The story line going into the 2004 Grammy Awards was hip-hop's overwhelming presence among the nominations, and even though the Recording Academy was seduced by an elegant R&B diva Sunday night, in the end it was won over by a charismatic pair of Dirty South rap prodigies.

Beyoncé had a spectacular night, winning five of six awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album. But the cosmic-funk hip-hop of Outkast would not be denied. What's cooler than bein' cool? Ice Cold. And Andre 3000 and Big Boi chilled the crowd by picking up the big award for the night, Album of the Year, for their multiplatinum, chart-topping double album, Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below. (Click here for a list of Grammy winners.)

One of the surprises of the evening, given the early momentum of the show, was that Beyoncé did not win for Record of the Year, an award that instead went to Coldplay for their song "Clocks." Still, Beyoncé was one of the brightest stars of the night. She jump-started the awards show with an energetic performance — and a special guest, Prince. She and the Purple One performed a medley of hits, including three tracks from Prince's 20-year-old classic Purple Rain and, appropriately, Beyoncé's horn-punctuated "Crazy in Love." That song netted Beyoncé two gold gramophones, for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Pal Jay-Z won two awards for his guest verse on the single.

Beyoncé's last two Grammys came for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group, for her collaboration with veteran R&B singer Luther Vandross, "The Closer I Get to You," and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Dangerously in Love 2." Both are tracks from the Destiny's Child singer's debut solo album, Dangerously in Love.

46th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List

Outkast joined Beyoncé and Jay-Z to lead all artists with six nominations each. It was Andre 3000 and Big Boi, though, that stole their thunder at the ceremony with two separate, eye-popping performances and three total Grammys. Their brand of Southern-soaked hip-hop also won awards for Best Urban/Alternative Performance ("Hey Ya!") and for Best Rap Album (Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below).

Despite having taken home a pair of Grammys in 2002 and earning nominations in the top categories that year, stemming from their breakthrough album, Stankonia, the duo still seemed stunned at their victory for Album of the Year. They beat out albums by Missy Elliott, Evanescence, Justin Timberlake and the White Stripes.

"Music is rockin' like never before," Big Boi said as he accepted the award. He then brought out L.A. Reid, the erstwhile executive of their record label, Arista, and the man who discovered the group in Atlanta over 10 years ago.

  "Beyonce Sings Twice, Christina Plays Nice, Outkast Cool As Ice On Grammy Stage"

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