The GRAMMYs - Feature Article w/ Cole Nation

So a couple weeks ago the Grammy nominations came out and it was that lovely time of year where rappers await justice for their genre, get upset with the nods and then carry on preaching “fuck the Grammy’s!” Remember last year where they didn’t air any of the rap awards? Yeah, everyone was pretty pissed. Now I know this year, competition was heavy in the beloved rap category, but man oh man, did they fuck this up...

But the Grammys don't seem to be the only music based business which seemed to lose credibility with rappers recently. MMG artist Wale called Complex staff to air his frustration at placements on their numerous lists. Hear the audio here. The Gifted was a strong effort which most certainly deserved a higher ranking. But then, what do Complex's lists really mean in the long term? Since when was making music about being number one on everybody’s list. Surely you should be making your shit for you fans and getting your word out. I think that Wale should fuel his emotion in a freestyle to prove himself (see Winter Schemes ft. J. Cole). 

So “Best Rap Performance”. I like this category. It’s not just about the track, but how it is given to the listeners. Now, being lucky enough to have seen Kendrick, Jay Z and Macklemore perform these songs live, I can weigh in quite fairly. And trust me, I’ve seen enough of Drake live in youtube and heard a couple good sets by Eminem online too.  For me the winner has got to be Drake. That pounding beat that shakes the place is something that these other songs just don’t have. Mike Zombie made a real gem with this one. Berzerk is also quite lively but it’s missing that baseline which gives it such amazing performance value. With Macklemore and Kendrick, I feel that even though these tracks are standout for their careers, it doesn’t hold the same value when performed. They’re big radio songs, but fans of these two are pretty much day one fans so they’ll be going hard to some of the more raw songs. And this is reciprocated by the respective rappers. I loved hearing Tom Ford live. It was amazing. It was cool and everyone was bouncing, but it just wasn’t like Jay doing “Heart of the city” or “99 problems”.

As for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration”, it’s a whole different thing. This is more of a tough one. I would put it down to either “Power Trip” or “Holy Grail”. “Part II (On the Run)” is another heartfelt duo by the most powerful couple in Hollywood but has not had the impact of these two giants. Everyone likes to listen to it, but in your own time when you’re chillin’. The song just wasn’t ‘stand out’ enough. I’m pretty sure that they just added “Now or Never” into the list because it’s got Mary J. Blige in it. I mean, was it really everywhere around us? Did it actually get people talking? Well, I guess it wasn’t meant to. Instead it was meant to serve as a song for the chilled out listener that wants to hear more of Kendrick’s story. Blige’s vocals lend quite nicely to the song, but don’t give it the X factor that would make it a winner. TheWeeknd, I would say, makes “Remember You” a song to remember. Abel is becoming a pretty big star. And it’s happening pretty quickly. The song’s eerie sound is provided solely by TheWeeknd and I’m not too sure if these two have the greatest chemistry.  I was pretty stuck on what to pick as a winner for this category, but after quite a bit of thinking, I came to a conclusion. I pretty much hear Holy Grail everywhere I go. Parties, on the radio, on the fucking bus. Every single place. I’m a big fan of the song, but what I couldn’t help to notice is that the song lost its replay ability too quickly. Maybe because everyone killed it as soon as it came out, but maybe it was just lacking something. I think Justin had slightly too long on the first verse and then him ending the song was just a bad move. A nice little outro would have been good, but it was too long, it just dragged on. And then I thought... I could listen to Power Trip a million times over and not get bored. Miguel on the hook was the perfect combination with Cole’s rhymes. The hook perfectly split up Cole’s all too familiar love story so that we are always engaged in the song.

Now “Best Rap Song” is one we all like to know. “Holy Grail” is song where the most aesthetically pleasing part comes not from witty lyricism from Hov but from Justin Timberlake's introduction. Although Jigga does hold his own with impactful lines like "Blue told me remind you niggas." Would this had been nominated from Rap Song of the Year had it not been by Jay Z? I'm not sure. I guess that’s what makes Jay Z’s music nowadays. He’s Jay Z. We're all aware of Kanye West's... Passion regarding businesses and their corporate decisions. When “New Slaves” was previewed on over 60 buildings Worldwide, he had people talking. Despite the fact that Ye’ isn't offering much in the lane of flow or lyricism, his relatively fresh subject matter seems to earn him a place here. When Drake dropped his first single, “Started From The Bottom”  back in February, this was a new style for Drizzy. The chorus was not melodic but simply triumphant and the verses were packed with stories of Drake's come up. Some controversy was sparked over the idea that Drake didn't start from the bottom but if being a Canadian, Jewish, teenage actor who sung on his mixtape and still got respect isn't the "bottom" in some way, I don't know what is. A song given to Rocky after Drake produced it and thought up the hook. It's a result of a star studded Club Paradise Tour in 2012 and each artist offers a solid performance. “Fuckin’ Problems” has the catchy hook from 2 Chainz, the brash, brag lyrics from Drake, the consistent flow from Rocky and the lines that go over your head from Mr. Lamar. Out of these nominations, Fuckin' Problems ticks most of the boxes needed when putting together a top quality Rap song. The amount of rappers on it who are able to give a hand with it shouldn't be penalised, it's more of a flaw of the Grammys.

“Biggest Rap Album” Now that’s a big one. Considering the fact that a lot of people were disappointed with this category, it still boasts worthy competitors. I think that it was more a statement of how good of a year Hip-Hop had rather than the completely wrong people being nominated.  Either way, someone was going to be snubbed. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis put a great album through, but I feel like the Grammy committee only gave it a nod because of the success of Macklemore’s singles and not because of how cohesive a project it was. Macklemore touched on some touching subjects that rappers just don’t seem to want to talk about. It’s a rarity. But he shows that you don’t need to be from the hood to make a bangin’ rap album. Jay's nomination is debatable. His album's production was incredible but it didn't really seem to be about anything that matters.. Art? Money? More money? Nothing Was The Same took a while to grow on me personally but it turns out to be a concise, strong Hip-Hop effort regardless of some inevitable RnB moments. Drake explores his new maturity and as a keen fan of Drake, it really shows how much this kid has developed. Yeezus, although barely a Hip-Hop album, was a big moment for Hip-Hop. It definitely got the most shit for its nomination. A lot of the lines were cringeworthy and extremely surface level, especially for placement on a Kanye West album. That being said, The experimentation will push the culture forward whether you like it or not. A lot of young artists will be influenced by the sound and run with it. Finally we have good kid, m.A.A.d city. The clear winner in my opinion. It is the only Rap album to be nominated for Album of the Year so it would seem wrong to not have it be the best in its category. The album has perfectly placed skits which tie together songs beautifully and the album really does feel like a short film showing a trip through Compton in the 90s.

So now that you’ve heard out views on the nominations, this is what we thought would make much better Grammy winner. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Best Rap Performance
Drake – Started From The Bottom
Jay Z (Ft. Rick Ross) – FuckwtihmeyouknowIgotit
Kendrick Lamar – m.A.A.d City
Kanye West – New Slaves
J. Cole – Power Trip

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Eminem (Ft. Nate Ruess) – Headlights
J. Cole (Ft. Miguel) – Power Trip
J. Cole (Ft. TLC) – Crooked Smile
Jay Z (Ft. Justin Timberlake) – Holy Grail
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (Ft. Mary Lambert) – Same Love

Best Rap Song
J. Cole – Rich Niggaz
Kendrick Lamar – m.A.A.d City
Kanye West – New Slaves
Drake (Ft. Jay Z) – Pound Cake/ Paris Morton Music II
Eminem – Rap God

Best Rap Album
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid m.A.A.d City
J. Cole – Born Sinner
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – The Heist
T.I.  – Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head

There was one point that we could not come to a conclusion on and that was whether Yeezus should make the final cut for Best Rap Album. Now I think it should, but over at Cole Nation, they don’t think so. Kanye put out a piece that was artistically brilliant. He went to unexplored lengths and created a sonically unique album. He also gets some really vital messages across which aren’t addressed in everyday rap music. He pushed an album that probably wasn’t supposed to be in the rap genre. Maybe in its own ‘Kanye West’ genre would have been better. This is why my mate from Cole Nation feels that the album wasn’t executed correctly. All in all, it wasn’t a successful rap album. Kanye is gearing up the new generation for a new breed of music which we feel is just not ready to be unleashed. It’s not the hip hop album we wanted from Kanye, but we’re glad that if anyone was to put out such an ‘out there’ album, it was Kanye.

We felt we had to put forth our own nods because the Grammys almost seem.. Corrupt? There's no method to the madness. They seem to feel obligated to nominate certain names and snub artists who are way more deserving. A young artist who puts time into a masterpiece is more deserving. However, I think the nominations should not be met with frustration but should be used as a tool to motivate an artist. Shoutout to Wale though...