Official Hip Hop Grammy's 2016 Thread

[Roaden Polynice]

None of the AOTY noms have a good case for winning because no one knows what the Grammys are rating. I can't have a good case for NBA MVP if no one knows what the MVP means. But with that said, as someone who watches critical reviews, Swift is an amazing story to me.

MJ was critically acclaimed so no one batted an eye when he one. No one is talking about pop stars winning, but she is genuinely acclaimed by pop critics and then you hear bad blood and go what the fukk? There was a time when the Grammys literally thought about overhauling the voting because Lionel Richie beat Prince and Bruce Springsteen. Critics hate Perry, Rihanna, etc. But 1989 which is basically a Katy Perry album is AOTY material? Her "advanced" songwriting is a talking point created by her PR because she was young and writing parts of her songs. But the songs themselves are generic. Do you want me to post song lyrics from the Grammy winning album of the year of 19/20 year old Taylor Swift?



This gets you compared to Prince and Joni Mitchell? Come on dawg. These are Disney Channel Original Movie caliber records. The one thing you're right about is the media landscape is different. The hating old rock nikkas have been replaced by people who feel like they have to rate popular shyt highly. Everyone I know in the music industry "begrudgingly" gives her props like you said, but it's more respect for her PR game than music.

She was writing Fearless when she was in high school which makes it impressive in itself.

I don't deny that 1989 is a populist album that is easily digestible, but to ignore the added nuance and growth as a songwriter between Fearless and 1989 isn't noticed is ridiculous. But you've had an ax to grind against Swift for a minute now, so that's no surprise.

And I don't know how you discount 1989 off the bat based on critical performance when Fearless was sub-80 on Metacritic, and it's not all that unusual for a critically weak album to win.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Which is why I said I first and foremost look at critical acclaim, and then look at commercial success. Pop fans know what a good pop album is and rock fans know what a good rock album is. Beyonce should have beat Beck because she had a trifecta.

*Highest rated album in the category (barely edging Beck)
*Most albums sold
*Most cultural impact.

She was the clearest winner I have ever seen and I liked Sam Smith's album more.

I can't put emphasis on critical acclaim like that in rap just because I see what's been played on daily and what fans respond to.


I understand leaning on it on genres where I don't Have a feel for how the culture moves

You don't think Cole should get AOTY?

 

[Ziggiy]

Talknerdywithus.com has K.Dot winning most of the Rap Categories (selected Drake for Best Rap Performance) as well as AOTY


Best Rap Song:

Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney, “All Day”

Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”

Drake, “Energy”

Common and John Legend, “Glory”

Who will win: Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Who should win: Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

This category has two real candidates in my opinion. While the other three are good songs, Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” and Kanye West’s “All Day” stand out as the two songs that break the mold. As much as I would love for Paul McCartney to be involved in a rap Grammy, in the end Lamar is again the winner.

Kanye may say he thinks the Grammy’s are him right now, but maybe he’ll have better luck next year after his full album is released. Judging by the single here, there will be a lot to see from Kanye in the next year.


2016 Grammy Nominations: Who Will Win and Who Should Win?

 

[No1]

I can't put emphasis on critical acclaim like that in rap just because I see what's been played on daily and what fans respond to.


I understand leaning on it on genres where I don't Have a feel for how the culture moves

You don't think Cole should get AOTY?

Well, the thing is, critical acclaim itself is suspect these days because people who don't know hip hop are rating it or who are not attuned to the people. With that said, I think TPAB was a more ambitious project. Cole played it safe and his album is cool, but I have to reward K. Dot for where he went sonically. He pulled it off where it could have been completely awful. Granted, to me that album is the equivalent of Requiem for A Dream. It's not something you just play all the time (or watch in the former's case).

 

[50CentStan]

Kendrick won 2 years in a row? boycott this whtie trash

 

[No1]

She was writing Fearless when she was in high school which makes it impressive in itself.

I don't deny that 1989 is a populist album that is easily digestible, but to ignore the added nuance and growth as a songwriter between Fearless and 1989 isn't noticed is ridiculous. But you've had an ax to grind against Swift for a minute now, so that's no surprise.

And I don't know how you discount 1989 off the bat based on critical performance when Fearless was sub-80 on Metacritic, and it's not all that unusual for a critically weak album to win.

Number 1, I don't have an axe to grind against any artist. I think Swift sucks, I thought so then and do now. You're a huge outlier among the non-gay male population in liking her shyt to any degree beyond drunken karaoke nights. Be comfortable in that. It doesn't make you a bad person. I say that sincerely, I no longer judge people based on their music tastes after college. Second, I have actually been to a Swift concert during that Red era because of the girl I was dating and I documented that (see how I don't judge people based on music tastes?). I talked about how many little kids were around us and my boy and I (two 6'0+ straight dudes looking out of place ). No one on earth is claiming that 1989 represents her growth as a writer, in fact, most critics and fans argue the exact opposite. What in the world are you talking about? The biggest critique about her album is that it's her least personal one.

No one outside of that dude from NY Times said the opposite (yes, I do in fact read reviews on all major albums regardless of genre). Your point about a critically weak album makes no sense because he asked what "I" would do not what the academy would do. I said I think the Alabama Shakes will win days ago and it had nothing to do with my own rating system.

 

[Ziggiy]

Well, the thing is, critical acclaim itself is suspect these days because people who don't know hip hop are rating it or who are not attuned to the people. With that said, I think TPAB was a more ambitious project. Cole played it safe and his album is cool, but I have to reward K. Dot for where he went sonically. He pulled it off where it could have been completely awful. Granted, to me that album is the equivalent of Requiem for A Dream. It's not something you just play all the time (or watch in the former's case).

I wouldn't necessarily say J.Cole "played it safe". No features, Entirely self-produced, no "Big Single". He definitely took a risk and it paid off for him.

 

[No1]

I wouldn't necessarily say J.Cole "played it safe". No features, Entirely self-produced, no "Big Single". He definitely took a risk and it paid off for him.

Musically the album is safe, it wouldn't throw off his fanbase where TPAB alienated a lot of people. He has sold 200,000 less records at this point than he did last time. J. Cole's sales never had anything to do with his commercial singles in the first place. Labels just forced him to do it because he was asking for something unprecedented--a new artist with no major single to release a debut album. No one has ever blown up off of that. So they demanded Work Out. GKMC had Swimming Pools, Drake had a bunch. That's why I have never understood Cole's complaints about the label not putting that album out, no one has ever done that. No one has done units like that ever. Cole made an album his core fan base would completely support. It's more safe than his debut realistically.

 

[Ziggiy]

Musically the album is safe, it wouldn't throw off his fanbase where TPAB alienated a lot of people. He has sold 200,000 less records at this point than he did last time. J. Cole's sales never had anything to do with his commercial singles in the first place. Labels just forced him to do it because he was asking for something unprecedented--a new artist with no major single to release a debut album. No one has ever blown up off of that. So they demanded Work Out. GKMC had Swimming Pools, Drake had a bunch. That's why I have never understood Cole's complaints about the label not putting that album out, no one has ever done that. No one has done units like that ever. Cole made an album his core fan base would completely support. It's more safe than his debut realistically.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Mixtapes are the new album. What the label didn't understand is that The Warm Up was REALLY his debut album. Sideline Story would've blown up WITHOUT Work Out, I truly believe it. Just as I believe Drake and his pool of writers shouldn't have been rushed to put out Thank Me Later, because So Far Gone was really and truly his debut "album", TML would've been successful regardless.

K.Dot and Interscope got it right, they didn't rush K.Dot and they didn't rush out a single. Swimming Pools was a natural single that highlighted Kendrick's talent conceptually and fir in perfectly with the theme of the overall album.

 

[No1]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Mixtapes are the new album. What the label didn't understand is that The Warm Up was REALLY his debut album. Sideline Story would've blown up WITHOUT Work Out, I truly believe it. Just as I believe Drake and his pool of writers shouldn't have been rushed to put out Thank Me Later, because So Far Gone was really and truly his debut "album", TML would've been successful regardless.

K.Dot and Interscope got it right, they didn't rush K.Dot and they didn't rush out a single. Swimming Pools was a natural single that highlighted Kendrick's talent conceptually and fir in perfectly with the theme of the overall album.

I guess we'll never know. But no one has done it yet. Joey Badass didn't do it. No one else in TDE did. Gambino didn't. The only guy I see with the chance is Chance the Rapper. He's given people so much free music he'd push 200k first week regardless of the single.

Side note: K. Dot would technically be the 2nd rap album to win. Lauryn Hill was labeled as R and B when she won if I remember correctly. I think that's what the Grammys labeled her as. That should let you know how slim his chances are.

 

[Roaden Polynice]

Number 1, I don't have an axe to grind against any artist. I think Swift sucks, I thought so then and do now. You're a huge outlier among the non-gay male population in liking her shyt to any degree beyond drunken karaoke nights. Be comfortable in that. It doesn't make you a bad person. I say that sincerely, I no longer judge people based on their music tastes after college. Second, I have actually been to a Swift concert during that Red era b
because of the girl I was dating and I documented that (see how I don't judge people based on music tastes?). I talked about how many little kids were around us and my boy and I (two 6'0+ straight dudes looking out of place ). No one on earth is claiming that 1989 represents her growth as a writer, in fact, most critics and fans argue the exact opposite. What in the world are you talking about? The biggest critique about her album is that it's her least personal one.

No one outside of that dude from NY Times said the opposite (yes, I do in fact read reviews on all major albums regardless of genre). Your point about a critically weak album makes no sense because he asked what "I" would do not what the academy would do. I said I think the Alabama Shakes will win days ago and it had nothing to do with my own rating system.

Ok

Chris Stapleton will win, and should win so it ain't much skin off my back.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Musically the album is safe, it wouldn't throw off his fanbase where TPAB alienated a lot of people. He has sold 200,000 less records at this point than he did last time. J. Cole's sales never had anything to do with his commercial singles in the first place. Labels just forced him to do it because he was asking for something unprecedented--a new artist with no major single to release a debut album. No one has ever blown up off of that. So they demanded Work Out. GKMC had Swimming Pools, Drake had a bunch. That's why I have never understood Cole's complaints about the label not putting that album out, no one has ever done that. No one has done units like that ever. Cole made an album his core fan base would completely support. It's more safe than his debut realistically.

I disagree on the album being safe

The intro, St Tropez, Hello are so different than anything J Cole has recorded

Those songs are basically 100% singing and St. Tropez has harmonizing

Not to mention Apparently and Wet Dreamz as singles when No Role Models was buzzing everywhere

 

[Ziggiy]

S

I guess we'll never know. But no one has done it yet. Joey Badass didn't do it. No one else in TDE did. Gambino didn't. The only guy I see with the chance is Chance the Rapper. He's given people so much free music he'd push 200k first week regardless of the single.

Side note: K. Dot would technically be the 2nd rap album to win. Lauryn Hill was labeled as R and B when she won if I remember correctly. I think that's what the Grammys labeled her as. That should let you know how slim his chances are.

I keep hearing different things regarding Lauryn's album and it's genre placement. The funny thing I remember watching her win AOTY live that hear with my family and we all, as kids pretty much classified her as Hip Hop.


Edit- She was classified as R&B I just checked and she won Best R&B album, Best R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song that night


And I know how slim K.Dot's chances look, ESPECIALLY with the pure unadultered fukkery that took place in 2014. A lot of the top level critics are predicting him to win, even OVER Swift which again, doesn't mean MUCH but I'm going to support him either way and watch in support of him the same way I've done Kanye, Nas, and Outkast in the past.

I think that at this juncture,math the overwhelming critical support, and the commercial success to match, if K.Dot doesn't win at least one of the major awards he's nominated for, it would be a huge embarrassment to the academy. I can't say that they "learned" anything from the 2014 debacle for sure but we'll see

 

[No1]

I disagree on the album being safe

The intro, St Tropez, Hello are so different than anything J Cole has recorded

Those songs are basically 100% singing and St. Tropez has harmonizing

Not to mention Apparently and Wet Dreamz as singles when No Role Models was buzzing everywhere

They weren't the bulk of his album though. Singles don't sell albums, you know that. You say it more than me. It would be unsafe if he wasn't already J. Cole, but he was and that "substance" is what people want from him. Besides, Wet Dreamz was played by every teenager. Apparently was the most streamed song on the album when it dropped most likely. It was the only one with a top 100 appearance for a second there. I actually think he dropped the most natural singles on his album. There was no "Power Trip" on there.

 

[CrimsonTider]

They weren't the bulk of his album though. Singles don't sell albums, you know that. You say it more than me. It would be unsafe if he wasn't already J. Cole, but he was and that "substance" is what people want from him. Besides, Wet Dreamz was played by every teenager. Apparently was the most streamed song on the album when it dropped most likely. It was the only one with a top 100 appearance for a second there. I actually think he dropped the most natural singles on his album. There was no "Power Trip" on there.

It wasn't the bulk of the album but no one was putting on a new Jcole project and expecting to hear him sing.

I was insinuating that those songs were selling the album I said they were odd choices giving that No Role Models was getting the most play on the album

Apparently dropped either the day of the album release or the day before as single

It seems like people are giving Kendrick credit for being different but that necessarily mean it was good or effective

I would argue Big Sean album had a better year than Kendrick did


"Energy" is the best rap song nominated in that category but the Drake arguments never field rationale opinions

Energy has the best production, the best flow, delivery and the lyrics and by far the best hook.