integrity of the song is lost as it correlates to the movie. Critics also accuse the Grammy producers of replacing Ledisi with Beyonce just for ratings and mainstream appeal. Meanwhile, the BeyHive believes that Beyonce shouldn’t be blamed for being invited to perform.

We gathered some of the opinionated tweets from both sides of the argument. You can read them below.

What are your thoughts on this? Voice your opinion in the comment section.

I'm outraged the @Grammys have asked @Beyoncé to sing Precious Lord as a tribute to #Selma & not @ledisi from soundtrack

— jamalbryant (@jamalhbryant) February 6, 2015

No one is saying Beyoncé shouldnt perform at #GRAMMYs, what we're saying is.. it should be Ledisi performing the song for #Selma perf

— Mark Sundstrom (@106th) February 5, 2015

She's performing a Mahalia Jackson song for the Selma tribute while Ledisi who played Mahalia in the movie AND is nominated does… what?

— Sophia Patrillo (@DreaOnassis) February 6, 2015

Ledisi sung it in the Selma film, so they should have asked her. Beyoncé doesn't have the chops for that one. She'll over do it.

— SUN. MOON. (@_daydreamer88) February 5, 2015

We know that she's "Beyonce" but she shouldn't be singing that song. It's not her song to sing…that Grammy moment belongs to Ledisi

— Patrick (@PresidentPat) February 5, 2015

So Beyonce is singing a song at the Grammy awards that was performed beautifully by Ledisi on the Selma soundtrack. That makes sense to who?

— THE TRUTH (@THETRUTH247365) February 5, 2015

Beyoncè should've humbly declined and let Ledisi have her shine, but who can blame a bitch for not turning a check?!

— Cheeky McCoy (@MrAkosh) February 6, 2015

Another moment stolen from Ledisi. The industry is not here for her at all and it breaks my heart.

— Coach P. (@CoachPSays) February 6, 2015

#UnpopularOpinion The Grammys are wrong for not letting Ledisi perform, but Grammys know Beyoncé is ratings gold, so the breaks, these are

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....

She has the most power to kill all this noise.

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

>She has the most power to kill all this noise.


But she not though...lol

The fucked up part about this is this years Grammy show has a duet theme...The producers could have easily teamed up Ledisi and Beyonce...That's the only way 'Yonce can come out looking good on this....

Because if she goes out on this alone she will give a lot of folks even more reason to hate her...lol

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....

She doesn't owe Ledisi shit


does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg

lol

Nor should she. Like someone said below, this is all about getting viewers to turn in... nothing else. Be upset that the general public doesn't give a fuck about music, just names.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

she had just played Etta in Cadillac Records and had sang 'At Last'. it made sense for her to perform it at the inauguration given that context.

this is much shadier than the inauguration performance. especially if Ledisi attends the show - and she's invited since she's been nominated for at least one award. and Yonce is also nominated for that same award.

this would be like Rihanna singing 'At Last' at the inauguration where Yonce had been invited to attend.

fuck you.

I was just saying she ain't stepping down. Again, the problem isn't Beyonce. The problem is what will draw more viewers.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

i can't think of a good reason for her to sing THIS song as opposed to any other song. like any song from her most recent album - which is nominated for Album of the Year and Best U/C Album. i think she performed 'Drunk In Love' last yr so though that song is nominated for 2 awards i understand her not performing that one. but there are 16 other songs on that album she could perform.

fuck you.

>i can't think of a good reason for her to sing THIS song as
>opposed to any other song.

It'll draw attention to the song (and the film) that it probably wouldn't get with Ledisi singing. I don't disagree that it sucks. It does suck. But again, I don't blame Beyonce, and I don't really blame the Grammys. I blame the general public.

And look, I get the argument that the public won't learn of artists like Ledisi if they aren't given an opportunity to shine. But this way, you get exposure to the song/film which in turn will lead people to hear her.

I mean, they're up against the return of THE WALKING DEAD and the premiere of BETTER CALL SAUL. They are gonna pull out all of the stops to get people to watch.

As for "why not let Beyonce sing one of her own songs and let Ledisi do hers?" Time. If Bey does one of her own songs, that's an extra segment. So they'd have to bump a performance, which they ain't gonna do.

It sucks. But I don't think it's shady. It's just trying to maximize viewers/money.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

yes, one of the other performers could've been bumped for Yonce. i mean, she's Yonce. she could perform her new song '7/11'. or one of the remixes from the deluxe edition of her new album.

if they wanna sell the movie it makes most sense to have Ledisi sing the song on the show since, you know, she sings it in the movie. and so if the ppl hear Ledisi's performance and like it they should go see the movie b/c she's in it.

fuck you.

>yes, one of the other performers could've been bumped for
>Yonce.

They did. Ledisi.

>i mean, she's Yonce. she could perform her new song
>'7/11'. or one of the remixes from the deluxe edition of her
>new album.

Again, they're killing two birds with one stone. Keeping the SELMA segment, and bringing in a big star. Add another Beyonce song to the show and bump who? Because other than Juanes, there is no one performing who is getting bumped so that they can keep the Grammy nominated song with its original singer *and* have Beyonce do a song from her album.

Plus, CBS isn't putting fucking "7/11" on their old ass network lol

>if they wanna sell the movie it makes most sense to have
>Ledisi sing the song on the show since, you know, she sings it
>in the movie.

And they'd tune out. Because people are stupid. It makes sense to have someone that the general public will pay attention bringing more eyes and ears to something they normally wouldn't.

> and so if the ppl hear Ledisi's performance and
>like it they should go see the movie b/c she's in it.

In a perfect world where the general public actually likes music? Sure. I agree.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

>And they'd tune out. Because people are stupid. It makes
>sense to have someone that the general public will pay
>attention bringing more eyes and ears to something they
>normally wouldn't.

because without this contro nobody would be thinking of ye while ledisi was performing and if ye was still on the bill they'd stay tuned to see her.

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

It's not like they would actively think, "Shit, I wish this chick was Bey. Next." It's that now they go "Ooh, I can't wait to see what one of the biggest stars in the world is going to do on the Grammys" and pay attention. As opposed to "Who is that?"

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

fuck you.

>>yes, one of the other performers could've been bumped for
>>Yonce.
>
>They did. Ledisi.

LOL

>Again, they're killing two birds with one stone. Keeping the
>SELMA segment, and bringing in a big star. Add another
>Beyonce song to the show and bump who? Because other than
>Juanes, there is no one performing who is getting bumped so
>that they can keep the Grammy nominated song with its original
>singer *and* have Beyonce do a song from her album.

i'd have bumped Katy Perry. especially since she's not nominated for any awards this year. and b/c she just performed at the Super Bowl last week.

then again, i wouldn't have this Selma segment at all. especially since 'Glory' isn't nominated for a Grammy this year and neither is 'Take My Hand'. and it's not like Selma is a musical. it makes little sense to me for the Grammys to be highlighting the movie. i don't get it. so this whole Selma segment would've just been Yonce performing one of her songs or doing some duet w/i dunno who.

>Plus, CBS isn't putting fucking "7/11" on their old ass
>network lol

right. and there are 17 songs on Yonce's nominated album that she could perform. so there's no need for '7/11', sure.

>>if they wanna sell the movie it makes most sense to have
>>Ledisi sing the song on the show since, you know, she sings
>it
>>in the movie.
>
>And they'd tune out.

no they'd be waiting for Common and John Legend to start. b/c that's the segment - i expect it'll start w/the snippet of 'Take My Hand' and then go into 'Glory'. if ppl don't know Ledisi (and they probably don't) they know Common and John Legend. i mean the ppl who didn't tune out b/c the segment is about Selma and features 3 Black performers doing a Gospel song and a Rap song. kinda like how i tune out for the Country acts.

Because people are stupid. It makes
>sense to have someone that the general public will pay
>attention bringing more eyes and ears to something they
>normally wouldn't.

again: Common and John Legend are coming up.

plus NARAS regularly has relative unknowns highlighted on the Grammy award show. see: Hunter Hayes on the 2014 show. who in the hell is Hunter Hayes?

fuck you.

>then again, i wouldn't have this Selma segment at all.
>especially since 'Glory' isn't nominated for a Grammy this
>year and neither is 'Take My Hand'. and it's not like Selma
>is a musical. it makes little sense to me for the Grammys to
>be highlighting the movie. i don't get it. so this whole
>Selma segment would've just been Yonce performing one of her
>songs or doing some duet w/i dunno who.

That backed with the Macklemore shit from last year and the Iggy shit this year, to me, it just smells like pandering. Especially after the Oscar snubs, NARAS/the Grammys get to look like, "See? We ain't bad."

But I'm cynical as fuck so I see everything as bullshit.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

duh.

now i get it.

fuck you.

that ye is being regulated to the BHM segment while x, y, & z get their own shit.
it's a good look for ledisi and kinda meh for ye.

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

as long as she was asked first.

or if she had already indicated she's unavailable for the show for whatever reason. then it's all good.

fuck you.

and Common, let along to John Legend.
EVERYBODY knows beyonce so she can only add to a segment.

Ledisi is a "who?"
deal with it.

if you cant see why beyonce is performing it and not ledisi then you're just being dense.

<--- Big Baller World Order

if you think i don't get why Yonce is performing instead of Ledisi then you're the one who's dense, love.

i get it.

and i think it's pretty awfully offensive to Ledisi considering she's invited to the show.

but this all assumes that Ledisi was not asked to perform the song before Yonce was asked. i dunno if that went down. if so then i have no objection to Yonce performing the snippet and not Ledisi.

fuck you.

<--- Big Baller World Order

if Ledisi wasn't asked first.

fuck you.

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

>yes, one of the other performers could've been bumped for
>Yonce. i mean, she's Yonce. she could perform her new song
>'7/11'. or one of the remixes from the deluxe edition of her
>new album.
>
>if they wanna sell the movie it makes most sense to have
>Ledisi sing the song on the show since, you know, she sings it
>in the movie. and so if the ppl hear Ledisi's performance and
>like it they should go see the movie b/c she's in it.



^^^^^^^

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....

<--- Big Baller World Order

I mean, yea she got that one too


But rap album of the year ??

And considering the other nominees, she prolly got at least a 65% chance of winning



I won't be watching

New walking dead tonite anyway

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

If Q had a smash hit on that album he would win hands down. He has the sales, the overall album but he smash hits speak volumes and Iggy has that on her side.

____

TWITTER : Heinz21st

IG : H_N_Z

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

and that song she made w/ ariana.

<--- Big Baller World Order

but yeah, Igloo kinda had a huge year with le hits

<--- Big Baller World Order

Utterly ridiculous

applied to trademark the phrases:
• “Party like it’s 1989”
• “This sick beat”
• “Cause we never go out of style”
• “Could show you incredible things”
• “Nice to meet you, where you been?”


http://time.com/3695657/taylor-swift-trademarks-this-swift-beat-metal-protest-song/

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

Sam Smith and Iggy both deserve their wins and nominations.


____

TWITTER : Heinz21st

IG : H_N_Z

they want people to watch.
there will be many people who will watch JUST to see beyonce perform.
pretty simple industry shit.
i haven't watched the grammys* in well over a decade so
you couldn't pay me to give a fuck.
but i'm most certainly not surprised or expecting anyone to take the high road
and 'do the right thing' on this.

people expecting common, john legend or beyonce to say something
in ledisi's defense really haven't a clue on how the industry operates
fuck around and get black listed for somebody who's not gonna be a super duper star
off a grammy performance anyway? yea right.

*i've caught a performance here and there thanks to youtube.

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

i understand NARAS wants Yonce on the show for ratings. so have her perform something else - like one of her own songs. or sing a duet w/someone.

but...i mean, to have Yonce sing 'Take My Hand' while Ledisi is ostensibly going to be in the building is incredibly foul.

i assume Ledisi will be there b/c she's nominated. maybe she's not?

i need more info b4 i can decide how shady i think this is.

fuck you.

still shady

█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

fuck you.

they did what's best for business

<--- Big Baller World Order

yes.

but why this song?

fuck you.

trying to ensure the best possible ratings for each segment of the show.

<--- Big Baller World Order

it's not like Yonce is going to sing all of 'Take My Hand' by herself. she's likely going to perform a snippet of the song before Common and John perform the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated 'Glory'.

meanwhile Yonce could've had her own segment.

fuck you.

.

_
Yo! That’s My Jawn: The Podcast - Available Now!
http://linktr.ee/yothatsmyjawn

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

____

TWITTER : Heinz21st

IG : H_N_Z

like one of the songs from her own nominated album.

i don't understand why Yonce is performing 'Take My Hand' at all. it's not like she is known for doing Gospel. she's not been connected to that song previously. i don't get it. especially when her most recent album has 2 nominations. sure, she performed 'Drunk In Love' last yr so it makes sense for her to sing something other than that one. but why 'Take My Hand'? why not 'Partition'? 'XO'? 'Blow'? 'Flawless'? et al.

fuck you.

Its about superstardom. I don't agree with it, but TRYING to make it about anything else is stupid.


____

TWITTER : Heinz21st

IG : H_N_Z

I've read some comments on other websites and you have certain folks using the "Bey is a bigger name, thus higher ratings" excuse. The Grammy's CEO an'nem could've easily asked Bey to perform one of her songs she dropped last year on the show if they're so concerned about the name being a big draw. Why tap her to perform a song that was performed by one of the nominees who's actually going to be there?

I'm not feeling this one bit. Beyonce already has shine. Let Ledisi get hers.




Since 1976

y'all really under estimate bey's reach
WHITE PEOPLE came up with the whole 'beygency' joke y'all know that right?
she's a pretty big star believe it or not

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

Just a snippet.

Good thing about this is more folks know who Ledisi is now due to this controversy.

____

TWITTER : Heinz21st

IG : H_N_Z

and i'd only expect Ledisi to perform a snippet on the show.

i wouldn't expect either of them to perform the full song.

so i don't understand your point there.

fuck you.

And made it a huge moment in the movie

If that was done it would be even more fucked up that Yonce is singing it

But she sang a few lines, so it's not as big a deal

It isn't an injustice since it's not like how Etta made At Last her own only to be snubbed

It's not like she's singing it instead of actual Mahalia

b/c she's nominated. so to not invite her to sing the snippet on stage during the show is foul, IMO. i dunno that she wasn't invited to sing it though. if she was invited to perform the song then it's all good.

>It isn't an injustice since it's not like how Etta made At
>Last her own only to be snubbed

she wasn't exactly snubbed or at least not in the same way. Yonce had recently portrayed Etta in Cadillac Records and had sang the song. plus i dunno that Etta was at the inaugural ball where Yonce sang the song. (i said before, this would be like if Rihanna had been asked to perform 'At Last' during that inaugural ball where Yonce was an invited guest. that's a closer fit than the Etta thing.)

THAT is the shade of this all - that Ledisi is invited to the show but may not have been asked to perform the song where she recently performed it in a movie that's being spotlighted for some odd reason during the show. and Yonce has NO obvious connection to 'Take My Hand'. she's not performed it publicly AFAIK and she's not known for doing Gospel, generally. so to have her perform it instead of Ledisi is pretty deep shade. again, unless Ledisi was asked.

fuck you.

>b/c she's nominated. so to not invite her to sing the
>snippet on stage during the show is foul, IMO. i dunno that
>she wasn't invited to sing it though. if she was invited to
>perform the song then it's all good.
>
>>It isn't an injustice since it's not like how Etta made At
>>Last her own only to be snubbed
>
>she wasn't exactly snubbed or at least not in the same way.
>Yonce had recently portrayed Etta in Cadillac Records and had
>sang the song. plus i dunno that Etta was at the inaugural
>ball where Yonce sang the song. (i said before, this would be
>like if Rihanna had been asked to perform 'At Last' during
>that inaugural ball where Yonce was an invited guest. that's
>a closer fit than the Etta thing.)
>
>THAT is the shade of this all - that Ledisi is invited to the
>show but may not have been asked to perform the song where she
>recently performed it in a movie that's being spotlighted for
>some odd reason during the show. and Yonce has NO obvious
>connection to 'Take My Hand'. she's not performed it publicly
>AFAIK and she's not known for doing Gospel, generally. so to
>have her perform it instead of Ledisi is pretty deep shade.
>again, unless Ledisi was asked.
>


Basically.

GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....

>b/c she's nominated. so to not invite her to sing the
>snippet on stage during the show is foul, IMO. i dunno that
>she wasn't invited to sing it though. if she was invited to
>perform the song then it's all good.
>
>>It isn't an injustice since it's not like how Etta made At
>>Last her own only to be snubbed
>
>she wasn't exactly snubbed or at least not in the same way.
>Yonce had recently portrayed Etta in Cadillac Records and had
>sang the song. plus i dunno that Etta was at the inaugural
>ball where Yonce sang the song. (i said before, this would be
>like if Rihanna had been asked to perform 'At Last' during
>that inaugural ball where Yonce was an invited guest. that's
>a closer fit than the Etta thing.)
>
>THAT is the shade of this all - that Ledisi is invited to the
>show but may not have been asked to perform the song where she
>recently performed it in a movie that's being spotlighted for
>some odd reason during the show. and Yonce has NO obvious
>connection to 'Take My Hand'. she's not performed it publicly
>AFAIK and she's not known for doing Gospel, generally. so to
>have her perform it instead of Ledisi is pretty deep shade.
>again, unless Ledisi was asked.
>

~
~
~
~
~
Days like this I miss Sha Mecca

tuning in to see Negro spirituals.

This is a spit in the face

This is a showcase for, by, and about white folks and their contributions to the cash cow.

or nah?

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

the internet didn't have the plethora of outlets for niggas to complain through at the time either.

that being said i think its mostly an anti beyonce sentiment kinda fueling things a little bit
more so than a pro ledisi thing.

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eminem-and-elton-to-duet-at-grammys-20010212

and that performance was different - John wasn't invited simply b/c he's a bigger ratings draw than Dido. it was a political statement - he was giving Eminem his stamp of approval after Em had been labeled a homophobe by many.

fuck you.

there wasn't a huge controversy about elton john stealing dido's shine
as it were that was my point.

regardless of WHY he was brought on
it would have been a 'huge look' for dido in the same way
ledisi singing this year would have been for her.

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

whereas Dido's had a political purpose (w/o regard for whether one likes the statement John made by appearing w/Em in that context).

so while i agree that would've been a good look for Dido to perform on the show, i understand if ppl who object to Ledisi's 'snub' (i dunno that she wasn't asked before Yonce) don't have the same objection to Dido's.

ftr - i thought John was on some bullshit w/that appearance. i would've preferred if Dido had appeared (or declined b/c she didn't want to be seen on stage w/him due to her/his politics).

fuck you.

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

fuck you.

www.royallegacy.org

For Real (Official Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBRoCPO8esE

I will say that Ledisi playing such a iconic character in the movie ties her to the song in a way that Dido did not to Eminem's stan. Still, it's a strong point to make.

-------
http://adevotedappraisal.tumblr.com - Essays, reviews, short stories and free writes on music, film and life around us.