Here are the NAACP Image Awards 2011 winners list and nominees, and red carpet photos and video.
The 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards has announced its winners at a live ceremony in Los Angeles, California on Friday, March 4. In music, John Legend and The Roots dominated the pack.
Outstanding New Artist trophy was given to young Willow Smith. The 10-year-old Roc Nation singer won over much-older artists like B.o.B, Bruno Mars, Jason Derulo and Nicki Minaj. But the little girl lost Outstanding Music Video to Alicia Keys.
Outstanding Male Artist title was given to Usher who pushed aside Kanye, Cee-Lo Green, Jay-Z and Ne-Yo. Outstanding Female Artist, meanwhile, was handed to Mary J. Blige. She won it over Chrisette Michele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Rihanna and Sade.
Aired on FOX, 2011 NAACP Image Awards honors the best achievements by people of color in TV, music, literature and movie.
The NAACP is receiving political pressure for adding a Hip Hop category to the NAACP Image Awards, airing tonight. The Reverend expressed his outrage to San Jose-Mercury Sun.
The nominees representing Hip Hop in this year’s awards include, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Diddy-Dirty Money, B.o.B. and others. Other religious figures like Rev. Lucious Smith, pastor of Pasadena Friendship Baptist Church compare rap mogul Sean” Diddy” Combs’ success to that of a Tobacco worker. In reaction to several complaints, Joe Brown of Pasadena, California’s branch of the NAACP stated, that the nomination process would be reviewed to ensure that artists with dirty lyrics don’t get selected. It is interesting to see these religious figures fighting the NAACP’s decision to nominate Hip Hop. Some images and messages in the genre’s broadest aspects are deplorable. Like life, not everything about the art of Hip Hop is going to be pretty, but it is the shock of Hip Hop’s grit that has allowed it be so progressive.
Hip Hop transcend cultural and social economic boundaries, to aid in election of our current president.
