Killer Mike, Sza and the unforgettable Taylor Swift stole the show in different fashions at this year’s Grammys. 

In the 66th edition of the all-genre music award show held in the Cyrpto.com Arena, host Trevor Noah brought to us the 2024 Grammys. 

Artists from country to afro-beats crossed paths for the awaited award show where 91 awards were given out. The four major awards, or the “big four,” consist of Album of the Year, Record of the year, Song of the year and Best new artist. 

Sza held the top spot for nominations this year with nine, taking home three after giving a spectacular live performance, but Phoebe Bridgers edged her out by one award to be the big winner of the night. A surprise winner from the night, Killer Mike, tied Sza with three awards. 

Killer Mike has made a career comeback as the once half of the Brooklyn rap duo ‘Run The Jewels’ released a gem of an album titled “Michael.” The album won Rap Album of the Year over Drake and 21 Savage’s ‘Her loss,’ ‘Utopia’ by Travis Scott and Metro Boomin’s ‘Heroes and Villains.’ 

Tyler Littleton, a student of VTSU Castleton, wasn’t a fan of Killer Mike’s win. 

“Killer Mike’s album shouldn’t have beaten out Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia,’” he said. 

Killer Mike also went onto win Best Rap Performance and best rap song with ‘Scientist and Engineers’ featuring Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane. These would be his first wins in almost two decades. 

In a bizarre turn, however, Mike was later arrested by Los Angeles Police and taken away. Killer Mike claims he was dealing with an “overzealous” security guard, which led to the physical altercation. In an interview a day after his arrest, he said “As you can imagine, there was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an overzealous security guard but my team and I have the utmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.” 

Two other winners of the night would be Victoria Monet, the winner of the “best new artist” category and Miley Cyrus. Cyrus won “best record” and “best pop solo performance” with her song ‘Flowers.’ These would be her first two Grammy wins of her career. 

Now, onto one of the brightest stars in pop culture: Taylor Swift. 

She’s been a pop music icon for years. With her large fan base, the ‘Swifties’ there’s almost no way she could become irrelevant. Throughout her career she’s been nominated for 52 Grammy awards. She has won 14 awards sitting in a very large trophy case. Swift’s recent album ‘Midnight’ took home Album of the Year, getting mixed reactions from the crowd and pop fanbases. Many pop fans believe Lana Del Rey’s “Did you Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” should have won. 

While claiming her Album of the Year award, Swift announced her next album that would come out sometime this year. Castleton sophomore Carly Centeno slammed Swift saying “Taylor Swift is a childish narcissist.” 

Another Castleton student was also disgusted with her act at the Grammys. 

“I’m not really happy about Taylor using the Grammys as a platform to announce her new album” said senior Justin Gitto. 

But Student Government President Perry Ragouzis felt the opposite. 

“It’s good for her. An award is an award, a win is a win,” he said when asked about Swift’s success. 

If you’re wondering why you head nothing about the rock or heavy metal segements of the show, it’s because it wasn’t broadcast. The group boygenious took home two awards on the night for their song ‘Strong Nnough’ and album best alternate album with ‘The record.’ Fan favorites Paramore and Metalica comined for two awards on the night. 

Even knowing who won, rock and metal fans were not pleased. Gitto said he was “heated” and that it felt like a “slap in the face of the fans” when asked about show. 

Rock & roll bands still sell out arenas and stadiums but apparently the producers of Grammys don’t see it as an important category of music anymore, Gitto surmised. 

“Pop, country, and rap is where the most money is, so it makes sense for them to lean on it,” he said. “There’s been a shift in what majority of people value in music”. 

The Grammys got a large viewership spike this year. With the help of Paramount+ streaming the awards, viewership was up 173% from last year. It peaked at 18.5 million people tuned in live during the ‘memoriam’ segment, which featured performances from Stevie Wonder, Fantasia and Annie Lennox. 

Castleton Student Nick Crum believes award shows are for the older generation. 

“I don’t feel like many people my age watch them,” he said.