Unlike the Golden Globes earlier the year, the Grammys generally avoided political statements for most of the show — until A Tribe Called Quest took the stage late in the evening.
Busta Rhymes repeatedly called President Donald Trump "President Agent Orange" as the group sharply criticized Trump's recent executive order attempting to freeze immigration from several Muslim majority countries and called it a "Muslim ban."
The rappers repeatedly chanted, "We the people" and ended their performance shouting "Resist! Resist! Resist!" -- something that's become a rallying cry for those protesting Trump's policies.
Trump had been referenced but rarely mentioned earlier in the show.
Katy Perry's performance did include several political messages and the displaying of the preamble of the Constitution.
But unlike last month's Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Trump wasn't a fixture of acceptance speeches.
Later, Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences, called on Trump and Congress "to help keep the music playing by updating music laws, protecting music education and renewing America's commitment to the arts."
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