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Alicia Keys, Usher, Kanye Win At NAACP Image Awards
03/21/2005 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
LAUNCH Radio Networks
Alicia Keys, Usher, and Kanye West were among the winners in the music categories of the 36th annual NAACP Image Awards, which were presented March 19 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The show will be broadcast March 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
Keys won two awards during the evening. Her song, "If I Ain't Got You," was awarded for outstanding song and outstanding video of the year.
Usher received the best male artist award for his album Confessions, while Kanye West was awarded outstanding new artist. Both artists were present to receive their awards.
Also a winner during the ceremonies was Prince, whose Musicology was deemed Outstanding Album Of The year. The veteran artist also received the NAACP's Vanguard Award, which is given to an individual whose groundbreaking work increases awareness of social and racial issues. The Minneapolis legend invited Morris Day and Jerome Benton of The Time, Sheila E., and keyboardist Frank McComb to perform a medley of hits with him at the close of the show.
Tributes were also give to special honorees Barack Obama, who received the Chairman's Award, and Oprah Winfrey, who was inducted into the NAACP's Hall Of Fame.
Outstanding Female Artist winner Fantasia performed as part of the tribute to Obama, and received a standing ovation. Later, she described what it was like: "You know what, it caught me off guard 'cause I walked off and then I looked back and I was like: Hey! Everybody's standing up! I was like, thank you, I felt honored, you know. I'm a brand-new artist coming out and I get a lot of love from a lot of artists, lot of people. First of all, I was singing and Oprah was right there. I was like, 'Oh God, there go Oprah!' But she was getting with me for a little while and I said, 'OK, I'm good, I'm good to go.'"
Kanye West noted the importance of the NAACP honors: "I think this is where they really recognize our positive role models, or we recognize our positive role models. And it's good for black people to hold up other black people. Because as you know, a lot of us come from homes where they say, 'Your daddy wasn't nothing so you ain't gonna be nothin'.' So to break through that and break through the cycles and have something that represents something so positive,. it's very important to be a part of it."
The NAACP Image Awards honors the best in African American achievement in film, television, literature, and music. The complete list of music winners includes:
Outstanding New Artist: Kanye West, College Dropout
Outstanding Male Artist: Usher, Confessions
Outstanding Female Artists: Fantasia, Free Yourself
Outstanding Duo or Group: Destiny's Child, Destiny Fulfilled
Outstanding Jazz Artist: Nancy Wilson, R.S.V.P. Rare Songs, Very Personal
Outstanding Gospel Artist - Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama, There Will Be A Light
Outstanding Music Video: Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"
Outstanding Song: Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"
Outstanding Album: Prince, Musicology
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