jay-z

The 51st annual Grammy Awards took place last night, featuring a plethora of quality performances and collaborations. During the course of the evening, viewers witnessed Dave Grohl playing with Paul McCartney, Coldplay with Jay-Z, Radiohead with the USC marching band, the "Rap Pack" featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, TI, and an extremely rotund preggers M.I.A., B.B. King with Buddy Guy, John Mayer and Keith Urban, Lil Wayne with Allen Toussaint, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Terence Blanchard and Robin Thicke, and Al Green performing a surprisingly good duet with Justin Timberlake on his classic "Let's Stay Together" backed by Boyz II Men and Keith Urban. Also taking the stage during the three-and-a-half hour televised event were Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Stevie Wonder, Adele, Smokey Robinson, Estelle and MusicCares Person of the Year Neil Diamond.

To pass the time between performances they also decided to hand out a few of those coveted golden record players. The big winners of the night were Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, who took home Album of the Year for Raising Sand, Record of the Year for "Please Read The Letter," and a few other various awards. Other notable winners included Lil Wayne for Best Rap Album, Coldplay for Best Rock Album and Song of the Year, and Radiohead for Best Alternative Music Album.

Check out the full list of winners and more videos from the event after the jump

Hip-hop royalty Jay-Z made a stop in Houston recently to help open the brand-spanking new House of Blues. Eggs and I weren't able to make it to the show, but BOT friend Annie Barrera was kind enough to share her thoughts, photos and videos with us - check 'em out after the jump!

We already know what all of the hipsters and folkies were up to this past weekend, but since most of you are undoubtedly asking yourselves: "What were all the hip-hop heads up to?", I thought that I would fill you in. Both Miami and New York City hosted a who's who of hip-hop allstars for the third edition of Rock The Bells. While both cities already featured stellar line-ups that included Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Method Man and Redman, and a re-united A Tribe Called Quest, along with whole host of others, New York brought a little something extra to the table by serving a few choice guest spots that no one was expecting.

Check them out after the jump

Prior to Jay-Z's headlining set at Glastonbury, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher had some not-so-kind words to say about the Brooklyn MC, and hip-hop as a whole. Jay-Z basically said piss off, and went ahead with the "controversial" set as planned. He opened his set with a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall" which had him strumming a guitar and taking lead vocals. Maybe it was one last punch from the HOVA, or maybe he was just recognizing them as British rock royalty. I'm gonna go with my first guess.

So Noel, I know you all had some hits 10 or more years ago, but instead of knocking Jigga for headlining this storied festival, try creating some new, relevant "guitar music" with Oasis so that Michael Eavis might invite you back.

Also, how can you not love "99 Problems" mashed with "Back In Black"!?