GRAMMY GRUMBLINGS
stop staring at her lovely lady lumps
I am almost sure that Junichi will have a very different view on the Grammys given that he, y'know, was there as part of his "Best Gig Ever"™ duties, blogging with the Dixie Chicks, who swept up tonight. I'm sure the Chicks are too gracious to just lay it out there but this should a nice little "f--- you" to all the knee-jerk country fans who betrayed them back in 2003.
Then again, maybe country fans don't care about the Grammys. I know I certainly don't.
This may sound strange (or not at all) coming from a music journalist but I find the Grammys to possibly be the least relevant major popular culture award show vs. the Emmys and Oscars. Not like the Oscars don't get it wrong but as disconnected as the Academy can be, the Grammys voters seem even less in touch with the pulse of musical America. Even more than me.
The Grammys are often accused of simply pandering to the popular albums but while this isn't wholly inaccurate, it's not exactly spot on either. Case in point: the Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" won both Song and Record of the Year, beating the much more heavily favored (and ubiquitous) "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, not to mention James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" (a song for whom the term, "overexposed" would be far too mild).
To put this in context, whether you're looking at the Billboard charts or critics' polls, the Dixie Chicks' song doesn't outdo either which means, effectively, the Grammys manage to be out of step with BOTH pretentious music scribes such as myself AND the general public. (This isn't a diss against the Dixie Chicks, whose "redemption" brings a smile to my lips for reasons already stated, but objectively speaking, I just didn't think they deserved the win for Song or Record of the year).
In any case though, as a hip-hop fan/writer, the Grammys have almost never gotten it right and this year is no exception. Makes you wonder who actually gets to vote in that category and whether most of them actually listen to hip-hop. To wit, here's the sole places where they arguably got it right:
- BEST RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Touch It," Busta Rhymes
"We Run This," Missy Elliott
"Kick, Push," Lupe Fiasco
"Undeniable," Mos Def
"What You Know," T.I. WINNER
(never mind that the other four songs probably shouldn't have been nominated to begin with).
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
"Ridin," Chamillionaire Featuring Krayzie Bone WINNER
"Georgia," Ludacris & Field Mob (Featuring Jamie Foxx)
"Grillz," Nelly Featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp
"Mighty "O"" Outkast
"Don't Feel Right," The Roots
(some really questionable nominations here too but whatever)
Here's where things just make no sense whatsoever:
- BEST RAP SONG
"It's Goin' Down, (Yung Joc)
"Kick, Push," (Lupe Fiasco)
"Money Maker," (Ludacris Featuring Pharrell) WINNER
"Ridin," (Chamillionaire Featuring Krayzie Bone)
"What You Know," (Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson & Curtis Mayfield, songwriters (T.I.)
BEST RAP ALBUM
"Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor," Lupe Fiasco
"Release Therapy," Ludacris WINNER
"In My Mind," Pharrell
"Game Theory," The Roots
"King," T.I.
First of all, even Luda fans will be the first to admit that "Money Maker" was pretty weak and what I have a hard time understanding is how "What You Know" wins for Best Rap Performance but not Best Rap Song.
Second of all, the fact that Pharell's album, arguably one of the worst major rap albums of 2006 was even nominated is a joke but that Ludacris' Release Therapy, probably the most mediocre album he's put out in years, won over King (#1 with the proverbial streets) and Game Theory or Food and Liquor (backpackers' choice) is laughable. I would surmise that even Luda would have to admit that his fellow ATLian had the superior album this year, by far.
And last, but certainly not least, this should tell you everything and anything you'll ever need to know about the wisdom of the Grammys:
- BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL
"My Humps," The Black Eyed Peas WINNER
"I Will Follow You Into The Dark," Death Cab For Cutie
"Over My Head (Cable Car)," The Fray
"Is It Any Wonder?," Keane
"Stickwitu," The Pussycat Dolls
I rest my case.
I do look forward to Junichi's behind-the-scenes report from the Grammys though.
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