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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 29 January 2018
Jay-Z opens up about why he boycotted the Grammys in 1999

By MESFIN FEKADU and has been nominated
AP Music Writer for 74. He is the top con-
NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z tender at Sunday's show,
said though he boycotted competing for eight awards
the Grammys almost two including album, song and
decades ago, he's better record of the year.
served helping the Record- The Brooklyn rapper was
ing Academy grow instead serenaded at the Shera-
of abandoning it. ton New York Times Square
At Clive Davis' annual pre- Hotel by Alicia Keys, who
Grammy gala on Saturday performed a medley of his
— where Jay-Z earned the popular hits on piano, clos-
Grammy Salute to Industry ing with their collaboration,
Icons Award — he said he "Empire State of Mind."
initially boycotted because "Before anything else I
DMX had an amazing year was a true fan of your mu-
in music but didn't earn any sic Jay, and still am. I will
nominations at the 1999 walk down the streets with
Grammys. Jay-Z's sopho- my headphones on and
more project, "Vol. 2... Hard my Tims and baggy jeans
Knock Life," won best rap and your (music) was my
album that year though soundtrack," she said.
he didn't attend the show, The black-tie event closed
besting albums by A Tribe with a rousing tribute to
Called Quest, Mase, Big Aretha Franklin by Jennifer
Punisher and Jermaine Du- Jay-Z performs on the 4:44 Tour at Barclays Center in New York. Jay-Z said though he boycotted Hudson, though the Queen
pri. the Grammys almost two decades ago, he's better served helping the Recording Academy grow of Soul didn't attend. Hip-
"I didn't come back un- instead of abandoning it. hip trio Migos performed
til... 2004 when a beautiful, (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP) their No. 1 hit, "Bad and
young lady whom I love Jones, Tina Fey, Jerry Sein- like, 'I have to be here,'" he Rap has had a long his- Boujee"; Luis Fonsi "put a lit-
dearly had a solo album... feld, Diddy and Beyonce, added. "That is the idea for tory with the Grammys — tle spice (on) tonight" — as
the beautiful Miss Beyonce. who Davis called "the first all of us to get involved and whether its top performers he said it — when he sang
And I realized, 'Man, art is lady of music." to push this thing further no like Eminem and Kanye the monster hit "Despa-
super subjective and ev- "And if we believe in it — matter what happens at West constantly losing in cito"; and Leslie Odom,
eryone is doing their best, 'cause we do, we can pre- the Grammys, it's going to the major categories to Jr. and Ben Platt reprised
and the Academy, they're tend that we don't care be what it is. Bob Marley rock, pop and country acts, their Tony-winning roles in
human like we are and but we really care — we is going to be Bob Marley, or rap awards not making "Hamilton" and "Dear Even
they're voting on things care 'cause we've seen the whether he's nominated for it on the televised show, Hansen," winning over the
they like and it's subjec- most incredible artists stand a Grammy or not. Tupac is though that's changed in crowd. “From section 8 and
tive,'" he told the audience, on that stage and we're in- going to be Tupac, Biggie is recent years. welfare to the Grammys — I
which included Quincy can’t wait,” yelled Logic. q
spired to be that, so I was going to be Biggie." Jay-Z has won 21 Grammys

With few breakouts or Oscar pics, the Sundance market cools

By LINDSEY BAHR bound." ''Get Out" was al- 13. It's a challenging and
AP Film Writer ready set to be distributed provocative film based on
The 2018 Sundance Film by Universal Pictures, but the director's life that some,
Festival had a lot of cultural even producer Jason Blum like Vulture senior editor
forces working in its favor credits some of its eventual Kyle Buchanan believed
with #MeToo and a batch massive success to the buzz was among the best shots
of the previous year's films it got from its surprise mid- for awards love. Now "The
celebrating Oscar nomina- night showing. Tale" won't even get a the-
tions. But as the annual in- "A lot of people weren't so atrical release.
die film showcase inched sure about that. I really felt "I can't argue with the idea
to a close, Sunday, with like It was the right thing to that if you really want your
few big deals and even do, and it could have gone movie to be seen, a stream-
fewer potential breakouts, either way," Blum said. "I ing service or television is a
it seems the excitement was proud we made that way you can make that
has cooled and a market- decision." happen," Buchanan said.
place is in flux. The Egyptian Theatre is pictured on the eve of the 2017 Sun- This year, Amazon and Net- "But it's interesting, I think
Last year, the festival host- dance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. This year's film festival ran flix were quiet. The biggest film distributors are shying
ed the premieres of best through Jan. 28, 2018. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) acquisition so far is Neon/ away from provocative
picture nominees "Get AGBO's $10 million deal for content these days and
Out" and "Call Me By Your the Oscars' documentary more traditional studios to the teen girls versus misogy- leaving that room for oth-
Name," and other awards crop are Sundance pre- bid more. Amazon Studios nists genre film "Assassina- er, newer, less traditional
favorites like the romantic mieres — "Icarus," ''Strong shelled out $12 million for tion Nation." Among the outlets to make the sort of
comedy "The Big Sick" and Island" and "Last Men in "The Big Sick," which more next highest was the $7 mil- noise that they would have
the historical drama "Mud- Aleppo." than paid off with over lion HBO Films spent for "The once had exclusively."
bound" — both of which The deals were sizable too, $55.8 million in box office Tale," starring Laura Dern “It’s just a sign of where the
also scored Oscar nomina- as the deep-pocketed receipts, and Netflix spent as a woman who suffered quality adult entertainment
tions. And more than half of streaming services pushed $12.5 million on "Mud- sexual abuse when she was is going,” Lang said. q