4 Grammy storylines that you might have missed

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Discussing the winners and losers from an awards ceremony makes for a great water cooler debate and the 2013 Grammys had plenty of narratives to choose from, but we’ve decided to highlight some of the more subtle, revealing moments of the night.

From Chris Brown and Rihanna going public with their relationship to Justin Timberlake’s return to the stage, check out some of hip-hop and R&B storylines that you might have missed.

Chris Brown and Rihanna are (officially) back together again

If there was any lingering doubts that Rihanna and Chris Brown weren’t back together, that’s been put to bed as they walked the red carpet proudly at the Grammys.

No matter how you feel about their relationship and its checkered history (Brown physically abused Rihanna in a highly-publicized incident following the Grammys four years ago), it’s clear that they are rebuking their critics. Is it time for everyone else to move on as well?

Justin Timberlake is back 

Any rust that was collected during Justin Timberlake’s 7-year absence from the music business was long gone as he silenced the majority of his critics last night.

Channeling legendary Rat Packers Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the cameras switched to black and white as he performed his new hit single “Suit and Tie” alongside Jay-Z. (And he debuted his new track “Pusher Love” too.)

In a musical era where experimentation is changing the landscape of R&B, Timberlake and his new jazz vibe are a welcome addition to the genre.

Frank Ocean’s suspect Grammy performance 

Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange was an well-received album that the Grammys may have snubbed in a few categories, but he missed an opportunity to shine with a lukewarm live performance of “Forrest Gump”.

The stage design was beautiful but Frank’s vocals sounded flat at times. There’s a stereotype in the industry that true songwriters aren’t the best live performers, but if Ocean wants to be a complete artist, he needs to shake off this latest outing and focus on improving his stage presence.

Lack of hip-hop representation

Recruiting rapper and actor LL Cool J to host the Grammys this year shows that the committee is trying to acknowledge hip-hop’s impact on the music scene and he was a welcomed change of pace from previous hosts.

It was a milestone moment in LL Cool J’s decorated career; however, rolling the credits as he and fellow legendary emcee Chuck D performed at the end of show was disrespectful and in poor taste.

The premiere country, rock, and pop acts hit music’s biggest stage ad nausea last night but with only 2.5 performances out 20 that could even be considered hip-hop on display, the genre once again got the short end of the stick.

Did you have gripes about the Grammys?

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

For the latest music news, follow Kyle Harvey on Twitter at @HarveyWins.