The 2009 Grammy Award Nominees For “Best Rap Album”
REVIEWS By TC on December 4, 2008 at 8:47 am
By now the majority of us can agree the Grammy Awards validity isn’t worth its weight in mustard packets — especially when it comes to their representation of the rap Hip-Hop category. I can remember Mystikal’s hit-less Tarantula getting a nominee in the midst of Eminem automatically getting a win whenever the Awards coincided with an album released.
But with the unveiling of the nominees for 2009’s Best Rap Album, it seems like either the committee experienced some sort of Hip-Hop head revelation or Public Enemy actually bum rushed the show, seeing that the albums chosen were amongst the brightest in terms of visibility while simultaneously serving as some of the best as well. Hit the break for a more thorough analysis of our culture’s nominees and see how good their chances are of actually earning a golden gramophone.
Artist: Jay-Z
Current Grammys: 7 (Most Notably: Best Rap Album for Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life in 1999)
Album Nominated: American Gangster
Singles: “Blue Magic,” “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is),” “I Know”
Cig Rating: N/A [November 5th, 2007]
Likelihood Of Winning: As arguably the best album amongst the nominees, the euphoria that carried American Gangster and the Ridley Scott film of the same name into critical acclaim, is merely an afterthought. Respect in these type of awards only gets you so far. In this case, a nomination.
Artist: Lil’ Wayne
Current Grammys: 0
Album Nominated: Tha Carter III
Singles: “Lollipop,” “A Milli,” “Got Money,” “Mrs. Officer”
Cig Rating: 3.5 Cigs [June 10th, 2008]
Likelihood Of Winning: In what has transpired to truly become a break out year for Lil’ Wayne as solo artist (1st number single in the form of “Lollipop,” one million records sold in week, total sales nearing three million,) a big night at the Grammys seems like it’s in the stars for Weezy despite obviously having the inferior album when sized up against the rest of his peers. His only obstacle: T.I. For justice has a funny way of being served in these situations (see Ludacris in 2006.)
Artist: Lupe Fiasco
Current Grammys: 1 (Best Urban/Alternative Performance for “Daydreamin” w/ Jill Scott)
Album Nominated: Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
Singles: “Superstar,” “Dumb It Down,” “Paris, Tokyo,” “Hip-Hop Saved My Life”
Cig Rating: N/A [December 21st, 2008] (Would have received 4 Cigs)
Likelihood Of Winning: Dark, chilling, and heavy on calories from food for thought, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool is a music lover’s dream for it was daring yet still maintained confinement in the laws of a accessible song structure (”Hello, Goodbye” not withstanding). Unfortunately its 2007 release date will be the downfall of Lupe’s Grammy hopes seeing that it will be all but oblivious in the eyes of the public (and most likely a review committee).
Artist: Nas
Current Grammys: 0
Album Nominated:
Singles: “Be A Nigger Too” (12″ only), “Hero,” “Make The World Go Round”
Cig Rating: 4 Cigs [July 18th, 2008]
Likelihood Of Winning: Not a chance. While it’s hard to believe Nasir Jones has never earned a Grammy (”If I Ruled The World” anyone!!??!,) there’s nothing about the man’s ninth album that screams “award winner.” At least not on the commercial side. And if the reasoning behind the album’s nameless nature isn’t enough to scare the committee away, then surely the unabashed content of venom like “America” and “Sly Fox” will. The real prize will be to actually get him to perform, however.
Artist: T.I.
Current Grammys: 2 (Most Notably: Best Rap Solo Performance for “What You Know” from the album King)
Album Nominated: Paper Trail
Singles: “No Matter What,” “Whatever You Like,” “Swing Your Rag,” “What Up, What’s Haapnin,” “Swagga Like Us,” “Live Your Life”
Cig Rating: 4 Cigs [September 30th, 2008]
Likelihood Of Winning: With the mountain of adversity Clifford Harris faced over the past year and a half, he channeled all the negativity and harnessed it into his notepad to create his most introspective and balanced album of his career. Everybody likes a success story and considering that Tip is already popular as the prom king, look for him to take the crown as well for this unimportant, yet secretly coveted award.
For the rest of the 2009 Grammy Award Nominees, visit the official Grammy website.
Posted in REVIEWS, SMOKE BREAK — Tags: 2009, Grammy Nominees, Jay-z, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, T.I.
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30 Comments
Whaddup TC / TSS
Holiday shout out..nice pic of that shiny trophy. Let’s see who’ll win that prestigious award…yeah right!
As always RMF!!!
Reem aka Saul Goode!
http://www.imeem.com/triggerhappyny
MAAAAAANNNN….i’d say either Jay-Z (politics as usual for him) or Wayne BUT I wouldn’t be surprised to see T.I. snatching it from both. I still dont see the Lupe hype…for real!
Whaddup TC / TSS
As always…RMF!!!
Reem aka Saul Goode!!!
http://www.imeem.com/triggerhappyny
I want NaS or Jigga to get it but Lil’ Weasel will get it more than likely…
All of you sell-outs take notes :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MBcfQEc7Fc
fuck the grammys
fuck what “they” think of our music
fuck all that
I came (no skeet skeet) in here to say this:
these dumb-ass record labels should have packaged “808s & Heartbreak” and “Universal Mind Control” as a double-CD….
and marketed it as a gay/metrosexual/emo/Chi-Town version of “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below”
808s & UMC compliment each other so well it’s ridiculous…like when you see 2 dudes walking with each other in the mall and they’re rocking similar apparel, gear straight from Urban Outfitters
Oww! That was a low blow Teefus lol.
Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning lol?
Grammy’s are a sham when it comes to Hip-Hop. Always has been.
Best Rap Album
2008 – Kanye West for Graduation
2007 – Ludacris for Release Therapy
2006 – Kanye West for Late Registration
2005 – Kanye West for The College Dropout
2004 – Outkast for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2003 – Eminem for The Eminem Show
2002 – OutKast for Stankonia
2001 – Eminem for The Marshall Mathers LP
2000 – Eminem for The Slim Shady LP
1999 – Jay-Z for Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
1998 – Puff Daddy & the Family for No Way Out
1997 – The Fugees for The Score
1996 – Naughty By Nature for Poverty’s Paradise
^ oddly enough, that’s what the rap selection looks like when I peruse certain people’s music collections
or when you read about other people’s tastes in music, it’ll read:
The Allman Brothers
Tim McGraw
Justin Timberlake
Cher
Metallica
Staind
BackStreet Boys
and for rap:
Eminem
i’m like, fuck outta here…lol
Amp -
you were asking about Lil Jon, well, I’ve got your answer right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOBVhVEaAGQ
A Grammy might be irrelevant to us, but to an artist it can be quite significant. Mainly because: Grammy award = $$$$$$$
Once an artist wins a Grammy, I’m pretty sure that the album that got them the award moves more units. Also, I’d bet that other lucrative and highly profitable deals get presented to the artist as well; what company doesn’t want to be aligned with a popular/winning artist??? Still, as much as we malign the Grammys for not being truly representative of our culture, who gives a fuck??? We know what’s up, who needs ‘em.
If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack
Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.
dam i never nas dont got a grammy
didnt nas get a grammy for “getting jiggy with it”? that shit won at least one
Good point big steve.
damn, i didn’t know nas never won a grammy either.
my vote out of this category has got to go to Jigga. that album was dope as shit.
and that’s not to say that nas’ wasn’t (way too hardcore for mainstream america), lupe’s wasn’t (way to smart for mainstream america), and t.i.’s wasn’t (shit was dope, but still no king…i still say he got robbed in ‘06). but from beginning to end, jigga’s shit was just more thorough.
AG FTW
Nas has the best album but we all know Cocaine Wayne is going to win.
You know what, I loved “Untitled” with all of it’s genius… But I’m 100% sure American Gangster will get the grammy. I can remember when it came out, production-wise, conceptually, and lyrically it was the s**t. Even NPR had a special on it. They Yale students comprehending the album. The acedemy is gonna show this album lots of love.
You know what, I loved “Untitled” with all of it’s genius… But I’m 100% sure American Gangster will get the grammy. I can remember when it came out, production-wise, conceptually, and lyrically it was the s**t. Even NPR had a special on it. They had Yale students comprehending the album. The acedemy is gonna show this album lots of love.
Bring back the Source Awards damn it!!! Better yet, XXL magazine should start its own awards show. The closest event that we have now that truly represents hiphop is the Justo Awards, but that’s for mixtapes and probably will never be televised in a million years. Ahhh well, at least the BET awards are still around (yeah right!!! HA!!!)
TSS Awards for 2009!!!
The BOB video below that post> grammy fuckery.
I know what the Grammy ceremoy lacks of : a “shittiest hip hop video of the year”. Picture that : Khaled on stage screaming “WE RUN THIS ****” while holding the trophy.
Priceless.
Off topic…
Does any body have the Best of Switch? I was watching the Debarge special on TV One last night and “There’ll Never Be” is stuck in my head. Thanks in advance.
Hip-Hop Grammy Oxy Moron for that ass
Jay-Z should Win but TIP will win,
and more importantly as Grammy’s Go Album of the Year. Since 1980 only 9 Black artists have won and only 2 Lauryn Hill and Outkast have been Hip-Hop.
Only Weezy has a shot this year
So What’s Goon to a Goblin
Album of the Year >>>> Hip-Hop Album of the Year
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay
Tha Carter III performed by Lil Wayne
Year of the Gentleman performed by Ne-Yo
Raising Sand performed by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
In Rainbows performed by Radiohead
Record of the Year
Hip-Hop’s only chance M.I.A. with Paper Planes unless you count clodplay as honorary Hip-Hop since that’s everybody’s favorite alt group
“Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis,
“Viva la Vida” by Coldplay,
“Chasing Pavements” by Adele,
“Paper Planes” by M.I.A.,
“Please Read the Letter” by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant
BUT As long as you has a majority of people that don’t listen to the music being nominated doing the nominations Album of the Year and record of the year will probably be politics as unusal (No Hova)
…jayz must but yeah t.i iz on the way to win
but if a good surprise would be to lupe, why not !lol!?…
PLUS, ihope
for his tenth SOLO album, a amazingly greaty thing! oww
2009/10, Nasir Jones, grammy award winner ! even if he has Illmatic ;
damn.. one time, for him, would be loyal. so Nas, please, do da ish
at the higher level (with beats’s critical muthafuckin’ acclaim!)!!!
and that’s’ll good
PEACE
Happy Ether Day
I would have given The Cool 4.5 cigs. Dont let TC’s lies get to you.
Pat M. Says:
I would have given The Cool 4.5 cigs. Dont let TC’s lies get to you.
I agree, I thought The Cool was a great album.
As much as I would prefer to not see this happen, Weezy is going to have to win the HipHop category. That way they won’t be obligated to give him the Album of the Year.
Lupe made the list? Damn. Oh well. I predict the rug being snatched out from under me though since no way they’ll give the Cool the props it deserves.
Bet Wayne gets it.
I just have say Fuck Grammy……..