For reasons good, bad, ugly, and everything in between, 2023 was one for the books!
As the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on the occasions that rocked – and to some degree – maybe even reshaped the Urban and Pop cultural landscape as we know it.
First, we’re looking back at how Viola Davis made history at the 2023 GRAMMYs.
Already revered as one of the century’s greatest actresses, Davis had that acclaim cemented in the most historic fashion when she took home a GRAMMY for Best Audio Book for her memoir ‘Finding Me’ at the award show’s 65th annual ceremony in February.
Defeating Questlove, Mel Brooks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jamie Foxx for the coveted prize, the win made her only the third Black woman in GRAMMY history following Maya Angelou and Michelle Obama to boast a victory in the category.
What’s more, the win also made Davis only the 23rd artist to boast EGOT status (which refers to a person who has won the entertainment industry’s top awards – EMMY, GRAMMY, OSCAR, and TONY).
Previously penciled in history books for being the first Black actress to secure the highly coveted Triple Crown of Acting (OSCAR, EMMY, and TONY in competitive categories), Viola joined Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Quincy Jones, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, and Harry Belafonte on the overall list of Black performers who are EGOTs.
However, the 2023 GRAMMY win made the 58-year-old the first Black artist to become an EGOT strictly as a performer in competitive categories (not as producer or by honorary awards).
Davis previously won two TONYs for ‘King Hedley II’ and ‘Fences’ in 2001 and 2010 respectively, a Primetime EMMY for ‘How to Get Away With Murder‘ in 2015, and an Academy Award (OSCAR) for ‘Fences‘ (the movie) in 2016.