The Dixie Chicks at the Grammy Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — In the weeks leading up to the 49th Grammy Awards, many miles of verbiage were unspooled by slick-suited TV pundits and somewhat bitter music journalists to dissect, predict and pick apart music's biggest night.

But as the awards themselves actually unfolded, live from the Staples Center, it was the moments in which very little — if anything at all — was said that carried the most weight.

(Check out photos of Beyoncé, Christina, Justin and many more at the show right here.)

Whether it was the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines simply — and somewhat fittingly — quoting "The Simpsons" in a kiss-off to the group's many critics; Chris Brown's footstep-perfect rendition of the late James Brown's famed onstage routine; or the Godfather of Soul's longtime hypeman Danny Ray draping Brown's sequined robe on the mic stand after the evening's "In Memoriam" segment (not to mention the standing ovation that followed), there was very little more that needed to be said.

And those are just the first three moments that sprung to mind. One could also mention Mary J. Blige's quiet elegance and fiery onstage performances (she brought the audience to its feet with "Be Without You," which would earn her two of her three Grammy awards on the night, for R&B song and Best Female R&B Performance.) Or the pair of showstopping numbers Justin Timberlake — who burned up the red carpet earlier in the evening (see "Justin, T.I. And John Mayer's Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet") — unveiled. And the usually goofy guys of Gnarls Barkley, who turned in a soul-drenched, deceptively low-key rendition of "Crazy," which won the duo a pair of awards.

Even Kanye West — so often the source of an infantile awards-show rant — kept it on the quiet, choosing to focus on the award he was brought in to present, Best Rap Album (it should be noted, however, that that award's winner, Ludacris, opted to pop off on frequent nemesis Bill O'Reilly). Of course, many speculated that if the Recording Academy voters chose to shower the Dixie Chicks with awards (which they did, bestowing five Grammys, including Record, Album and Song of the Year, as well as Best Country Album honors, on the Texas trio), it would be seen as a sort of statement against those who Maines spoke out against, including George W. Bush and the entirety of the country-music establishment.

And although they won more Grammys than anyone, the group made no grand statement to speak of.

"To quote the Simpsons: Ha-ha!" Maines laughed while accepting the Best Country Album award. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off." And while accepting their Album of the Year trophy, Maines chuckled, "I've got nothing clever to say, sorry!"

The Red Hot Chili Peppers won four Grammys, including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song. Carrie Underwood — who performed at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party Saturday night (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam") — Justin Timberlake and Gnarls Barkley each won two, though none of them used their winning moments to launch into any diatribes, make any political pleas or even put anyone on blast (the once-decadent Peppers even thanked their families.)

Even Timberlake, the evening's "It" boy, will probably be remembered for his trippy "Blair Witch Project" action (thanks to a handheld camera) during his performance of "What Goes Around ... Comes Around," or for his tag-team performance with T.I. and "My Grammy Moment" contest winner Robyn Troup on a medley of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and his own "My Love."

Indeed, the brevity may have been part of the Grammy planners' design: The house orchestra's "hurry-up" music was merciless, hustling along Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder while they accepted the show's first award, and Mary J. Blige when she whipped out several index cards filled with names of people to thank.

In hindsight, we probably should've known things would play out this way from the start. The evening got under way with a much-anticipated performance by the reunited Police, making their first major public appearance in more than 20 years (see "The Police Kick Off Reunion At Grammys — But How Long Will It Last?"). And although their two-decade hiatus has been at times rather acrimonious, the trio simply introduced themselves, ripped through "Roxanne" and took a bow.

Well done, everyone. After all, why talk when you can sing, dance or quote "The Simpsons"? Actions speak louder, anyway.

[This story was originally published at 6:09 pm E.T. on 02.11.2007]

The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

• Grammys '07: Who Won, Who Sung?
• Grammys Backstage: Get Cozy!
• Grammys Red Carpet: Fire-Starters
• Video Premiere: Justin Timberlake
• Rick Rubin: The Man Behind The Beard

• It's Showtime!: 2007 Grammy Awards Photos
• What You Didn't See At The Grammys
• Red Carpet Spectacular: Photos From The 2007 Grammy Awards
• Grammy Parties: Scarlett, Christina, Justin, Katharine And More
• Mike Shinoda, Pussycat Dolls, Roots, More At Grammy Style Studio

• Dixie Chicks
• Justin Timberlake
• Mary J. Blige
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Ludacris

3 Doors Down's <I>Seventeen Days</I>
Photo: Universal

For fans of 3 Doors Down's "When I'm Gone" who missed them when they were gone, this week brings good news.

On Tuesday the Mississippi rockers follow up 2002's Away From the Sun with Seventeen Days. For the new album, the band enlisted the help of Disturbed producer Johnny K and legendary rocker Bob Seger. The author of the road anthem "Turn the Page," Seger was working in the same studio 3 Doors Down were in and lent his vocals to the band's own ode to the road, "Landing in London."

R&B crooner Brian McKnight gave equal love to his romantic side and his lyrically dirtier, sexual side on his new Gemini. Juvenile and Talib Kweli guest on the follow-up to 2003's U Turn.

The soundtrack to the new Will Smith movie "Hitch" should help make any man a smooth operator, with tracks by artists including Amerie ("1 Thing"), Earth, Wind & Fire featuring Kelly Rowland and Sleepy Brown ("This Is How I Feel") and Omarion ("Never Gonna Let You Go (She's a Keepa)").

Also out this week are albums by Sage Francis (A Healthy Distrust), Lagwagon (Live in a Dive) and the Frames (Burn the Maps).

Out Tuesday, February 8:

• 3 Doors Down - Seventeen Days (Universal Motown)
  Read: "3 Doors Down's Strange Bedfellows: Bob Seger, Disturbed's Producer"
  Buy Now: Seventeen Days(Universal)
• Steve Barton - Charm Offensive (Sleepless)
• Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs (Righteous Babe)
• Michael Bublé - It's Time (Reprise)
• Dälek - Absence (Ipecac)
• Carlos del Junco - Blues Mongrel (Northern Blues)
• Eisley - Room Noises (Reprise)
• Ronny Elliott - Valentine Roadkill (Blue Heart)
• Frames - Burn the Maps (Anti/Epitaph)
• Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust (Epitaph)
• Girls Under Glass - Zyklus (Metropolis)
• The Golden Republic - The Golden Republic (Astralwerks)
• Grascals - The Grascals (Rounder)
• Krayzie Bone - Gemini: Good Vs Evil (Ball'r/Thug Line)
• Lagwagon - Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Sylvie Lewis - Tangos & Tantrums (Cheap Lullabye)
• Brian McKnight - Gemini (Universal Motown)
  Buy Now: Gemini (Motown)
• Paul Motian Trio - I Have the Room Above Her (ECM)
• Outrageous Cherry - Our Love Will Change the World (Rainbow Quartz)
• Rocket Science - Eternal Holiday (Modular)
• Samael - Reign of Light (Nuclear Blast)
• Wonderful Smith - Hello It's Wonderful (Fundamental)
• Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night (Nuclear Blast)
• Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita (Plug Research)
• Trüby Trio - Retreated (Compost)
• Cheryl Wheeler - Defying Gravity (Rounder)
• Lee Ann Womack - There's More Where That Came From (UMG Nashville)
• Various artists - Universal Smash Hits 3 (Universal Motown)
• Various artists - "Alone in the Dark" soundtrack (Nuclear Blast)
• Various artists - "Deadwood" soundtrack (Lost Highway)
• Various artists - "Hitch" soundtrack (Columbia)
  Read: "Omarion, John Legend And Kevin Lyttle Get 'Hitch'ed"
• Various artists - "Lackawanna Blues" soundtrack (Vanguard)
• Various artists - Let My People Go! A Jewish & African-American Celebration of Freedom (Appleseed)
• DVD: "Digital Video Destruction" (Metal Blade)

February 15:

• Blue Merle - Burning in the Sun (Island)
• Goldfinger - Disconnection Notice (Maverick)
• They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABCs (Disney)

February 22:

• Tori Amos - The Beekeeper (Sony)
  Buy Now: The Beekeeper (Sony)
• Omarion - O (Sony)
  Read: "Omarion's O Has Tracks For Grandma, B2K And (Almost) Nekkid Club-Goers"
  Buy Now: O (Sony)

• Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game (ESL Music)

March 1:

• Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (Universal)
  Buy Now: In Between Dreams (Universal)
• Jennifer Lopez - Rebirth (Sony)
  Read: "Fat Joe Nearly A No-Show To Flow With J. Lo"
  Buy Now: Rebirth (Sony)
• Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Universal)
  Buy Now: Frances the Mute (Universal)

• 3 Doors Down
• Brian McKnight
• Krayzie Bone

Shaggy
Photo: MTV News

While he's being raked over the coals by a prosecutor in a New York courtroom, Puff Daddy is getting strong support from a gallery that has been quick to discredit him in recent years: the hip-hop community.

During his rise to stardom in the 1990s, the rap mogul endured disses from fellow rappers for dwelling on materialism in his work, and for sample-heavy tracks that some said were a disgrace to hip-hop. But many of the genre's elite seem to be looking beyond Sean "Puffy" Combs' perceived musical transgressions to support him as his trial on gun possession and bribery charges draws to a close.

"He and his family have my sympathy and my prayers," Three 6 Mafia's Gangsta Boo said. "I hope that he gets out of this with no problems, no scrapes and no bruises. I hope everything is smooth sailing for Puffy and Shyne." Said Macy Gray: "I hope he comes out all right 'cause he's a cool dude and I hope nothing bad happens." Some artists expressed concern that locking up Combs would hurt others in the hip-hop community.

"At the end of the day I can't wish no harm to that man," dancehall star Shaggy said. "That man provides a lot of jobs for people." Still, hip-hoppers expressed little doubt that Puff Daddy's celebrity has hurt him, even within the rap world.

"There's a lot of people that are against him right now," according to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Krayzie Bone, who said bad blood between Combs and the late Tupac Shakur is at least partly to blame.

"I don't really know the facts of the case, but it seems like there's a lot of people that want to see him fall. I guess it's just something about him," Krayzie Bone said. "Ever since that sh-- with him and Pac was going on, it seems like people just took Pac's side." Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx raised the larger issue of bad blood between police and the black community.

"Puffy ain't no different than anybody else that has had this happen in any city," Foxx said last weekend. "It's just the fact the light is on him. What I tell all brothers, all black people, because we are graded differently, you've gotta walk a little cleaner. Police, everybody else, wanna take the brother down. People say, 'Oh it's a black thing.' But it's not. It's a reality, so we gotta get used to it and understand if it was Joe Schmo, it would all be good. But these are the tracks we gotta walk in." Pioneering Bronx rapper KRS-One, who had Combs remix the track "Step Into a World" from his 1997 album, I Got Next, said law-enforcement officials treated Combs differently than they treated other popular artists.

"If that police officer that arrested Puff Daddy in the club that night respected Puff Daddy as being part of a culture that was going to retaliate if he got arrested for whatever reason — and Puffy could be dead wrong — but if the police officer thought for a second that Puffy was protected by a culture that was willing to go toe-to-toe [with authority], there wouldn't even be a trial going on right now," KRS-One said. "People are focusing on Puffy's trial, but what they're not focusing on is why was he even arrested to begin with. He was arrested because the police had no respect for him." KRS-One said in the 1980s, when hip-hop was more unified, artists were above the law, in a sense, because they were respected.

"There were a few times that Public Enemy started uprisings at their concerts with 'Fight the Power,' but the cops respected it and they didn't get arrested," he said. "Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, the list goes on and on. When the justice department respects you, you don't go to jail. What's happening is that the justice department does not respect hip-hop or rap because of the criminal image we present to their children, not just our own." Regardless of the outcome of the trial — the jury was expected to begin deliberating Wednesday (March 14) — the hip-hop community now seems to be unifying around one of its biggest figures.

"We're just trying to be as supportive as we possibly can," said 112's Daron, whose group records for Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment label. "We're definitely praying for him every day." Even longtime Combs rival Suge Knight, the imprisoned chief executive of Death Row Records, expressed his apparent support last week. "If I had a chance, and I could talk to the jury, I'd say 'Look, before you send this guy to prison, look at the consequences,' " Knight said from his California jail cell. "Prison could destroy this guy, instead of help this guy." (Click HERE for a complete explanation of the charges in the Puff Daddy case. Click HERE for our complete trial coverage.)

• Diddy
• Krayzie Bone
• Gangsta Boo
• Macy Gray
• Shaggy

Krayzie Bone
Photo: Priority

The next few months are going to be bonier than Calista Flockhart, as three of the four members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony — Bizzy Bone, Layzie Bone and Krayzie Bone — plan to release solo albums.

Bizzy Bone is scheduled to drop his second album, The Gift, on March 20, the same day Layzie Bone's solo debut, Thug by Nature, is due. Krayzie Bone's Thug on the Line, pushed back from its initial, February release date, now is due June 5.

Those albums are not scheduled to feature appearances from any other Bone members. Layzie Bone said that was because the group members are working on solo albums, while Krayzie Bone said each member was "doing his own thing," which is why he didn't feature Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone or Wish Bone on his album.

Although Bizzy Bone was berated in the press by the other Bone members for missing promotional duties for the group's most recent album, 2000's BTNHResurrection, Krayzie Bone said he doesn't feel there's any competition among the group members regarding their solo releases.

"I can only speak for myself, but it won't affect me," he said. "I just go in and work like I normally do. There isn't any competition with me at all. I've heard Layzie's album and it's off the hook.

"This is the first time that we've ever [released albums so close to one another], but I don't think that it should have a negative effect on anything, because we've got a lot of fans," he continued. "Everybody likes different members. Bone fans will buy all three of them." Despite the lack of appearances on one another's albums, Layzie Bone and Krayzie Bone say another Bone album should be released by the end of the year.

(Wish Bone is also working on a solo album, according to Layzie Bone and Krayzie Bone, but it is not yet scheduled for release.) Layzie Bone said one reason he kept his outside guests to a minimum was to make sure that fans heard enough of him. "On the solo side, I put all of me into it," he said. "It's always easier when I'm working with other cats. All I've got to do is really have my little 16-bar verse, if that much." Krayzie Bone also trimmed the outside guests on his new album, which is a single album, unlike his double-disc debut, 1999's Thug Mentality. "On the first album, I felt anxious, that I had a lot to say," Krayzie Bone said. "Now I'm more relaxed. I'm trying to keep it short but sweet." Bizzy Bone's follow-up to 1998's Heaven'z Movie will be released independently. It's his first album since the Ohio rapper sued Loud Records, Sony Records and others in December for allegedly failing to pay him a $1 million advance for the recording of his second album. Bizzy Bone dropped the charges last month in exchange for a release from his recording contract as a solo artist with Sony, allowing him to release solo albums independently, according to a spokesperson at AMC Records, which will release The Gift. Layzie Bone will adopt the "El Burna" alias on Thug by Nature. "I just feel like I'm a thug by nature," Layzie Bone said of his album's title. "It's just in my nature to be that way. I'm not trying to be a thug. It's what I'm made up to be." The project's first single will likely be "Make My Day." Krayzie Bone's Thug on the Line was pushed back to get clearance for samples and add new songs, according to a Loud Records spokesperson.

Krayzie Bone also is working on "Ghetto Cowboy," a movie inspired by the 1998 Mo Thugs single. "It's a black Western," Krayzie Bone said about the film, which he hopes to release by the end of the year. "I'm locking down the people now to star in it. I'm going to have R&B singers and rappers in it, as well as some of the top black actors." The Bones see their impact continuing to creep into hip-hop nearly a decade after their introduction, via gangster-rap pioneer Eazy-E.

"The music and the flow has definitely advanced towards Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's style, because there's a lot of stuff going on that wasn't before we came out," said Krayzie Bone, who also appeared on "Murder Murder," a song from the Comrads' Wake Up & Ball album last year. "Our music has had a major effect on the industry."

• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Layzie Bone
• Krayzie Bone
• Bizzy Bone

Eve won New Artist of the Year (Solo), one of only five awards given out before fighting brought the show to a halt.

PASADENA, Calif. — An outburst of violence that police and witnesses said involved rap artists brought the second annual Source Hip-Hop Music Awards to an abrupt end Tuesday night, only an hour into the show's taping.

Local police shut down the event at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium after several fights broke out in the crowd and 75 audience members stormed the stage, Lt. Paul Gales said.

"It was out of control," Gales said. Wu-Tang Clan rapper Cappadonna said the trouble began with "just a normal fight. It wasn't as big as it seemed, but at the same time, it creates conflict amongst everybody because it starts a chain reaction because negative energy feeds off negative energy." Organizers had not decided at press time whether they would restage the awards, according to event spokesperson Larry Winokur. The show, which is put on by The Source magazine, was scheduled to air Aug. 29 on UPN.

The melee started about 8 p.m., shortly after a videotaped tribute to late hip-hop artists was shown. Audience members pelted police with CD cases and bottles as authorities tried to quell the skirmishes.

Police said there were no arrests or injuries. Gales said he did not know which rappers allegedly were involved.

Several eyewitnesses said Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Krayzie Bone was hurt in the incident. "He was busted up pretty bad," said a photographer who asked not to be named. "He wasn't getting any help." After police evacuated the estimated 2,500 attendees from the venue, stunned artists and fans streamed out of the building. Many rappers refused to discuss what happened inside the auditorium as they milled around backstage.

"I can't speak on that right now," said Artist of the Year (Solo) nominee Snoop Dogg, who was standing stoically near a tent, surrounded by a tight circle of bodyguards. "My head is in another place right now." Rising St. Louis rapper Nelly, the current king of the Billboard 200 albums chart, said he saw very little.

"I buzzed out off there," he said. Some attendees expressed concern that the incident will be viewed as a reflection of hip-hop rather than a result of a few individuals causing trouble. "It's a sad day for hip-hop," said 32-year-old Bilal Allah, who works with the Wu-Tang Clan. "This is gonna be a serious blow. My biggest concern is the spin the media's gonna take on it." Winokur said organizers "deeply regretted" that the show was cut short. "It's unimaginable that the act of a few people ruined a night of music for the many people who came here," he said. "This was an evening to celebrate music and celebrate hip-hop culture. This just simply went awry." Winokur said organizers had staffed adequate security for the event.

Cappadonna said he hoped for "a justification for this whole mess right here, so then maybe somethin' good will come out of it." "Brothers still can't get along," he said. "Brothers gotta hold hands for a while, man. Stop poppin' each other like that, or else we ain't never gonna get nowhere." Shortly after the awards ceremony began, gangsta rapper DJ Quik was involved in a scuffle outside the auditorium, after a member of his posse traded blows with another attendee. DJ Quik was handcuffed and briefly detained but was released without being charged, Gales said.

Only five awards were given out before the show was canceled. Eve, the night's only female rap nominee, received New Artist of the Year (Solo), while Redman and Method Man shared the Life Performer of the Year award.

Eminem accepted the Music Video of the Year award for his collaboration with Dr. Dre on "Guilty Conscience" (RealAudio excerpt). Dr. Dre and Ice Cube picked up the night's top honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

"When they told me I was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, I said, 'Damn, I'm only 31,' " Ice Cube said as he stood next to Dr. Dre onstage. "But when I look back at the work Dre and I have done in the last 15 years, it is a lifetime of work."

• Eve
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Krayzie Bone
• Cappadonna
• Snoop Dogg