EDIT: Kanye did indeed get india.arie-d on all the big awards, only going 3 for 10 overall. But thanks to that one speech he still comes out the evening's big winner. He's just so damn good at that pompous vulnerability schtick, you can't get the best of him!
Also, much props to J-Lo for paying tribute to Harry Partch, with a vocal performance that completely abandoned Western musical scales.
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(posted pre-telecast)
I usually like to post Grammy predictions, but this year I'm stumped.
Lately NARAS has come around to nominating hip-hop artists in their major categories, as they strain to shed the old-fogey image. In their breakout years Lauryn Hill, Eminem, and Outkast all got shots at the a-list awards.
But while Lauryn and Outkast came away big winners, Em was shut out of the "big three" (song/record/album of the year), by Steely Dan no less. What was Em lacking compared to the others? Certainly he lacks their aura of positivity, and the lyrics surely scared some votes off. But the other difference is that unlike Lauryn and Kast, Em was actually rapping on most of his album.
I've been saying for years that NARAS only likes to reward hip-hop when they can do so without listening to any actual rapping, and this will be the year that really gets put to the test. Kanye West's album has that positive vibe Em lacks, and the music seems innovative but is never challenging, usually the formula for a grammy jackpot. But he's also a rapper who actually raps, on almost every song.
So I have no idea what to expect tonight, though I might try to throw some guesses up later. What do you y'all think?
