Mariah Carey Sweeps Vibe Awards

Mariah Carey was the top winner at the third annual Vibe Awards. The Grammy-winning singer walked away with four honors: Artist of the Year, R&B Voice of the Year, Best R&B Song for "We Belong Together," and Album of the Year for the multiplatinum The Emancipation of Mimi.

"Whatever you're going through in your life, don't ever give up," Carey said at Saturday's event, which took place at Sony Studios in Culver City, California.

Other winners included Kanye West (Best Rapper), Ciara featuring Ludacris (Coolest Collaboration for "Oh"), T.I. (Best Street Anthem for "U Don't Know Me"), the Game featuring now-nemesis 50 Cent (Hottest Hook for "Hate It or Love It"), and R. Kelly (Reelest Video for "Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-5").

Newcomers Keyshia Cole and Young Jeezy tied for the Next Award, while Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley won the Caribbean music Boomshot Award for "Welcome to Jamrock." Amerie took home the award for Club Banger for her "1 Thing," the Diplomats won Best Group and music mogul Quincy Jones presented the VLegend Award to R&B singer Mary J. Blige, in honor of her fifteen-year career.

This year's ceremony was markedly more peaceful than last year's, when an audience member, Jimmy James Johnson, approached rapper/producer Dr. Dre under the pretext of asking for an autograph and then punched him. Johnson was then stabbed in the melee -- allegedly by rapper Young Buck, of 50 Cent's G Unit -- and hospitalized with a collapsed lung. Johnson was sentenced to a year in jail last fall, while Young Buck (David Darnell Brown) pleaded not guilty last January and is free on bail awaiting trial.

The taped event, featuring performances by Pharrell, David Banner, Paul Wall and others, will air Tuesday night on UPN.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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