Hip-hop artist Lecrae recently published a post on Medium.com called Red Carpet Treatment, a excerpt from his upcoming book Unashamed.
Lecrae says of his experience at the 2015 Grammys:
When I reached the end of the carpet — you know, the place where artists stand in front of the Grammys backdrop and a crowd of photographers takes their picture — a security guard lowered his hand and asked me to wait. He waved Iggy Azalea around me. She smiled, and the cameras went crazy. When she finished, I started to proceed and the security guard stopped me again. He waved Rick Ross through.
This happened so many times I lost count. Wiz Khalifa and then Taylor Swift and then Keith Urban and then Ziggy Marley. Somewhere in the process my wife threw up her hands and left me to go sit down. For 45 minutes I waited until the security guard finally raised his arm and waved me through.
I walked in front of the backdrop in my crisp tuxedo and shiny shoes, standing tall and proud as a nominee in a respected category. I gave them the best smile I had. And . . . almost every journalist lowered their camera. Maybe five of the forty photographers took my picture, and I’m pretty sure those were snapped out of pity.
Some people say the red carpet is the best litmus test for how famous you are or how famous you’re not. For how accepted you are or aren’t. If this is true, the message was clear: I am not one of “them.”
I started to get that feeling earlier in the day at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s “Rock Nation” party on a lawn tucked behind a Beverly Hills mansion. I’m kind of a people-watcher and also an introvert, so I made up my mind before arriving that I was going to sink back and mind my business.
The event was a whirlwind of hype and hustle. The smell of cigars and fancy French perfume filled the air while bartenders poured bottle after bottle of “Ace of Spades” champagne. Everyone was draped in borrowed jewelry and clothes made by designers that most people can’t pronounce. Italian shoes, thousand-dollar jeans, tiny but noticeable logos on pockets and lapels. (Fashion is something of an art for musicians, so everyone tries to strike a balance between the brand being obvious, but downplayed.)
It quickly became clear that there were two classes of people. In the center of yard was the first class: epic stars — Jay-Z and Kanye and Nicky Minaj and Rihanna. They were sitting on couches under a gazebo with security surrounding them.
He goes on to share intimate details about his insecurities. Quite a refreshing read. Click here to read the rest of Red Carpet Treatment. To pre-order Unashamed visit unashamedbook.com.
