Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009

Preggers Like Us

There she was in all her glory, happy as can be in her part peek-a-boo, part polka-dot top on the stage of the 51st Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. M.I.A., nominated for Record of the Year for her hit single "Paper Planes," stole the show from some of hip hop's biggest performers and it wasn't (only) because of her outfit. On display was her tremendous skill, of course. But did you notice, M.I.A.'s gigantic belly? Of course you did. The nine-months pregnant rapper bounded onto the stage on her due date to kick off the star-studded lineup of rappers — including T.I., Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West — singing "Swagga Like Us." Her belly wasn't a distraction, though — it was a point of pride for women, men and hip-hop and rap fans everywhere: there was no way this star was going to miss her shot to represent as part of the group Queen Latifah introduced as the "rap pack." The only woman in the bunch, and boy (or girl?) did M.I.A. show it. Send her a congratulatory balloon at the hospital; she's probably there right now.

See reviews of all the 2009 Grammy performances