Lady Gaga kicked off The Grammy Nominations Concert Live with an over-the-top performance of her latest single, "Marry the Night." LL Cool J hosted the one hour special which interjected Grammy nomination announcements between performances from Rihanna, (who prerecorded a performance of "We Found Love" from London's O2 Arena) The Band Perry, Jason Aldean with Ludacris, and Lady Gaga with Sugarland.
Grandmaster Flash took the stage(for what many people say was the performance of the night) to perform the hip-hop classic "The Message" with Common, Lupe Fiasco, Melle Mel and Scorpio.
Nick Ashford, of Ashford & Simpson, and Jerry Leiber, the lyricist for the songwriting team Leiber & Stoller, were honored with a special performance by Usher and Valier Simpson. Both Ashford and Leiber passed away in 2011.
Kanye West tops the nominations with seven; Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars each earned six nods; and Lil Wayne is up for five awards. Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna each received four nominations.
The 2012 Grammy Awards will air February 12 at 7pm on CBS. Click here for the complete list of Grammy nominees.
Nicki Minaj made announced the nominees for Record of the Year:
"Rolling in the Deep"- Adele
"Holocene" - Bon Iver
"Grenade" - Bruno Mars
"The Cave" - Mumford & Sons
"Firework" - Katy Perry
Song of the Year:
"All of the Lights" – Kanye West
"The Cave" – Mumford & Sons
"Grenade" – Bruno Mars
"Holocene" – Bon Iver
"Rolling in the Deep" – Adele
Best New Artist:
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
Katy Perry announced the nominees for Album of the Year:
21, Adele
Wasting Light, Foo Fighters
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars
Loud, Rihanna
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Someone Like You," Adele
"Yoü And I," Lady Gaga
"Grenade," Bruno Mars
"Firework," Katy Perry
"F***in' Perfect," Pink
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Body And Soul," Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
"Dearest," The Black Keys
"Paradise," Coldplay
"Pumped Up Kicks," Foster The People
"Moves Like Jagger," Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
Best Pop Vocal Album
21, Adele
The Lady Killer, Cee Lo Green
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars
Loud, Rihanna
Best Rap Album
Watch The Throne, Jay-Z & Kanye West
Tha Carter IV, Lil Wayne
Lasers, Lupe Fiasco
Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
Photo credit John McD via Flickr

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