Put it in the record books: Childish Gambino took home Record of the Year for “This Is America” at the 2019 Grammys.
The rapper beat out Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin for “I Like It”, Brandi Carlile for “The Joke,” Drake for “God’s Plan,” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for “Shallow,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA for “All the Stars,” Post Malone and 21 Savage for “Rockstar” and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey for “The Middle.”
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Earlier in the night, “This Is America” became the first rap song to win Song of the Year. It also won Best Rap/Sung Performance. Director Hiro Murai won Best Music Video for the single’s music video.
Childish Gambino, who is actor Donald Glover, was not at the Grammys. Engineers Derek “MixedByAli” Ali and Riley Mackin accepted the honor on his behalf.
The coveted award came on a night where several nominated musicians took the stage; the list of performers included Cardi B, J Balvin Camila Cabello, Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle (who sang “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl LIII last Sunday), Dan + Shay, Lady Gaga, H.E.R., Dua Lipa with St. Vincent, Ricky Martin, Post Malone with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monae, Mark Ronson, Diana Ross, Arturo Sandoval, Travis Scott and Young Thug.
Additionally, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and Katy Perry honored Dolly Parton at the ceremony. Ahead of the Grammys, Parton was celebrated as the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year with a ceremony on Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where she was honored by Perry, Miley Cyrus, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges, Lauren Daigle, Norah Jones, Shawn Mendes P!nk and Mark Ronson. Parton closed out the evening with her own performance.
Parton also took the stage during the Grammys for the first time since 2001 to perform new music from her album Dumplin‘ (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
Grammy winners Yolanda Adams and Fantasia and Grammy nominee Andra Day honored the late Aretha Franklin, who died in August.
Earlier in the week, Cooper explained why he won’t be by his “Shallow” duet partner’s side while Gaga performs the hit song, saying he’d be across the pond at the BAFTA Awards in London’s Royal Albert Hall, as A Star Is Born is nominated for Best Film and Cooper is up for Best Director.
Other stars not including the Grammys are Taylor Swift (who is also attending the BAFTAs in support of boyfriend Joe Alwyn), Maroon 5 (nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance) and Ariana Grande, who made her decision not to perform after a conflict with show producers.
The Grammy Awards aired live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10.
Photo credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
