Grammy time is always exciting! And with the 2013 Grammys winners announced – Snakkle unveils some amazing before they were stars photos of the winners as well as the nominees who did not get a statue this year. Some talented singers like Kanye West and Taylor Swift (yes, they’ll be on the same stage again) and songwriters alike were up for a bushel and a barrel of nominations. Click through this gallery to find out more and see their pre-fame photos!

Do you remember where you were on August 1, 1981? That was the birth day of Music Television (MTV) and the beginning era of a string of music videos which starred a bevy of sultry video vixens. In addition to the bands and singers who created the songs, these young women (some models, some not) often stole the spotlight and their images have been burned in the collective minds of MTV’s earliest generation of viewers. Now, almost 20 years later after many of these video first aired, Snakkle tracks down our favorite 80s video vixens to find out where they are now!

Back during Eminem’s epic freestyle mixtape battles with Benzino, he wasted no opportunity to take digs at the rapper’s age (40) as a reason he shouldn’t be rapping in the first place. But these days, Eminem is that age himself and just entering into another chapter in his own hip-hop career. After taking on multiple alter egos, trying his hand at acting, battling gun charges, family lawsuits, addiction, the death of his best friend, and raising three little girls as a single father, Eminem certainly has more to say as himself at 40 than Slim Shady fictionalized when he debuted in 1996. While we wait to see what he comes up with next, let’s take a look back at where he’s been.

MTV brings the summer of 2012 to a close with the live 29th annual MTV Video Music Awards on September 6 at 8/7c pm. As usual, the nominee list is a who’s who of the music industry elite with Rihanna and Drake at the front of the pack each with five “Moonman” nods.  Always a wild TV party, the VMA ceremony also actually celebrates music (which was the cornerstone of the cable channel back in the day), so expect performances by Rhianna, One Direction, Pink, Green Day and a whole lot more.

With the stars ready to belt out their songs and tear up the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Snakkle was curious about how well you know this year’s crop of nominees? We’ve assembled a visual photo feast featuring some of the biggest noms before they became global music sensations. Can you name them correctly?

Debbie Gibson turns 42 on August 31, 2012. Yes, the ’80s pop sensation who told you to “Shake Your Love” is over 40—and looks fabulous, if we may be so bold. In honor of Debbie’s birthday, we decided to deliver unto you a list of lovely ladies to whom the years have been quite kind—Alanis Morissette, Shirley Manson, and many more—along with “then and now” photos to prove it.

The most popular radio format in the United States, country music is nothing to scoff at. It has the largest and most loyal fan base, also making it one of the most demanding and critical of multi-genre crossover. So why have so many pop artists and rock stars made the attempt to build a bridge to troubled waters? Plenty of popular musical artists have Southern- or country-influenced pasts, but it takes guts and confidence to make a move from pop/rock to country and back again. In this hot gallery, find out which big-name artists scored a hit, both with fans and on the country music charts!

Boy bands—they’re not just pretty faces, are we right? Even though we know you had their mugs plastered all over your walls, notebooks, and lockers growing up. How could you resist swooning to their sweet ballads and rocking out to their hot dance moves? Thanks to the spending power of the American teenager, the men behind the music weren’t mere one-hit wonders, but have they kept their appeal all these years later. Snakkle looks back at some of your favorite boy bands, then and now.

BFFs4Evs? In celebration of Demi Lovato’s milestone birthday transition from teeny-bop tween to her 20s, Snakkle looks back on some of Hollywood’s most successful friendships. Boy bands and Disney and Nickelodeon stars struggled with fame, fortune, and the ever-present lens of the public eye… but at least they had each other! Click through this gallery to find out which pinkie-swear promises were kept.

You probably know about some of the more famous musicians who have made their faith public—Cat Stevens’ conversion to Islam, Bob Dylan’s to Christianity—but there are many more whose stories may surprise you. Sometimes it’s actually a rediscovery (many of them grew up in religious households, turned away from faith, and then rediscovered it later). So who are these stars who found God?

Part of being an entertainer is dealing with your style, weight and personal life being under the media’s microscope. These musicians in particular have been the subject of nasty blog posts and relentless paparazzi attention all because of their weight. But, on their own terms, they have trimmed down and toned up in an appropriate and healthy way. Take that haters! But seriously, don’t these ladies look great?