Many people tuned into the Grammys last night expecting the show's tone to be a somber one. The award show has struggled in recent years, with people calling its relevance into question. There was a definite air of loss surrounding the show before Sunday. Celebrations of late artists Prince and Nipsey Hussle reminded us just how fragile life is. The loss of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others just hours before airtime drove that point home.
Yet in the dark cloud that loomed over the Grammys, there were some lighter moments. One of them came toward the end of the night and was courtesy of Sharon Osbourne, who'd also worked the red carpet. Sharon took the stage to present the award for best rap/sung performance with husband Ozzy Osbourne. They aren't exactly who you'd think of when it comes to that category, which set up one of the funniest moments of the night. The internet let out a collective and much-needed laugh as they watched Sharon try to get the nominees' names out.
There was a note of sadness at the 2020 Grammy Awards that couldn't be shaken. However, there were light moments that got us through the overarching sentiment of the night. One of them came from Sharon Osbourne.
Sharon appeared with husband Ozzy Osbourne to present the Grammy for best rap/sung performance. Earlier in the night, she worked the red carpet. She read the nominees' names with more gusto than anyone was ready for.
Sharon did well with the first song's nominees: DJ Khaled, Nipsey Hussle, and John Legend for "Higher." Next up was "Drip Too Hard" by Lil Baby and Gunna. The audience could be heard laughing as Sharon questioned, "Right?"
There was an easy one after that, "Panini" by Lil Nas X. He was clearly hyped to hear his name, no matter how she said it. He busted a quick little dance move, while Sharon did a side-to-side dance with just as much enthusiasm.
Then there was "Ballin" by Mustard featuring Roddy Rich. As the crowd cheered, Sharon proclaimed, "Yes, good one!" The last, but certainly not least, was "The London" by Young Thug and Travis Scott. For some reason, that one brought out Sharon's inner Shakespeare.
DJ Khaled, John Legend, and the late Nipsey Hussle ended up taking home the award. Sharon and Ozzy stuck around onstage while the two men and Nipsey's family took the stage to accept the award, to the delight of everyone. During their acceptance speeches, they each touched on loss and appreciation for life.
"First of all, God is the greatest. Thank you, God. This is for Nipsey Hussle," DJ Khaled proclaimed, hoisting the award in the air. "This is for hip hop." He went on to thank his wife and celebrate his two children, Asahd and Alam. It was the first time announcing young Alam's name, which means "world" in Arabic.
John then had his turn. He thanked Khaled for bringing him and Nipsey together on the record. "I want to thank all of you for supporting this, for lifting Nipsey's name up," he said. "We all love him, we all miss him. It is terrible that we had to lose him so early."
"We thank his family for being here tonight with us. Thank you for allowing us to use his legacy and lift it up in song tonight. After thanking his own family, John then spoke on the subject heavy on the hearts of many.
"We've seen so much tragedy, today and last year and so much has gone on. But let's love each other, let's love our families. Let's hold each other tight," he very poignantly concluded. It was just the feeling people needed to cap off the evening.
Sharon's presentation of the awards was one of the most buzzed-about moments on social media related to the show. Some fans even joked that they need to see her host a more hip-hop-centric award show. We can only imagine the hilarity that would ensue.
In the midst of an otherwise heavy evening, Sharon and Ozzy brought some light to the show. It's also heartwarming to see Ozzy in good spirits after he revealed he's battling Parkinson's disease. Ozzy talked about his health on the red carpet earlier in the evening.
"This last year has been h*ll for me," he said during CBS' Grammy Red Carpet Live. "I've had surgery on my neck. I've announced to the world that I've got Parkinson's. It's been one rock 'n' roll year for me."
He even revealed he's still hoping to tour later this year. "If I'm well enough, I'll work towards it," he said. "I'm having physical therapy every day, five days a week. I'm trying, doing the best I can. Neck surgery's not easy."
