DJ Khaled Closes 2023 Grammys With ‘God Did’ Performance Featuring Jay-Z, John Legend & More
DJ Khaled closed out the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) by welcoming an all-star lineup of collaborators including Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross.
DJ Khaled began the performance inside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena before the camera cut to the rapper joining Ross and Lil Wayne outside, with Legend seated at an intricately decorated piano and joining on vocals.
The performance reached its pinnacle with a “Last Supper”-esque scene, with the artists seated at a table filled with a spread of fruits, breads, cakes and pies along with candelabras, and Jay-Z rapping a nearly five-minute verse. The song ended with the artists raising their glasses high in tribute, as DJ Khaled looked directly into the camera and said, “We did an eight-minute song on the Grammys!”
The collaborative performance from these major artists was a musical companion and continuation of an evening that had already featured a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop music, with a string of performances (curated by The Roots’ Questlove) from Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Run-DMC, GloRilla, LL Cool J and more. The celebration also highlighted Dr. Dre, who was honored with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
DJ Khaled was nominated for six Grammy Awards this year, with “God Did” earning five of those nods. The tune was up for song of the year, best rap song, and best rap performance. “God Did” is also the title track of DJ Khaled’s album, which was nominated for album of the year and best rap album. DJ Khaled’s “Beautiful” was also nominated for best melodic rap performance.
Jessica Nicholson
Billboard