Did you watch the Grammy Awards yesterday? Or, more likely, did you just watch everything Beyoncé did? If so, you might have noticed something interesting when the camera cut to Beyoncé’s section during the ceremony: a Los Angeles Kings jersey.
A whole lot of people on Twitter did, naturally, raising the question: who was this mystery man? Needless to say, I’d never seen a Kings jersey at a major awards show, and we probably won’t until Gene Hackman wins Best Actor at the 2021 Academy Awards, for his dramatic return to the screen in Fly at 11: The Darryl Sutter Story.
Anyway, I put on my serious journalist’s hat and decided to find out who this was. This clearly wasn’t a nominated artist, so our only clue was who he sat with. And thankfully, we don’t have to strain our eyes too much to see a guy wearing a pink “GIRL POWER” hoodie. That’s ScHoolboy Q, nominated for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance at last night’s ceremony. (He lost both categories to Chicago native Chance the Rapper, who is — to my everlasting dismay — apparently supporting his local NHL team.)
Knowing who he’s next to helps, but we need more information. I search until, finally, a breakthrough. ScHoolboy Q was interviewed on the red carpet by Billboard prior to last night’s ceremony! And who appears in the background? The man himself. We can clearly identify a number…
… but no one has ever worn 78 for the Kings! So this must be a custom jersey. We wait, with bated breath, to see if he’ll turn around enough for the full name, and after a couple minutes of listening to ScHoolboy Q talk about his adorable daughter and his upcoming album: jackpot.
We finally have an answer. Ret One is the general manager of Top Dawg Entertainment, ScHoolboy Q’s record label. Top Dawg Entertainment also manages Kendrick Lamar, who is a noted Kings jersey-wearer.
So there you have it. That’s how you get a Kings jersey into Jay-Z’s row at the biggest event in music. And that’s how I will get a Pulitzer Prize.
As a reward for getting to the bottom of this post, ACTUAL KINGS-RELATED NEWS: it sounds like the Grammy Awards will be in New York, and not Los Angeles, in 2018. So the annual Grammy Awards road trip probably will not be a thing next year! Granted, it might not matter if the NHL goes to the Olympics, but it’ll still be nice.
As a second reward, here’s what LA Kings PR thought should’ve gotten Grammy noms in the past.
Overlooked by the #Grammys in 1979? Dionne and the Puck-tones … https://t.co/CRJ9dsuUjB
— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) February 13, 2017
In honor of #Grammys at STAPLES Center – ‘Hrudey’s on Duty’ … @RecordingAcad … https://t.co/NP2UXxLuQX
— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) February 13, 2017