If I were Kanye West I would be wondering right now why my album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is not a nominee for Album of the Year at the 2012 Grammy Awards. That it is not, is tantamount to a statement from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that Doo-Wops And Hooligans by Bruno Mars; 21 by Adele; Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters, Born This Way by Lady Gaga and Loud, Rihanna all sold more and are better albums than his.
Now Kanye may not be one of the nicest persons around. His extreme candor and arrogance often gets him in trouble. But he is one fantastic talent and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his best ever. I am no fan of hip-hop but I cannot help but admire his melodies, how he layers sounds and instruments, the clever lyrics and at the themes he cooks up. As in horror stories and fairy tales told the Kanye way. The CD is brilliant. So why is it not nominated?
Maybe his fellow artists and colleagues at the Academy did not like it that he took jabs at his success, Runaway, or that he is so full of himself, Power, and even seeks to justify his actions, Devil In A New Dress. Or maybe they all like Taylor Swift and have not forgotten what Kanye did to her. Anyway, Kanye was not really snubbed at the 2012 Grammys. In fact he has seven nominations this year, the highest of the lot. Great going. Still I find it hard to believe that it is not nominated for Album of the Year.
Time now to go on with the nominees’ list. I had the pop and rock nominees of the 2009 Grammy Awards out last Monday. Here are the R&B, hip-hop and rap lists plus a few other categories
Best R&B Performance: Far Away, Marsha Ambrosius; Pieces Of Me, Ledisi; Not My Daddy, Kelly Price & Stokley; Is This Love, Corinne Bailey Rae; You Are, Charlie Wilson.
Traditional R&B Vocal: Sometimes I Cry, Eric Benet; Fool For You. Cee-Lo Green & Melanie Fiona; Radio Message, R. Kelly; God Man, Raphael Saadiq; Surrender, Betty Wright & The Roots.
R&B Song: Far Away, Marsha Ambrocius; Fool For You, Cee-Lo Green & Melanie Fiona; Not My Daddy, Kelly Price & Stokley; Pieces Of Me, Ledisi; You Are, Charlie Wilson.
R&B Album: F.A.M.E., Chris Brown; Second Chance, El DeBarge; Love Letter, R. Kelly; Pieces Of Me, Ledisi; Kelly, Kelly Price.
Rap Performance: Look At Me Now, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes; Otis, Jay-Z & Kanye West; The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco; Moment For Life, Nicki Minaj & Drake; Black And Yellow, Wiz Khalifa.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: Party, Beyoncé & Andre 3000; I’m On One, DJ Khaled, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne; I Need A Doctor, Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey; What’s My Name, Rihanna & Drake; Motivation, Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne; All Of The Lights, Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie.
Rap Song: All Of The Lights, Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie; Black And Yellow, Wiz Khalifa; I Need A Doctor, Dr.Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey; Look At Me Now, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes; Otis, Jay-Z & Kanye West; The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco.
Rap Album: Watch The Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West; Tha Carter IV, Lil Wayne; Lasers, Lupe Fiasco; Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj; My Beautiful Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West.
Musical Theater Album: Anything Goes; The Book Of Mormon; How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: Boardwalk Empire Volume 1; Burlesque; Glee: The Music, Volume 4; Tangled; True Blood Volume 3.
Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: Black Swan; Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2; The King’s Speech; The Shrine; Tron Legacy.
Song Written for Visual Media: Born To Be Somebody from Never Say Never, Justin Bieber; Christmas Time Is Killing us from Family Guy, Danny Smith, Ron Jones and Seth MacFarlane: I See The Light from Tangled, Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi; So Long from Winnie The Pooh, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward; Where The River Goes from Footloose, Zac Brown; You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me from Burlesque, Cher.
Short Form Music Video: Rolling In The Deep, Adele; Yes I Know, Memory Tapes; All Is Not Lost, OK Go; Lotus Flower, Radiohead; First Of The Year (Equinox), Skrillex; Perform This Way, “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Long Form Music Video: I Am….World Tour, Beyoncé; Foo Fighters Back And Forth, Foo Fighters; Talihina Sky The True Story of Kings Of Leon, Kings of Leon; Beats, Rhymes & Life The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest, A Tribe Called Quest; Nine Types Of Light, TV On The Radio.