[louder]

Ab-Soul album cover

 

[louder]

 

Hmm lol.

[Severian]

Hah. 50 Cent. Remember how important 50 Cent felt for a while? Man, it must be really hard to be a rapper. How many have maintained relevance after 10 years? Not many, relative to how many up-and-comers have up-and-come-and-gone over the years.

I think it's starting to become clear which of the artists of the last few years are already on the wane. Sadly, I feel as though A$AP Rocky might be in for a bit of a "fade away." First two projects seemed to rule the world, third was a bit mixed, and that A$AP Mob album just dropped 5 weeks ago and I haven't heard anyone, her or IRL, mention it since about 2 days after it came out.

Chance has yet to really his his stride. He's got mass appeal and people love him, but he better not wait another 3 years before his next tape. Kendrick is already a force of nature, but it's hard to imagine him really becoming an all-out superstar. And if he drops a bad album, he'll be in trouble. I've read reviews of untitled unmastered. on iTunes and it seems there are as many people who are sick of the Jazz thing as there are people who praise him.

[Severian]

I still dig the shit out of at least 2 50 Cent tracks ("The Invitation," "Death to my Eemies"), but the rest of it is like... what's the point.

[Severian]

Sooooo Grammy nominations are out. The "big" categories are... really disappointing. Check this ridiculous nonsense out (though as always, the Grammys are full of ridiculous nonsense and it's really no surprise)

Album of the Year
Adele - 25
Justin Bieber - Purpose
Drake - Views
Beyoncé- Lemonade
Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth

...
WHERE THE FUCK IS BLACKSTAR?!
Where the fuck is You Want it Darker?

Of course I'm irked that TLOP and A Seat at the Table aren't there as well, but I also kind of understand. Neither album was populace-leaning, both artists are honored in other categories, they filled their "urban" quota by obsurdly nominating the most half-baked Drake album ever and Lemonade...
But Bowie? Really? No Fucking BOWIE?!
Same with Cohen. Both albums are the exact kind of late career showstoppers from established but criminally underappreciated (by The Establishment anyway) music legends. Grammys LOVE that shit like Oscar loved Holocaust movies.

Not to mention both men died after releasing their best work in ages.
I was sure that Blackstar would get a nomination as soon as I first heard it. I even thought it would win! It's like... Heath Ledger winning the Oscar. It just needed to happen, not only because Blackstar (like Heath's Joker) absolutely defined this year, but also because they're NEVER going to get another chance! Ditto for ...Darker, but while Cohen was really a sub-pop creature until the very end, Bowie scored a #1 album (his first!) and Bowie's never won the award despite many years when he damn well should have (Starion to Station and Low would both have won AOTY in a perfect world.)

How many times do Adele and Beyoncé need to be nominated? It's really not about artistry at this point. Kanye was right, though for the wrong reasons. If it was about great music that was also culturally relevant, Beyoncé would still be nominated, but the rest of those fucker wouldn't. Rather it would be something like:

Lemonade
Blackstar
The Life of Pablo
Coloring Book
You Want it Darker
A Seat at the Table

So, fuck that noise man.

[louder]

You Want It Darker missed the deadline, but they straight disrespected Bowie. Disgusting.

Purpose is pretty mediocre and Views is subpar. I haven't heard 25 and that Simpson fella album though.

[Severian]

On the upside, Kanye's all over the Rap awards. He's going up against himself in two categories, and is at least featured on a track when he isn't nominated. Chance got a ton of love as well, as did ScHoolboy Q. Drake got way too much love for the worst album he's ever made.

Funnily, the "Best Rap Performance" version of "Pop Style" is the fucking one with the Kanye and Jay appearances! You know, the features Drake removed from the album version of the tracks after the world unanimously declared that Ye made Drake his bitch on his own track!!

Anyway... lookie:

Originally Posted by 2017 Grammy Nominations: Rap category

Best Rap Album:
Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book
De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody
Drake - Views
DJ Khaled - Major Key
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
ScHoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

Best Rap Song:
Chance the Rapper - "No Problem
Drake - "Hotline Bling"
Fat Joe & Remy Ma ft. French Montana & Infared) - "All the Way Up"
Kanye West - "Famous"
Kanye West - "Ultralight Beam"

Best Rap/Sung Performance:
Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar - "Freedom"
DRAM ft. Lil Yachty - "Broccoli"
Drake - "Hotline Bling"
Kanye West - "Famous"
Kanye West - "Ultralight Beam

Best Rap Performance -
Chance the Rapper - "No Problem"
Desiigner - "Panda"
Drake ft. The Throne- "Pop Style"
Fat Joe & Remy Ma ft. French Montana & Infared) - "All the Way Up"
ScHoolboy Q ft. Kanye West - "THat Part"

I do this every ear. Bitch about Grammys. Whatever. Not important.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

You Want It Darker missed the deadline, but they straight disrespected Bowie. Disgusting.

Purpose is pretty mediocre and Views is subpar. I haven't heard 25 and that Simpson fella album though.

"Mediocre" and "subpar" are very kind ways of putting it.

[Rob Instigator]

how in the FUCK did the 67 year old grammy voters hear about Broccoli enough to nominate it?

[Rob Instigator]

Kanye's fucking waste of air on "That Part" makes me want to keep him locked away 5150 style till he is tired of rapping.

[Severian]

Ugh. What a waste of a thought.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

how in the FUCK did the 67 year old grammy voters hear about Broccoli enough to nominate it?

What makes you think they're all 67? Anyway, the Grammy voters don't just vote on whatever. They vote on submissions made by "members" who can theoretically be any adult from any market or demographic. No doubt there are a lot of A&R and promoter types who become members (there's directions on how to join somewhere on their website).

Members make submission, and the voters cast votes on the albums and songs submitted. They're given a certain number of votes that differs by category I think. Some of them are probably sticklers for more traditional shit, while others are probably interested in helping get people's names out there. Stands to reason it would break down like any other population or group in terms of preference and taste.

Also, dude it's 2016. Pitchfork gave DRAM a lot of praise, and it's the most widely read music site in the country and is owned by Ckndé Nast. If you have an internet connection, you can hear whatever's out there. It's not like DRAM and Lil Yachty are "underground" or elusive. Internet, bro. Internet.

[Severian]

Also "Broccoli" was a top 10 single on the Billboard hot 100.

[Rob Instigator]

the average age for Recording Academy members is 60-70 years old. This is actually a bit younger than the average age of Film Academy voters (Oscars)

what has NOT been a top ten single on billboard? All it takes is sales of around 8,000 units and you get in. it means nothing compared to decades ago when it took hundred thousands in sales to get a top ten

[Rob Instigator]

how many 67 year olds do you know browse the net for new tunes?

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

how many 67 year olds do you know browse the net for new tunes?

The don't have to. They browse submission piles and vote on submissions.

What's your point anyway? That old people don't have opinions about music when their job is to have opinions about music because they're old? What are you mad about? That the song's nominated when it "shouldn't" be? Or that old people do stuff?

You sir are cranky as fuck about things that don't matter or make sense.
Like an old person.

Freakin' weirdo

[Rob Instigator]

i was not angry, just commenting on YOUR statement about the lousy Grammy nods. you brought the shit up sir....

it is all a joke anyway, the industry patting itself on the back and shit.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

i was not angry, just commenting on YOUR statement about the lousy Grammy nods. you brought the shit up sir....

it is all a joke anyway, the industry patting itself on the back and shit.

I know, it's ridicu-stupid. But it's fodder for music chat. I really can't believe they dissed Bowie like that. Very cold. Very stupid. You'd think 67 year-olds would be more likely to vote for Blackstar than whatever the hell that abysmal Justin Bieber album was called.

It makes me think of the '98 Granmys when they have AOTY to Dylan because it seemed like he was maybe on his last legs. Or the time they have best director to Scorcese (finally) for Departed because ... seemed a bit like it might be the last chance.

Not even nominated Bowie seems to violate a rule these people have about honoring icons in their twilight year comeback phases. And Blackstar was a hell of an album too, so it's just really fucked up.

[Rob Instigator]

Bowie never kissed their ass.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

Bowie never kissed their ass.

No, but in the '80s he went through a hell of shameles pop icon phase. Actually that whole blonde Elvis era during the Reagan era (Let's Dance) was pretty ass-kissy, and that album was nominated for AOTY. But the music was good.

Anyway, like you said it really doesn't matter. Frank Ocean took Blonde out of consideration for the Grammys because he thinks it's an antiquated system (or because he was scared of not getting a ton of noms again). I prefer critic polls like Pazz & Jop — now boringly re-christened The Village Voice Music Critics Poll. I think the Oscars are still somewhat relevant, but jury-based awards like Sundance and Cannes and Toronto Film all seem to be having more and more influence as the years go by.

Still... every story I've read about the noms has brought up Bowie. I've only read two, but that's still something.