Boy, was the Grammys’ big hip-hop showcase exciting or what? You had Lil Wayne forgetting his cares onstage a week before he’s scheduled to report to prison, former recluse Eminem killing it in his most high-profile public appearance since kicking his pill addiction, and young Drake enjoying the biggest moment of his career so far. Well, that’s what we think happened, anyway — it was hard to tell with half the goddamn audio bleeped out.
If you weren’t watching, or have successfully avoided our Grammys coverage up until now, Wayne, Em, and Drake ran through “Drop the World” (the only good song on Rebirth) and “Forever”* with Travis Barker and rock guitarists. Also present were CBS’s overzealous bleep-machine operators, who rendered huge chunks of the performance completely silent. It’s all kind of bizarre: Why were whole lines being cut to avoid one profanity? Why was the music cut out along with the mikes? Did the bleep button keep getting stuck in the on position or something?
Below are annotated lyrics to the performance, with the bleeped, profanity laced portions highlighted. (By the way, this footage shows those guys were doing a pretty good job of censoring themselves, making the silences all the more pointless.) As you watch, try singing along during the silent parts. It’s like Lil Wayne is in your cubicle!
0:41 — “Trying to get in where I fit i, no room for a nigga / but soon for a nigga / it be on, muthafucka / cause all the bullshit / it made me strong, muthafucka.”
0:50 — “And I’ma pick the world up and I’ma drop it on your fucking head.”
1:04 — “I could die now, rebirth muthafucker/ Hop up in my spaceship and leave earth, muthafucker / I’m gone.”
1:44 — “And I came up from behind and pretty much snuck up and butt-fucked this game up.”
(*But where was Kanye? According to Drake, he couldn’t show up to do his “Forever” verse because he was “working on his project.” Riiight. So is Kanye shut out of awards shows and telethons until everyone forgets about the VMAs? Or was there an actual secret suspension period handed down by the music industry’s high command, like when Michael Jordan had to quit basketball because of his gambling addiction?)
2:42 - “So I don’t plan on stopping at all / I want this shit forever, man.” (These chorus bleeps were particularly amusing.)
2:55 — “And I ain’t even planning to call / I want this shit forever, man.”
4:55 — “So I don’t plan on stopping at all / I want this shit forever, man.”
5:30 — “You can’t put it out once we light it / this shit is exactly what the fuck I’m talking about when we riot.”
5:40 — “Out of our mouths now rewind that / payback, muthafucka for the way you doubted me.”
5:54 — “I want this shit forever, man.”
(*But where was Kanye? According to Drake, he couldn’t show up to do his “Forever” verse because he was “working on his project.” Riiight. So is Kanye shut out of awards shows and telethons until everyone forgets about the VMAs? Or was there an actual secret suspension period handed down by the music industry’s high command, like when Michael Jordan had to quit basketball because of his gambling addiction?)
