• In 1998, teenage R&B sensation Usher called Bob Dylan "Bill." Then, when Dylan was performing his song "Love Sick," a shirtless man with the words "Soy Bomb" painted on his torso jumped on stage to gyrate next to him.
• In 1998, Sting apologized for the absence of his good friend Luciano Pavarotti. The last-minute singer who filled in for Pavarotti, singing "Nessun dorma," a prince’s hymn to sexual conquest, was Aretha Franklin.
• Also in 1998, Shawn Colvin was walking to the stage to accept an award when the microphone was hijacked by a red-shirted ODB of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Apparently upset at losing the best rap album Grammy to Puff Daddy, he complained that he spent a lot of money for new clothes because he thought he was going to win. "Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best," he said.
• In 1999, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was named album of the year, the first time a hip-hop album has ever earned that prestigious award. In fact, it was the first time a rap artist had ever even won the major album Grammy.
• Before winning three Grammys for Ray of Light in 1999, Madonna had never won a musical Grammy in her entire 15-year career.
• After nearly 10 years of debating and lobbying, the Latin Grammys will commence this year in November. They are projected to have 39 categories divided among 14 fields. Brazilian music will have its own field with six categories, while the Traditional Music field will award Grammys for best folk, tango and flamenco albums.
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