Two new nominees get a chance in the Best Rap Song category: "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj and "Bound 2" by Kanye West, while "i" by Kendrick Lamar, "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa and "0 To 100 / The Catch Up" by Drake compete for another award.
NOMINEES:
"Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj
"Bound 2" by Kanye West
"i" by Kendrick Lamar
"We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa
"0 To 100 / The Catch Up" by Drake
WHO SHOULD WIN: "Bound 2" by Kanye West
A brief explanation of the difference between Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song: Performance is what you hear when you put headphones on...Song is what goes into making that recording. It's a tenuous difference sometimes but the work of Kanye West demonstrates how many bodies go into making one song sometimes. On the other hand, "i" by Kendrick Lamar only features two names under its nomination, the rapper's own (K. Duckworth) and producer Rahki Beats (although the Recording Academy oddly forgot to include the Isley Brothers as technical contributors).
West, as usual, has a legion of coworkers behind him on "Bound 2." Notable names include Charlie Wilson, John Legend (nominated this year for Best Pop Solo Performance) and noted hip-hopper Cyhi The Prynce. Most interesting is Ronnie Self, a rockabilly star who died during 1981 yet provided a key sample for "Bound 2," meaning he gets a piece of the nomination as well. It would be his first Grammy win since 1963.
Many may have blanched to see "Bound 2" among every other track off of Yeezus, get the nomination. Many can't handle the soul-meets-girl-group vibe compared to the rest of the album's industrial wallop. Or it's ridiculous music video.
West makes an art exhibit out of the single however (as with all his tracks), combining his own affronting rap lyrics and running them in the face of the Ponderosa Twins' sweetness and then adds a soulful segment from Wilson for good measure. Any song on Yeezus would win this award and we just have to accept that the Recording Academy chose "Bound 2."
WHO WILL WIN: "Bound 2" by Kanye West
Understanding now the thought process that goes into selecting the winner for Best Rap Song, it's no wonder that West has dominated it since the Academy first began handing out the trophy during 2004. He's been involved with six of the 11 awards given out in the history of the category, four times as a headliner, once with Jay Z as Watch The Throne and once as a contributor to Jay's "Run This Town." The Recording Academy appreciates the dude's ambition (they just won't give him an Album of The Year nomination because...they don't want to encourage controversy by awarding a profane rapper the biggest prize in music, however great how his work actually may be).
It'd be interesting to see Minaj get a win, and for the Academy to throw women in hip-hop a bone (because Lord knows no one else is)...and we'd also like to see "Anaconda" win so Anthony "Sir-Mix-A-Lot" Ray also gets a trophy. Kendrick Lamar and Drake have a better chance duking it out for the Best Rap Performance award and Wiz Khalifa...we're just not sure how repeating "we dem boys" (and, to be fair, "hold up") constitutes Grammy-winning songwriting.
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