TheLoop21.com

By: Slav Kandyba (Add to your loop)
Fri, 12/04/2009 - 12:13

Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am jumped on the dinner table at downtown Los Angeles' Club Nokia Wednesday night before basically skipping onto stage with group members Taboo, Fergie and Apl.de.ap. He had reason to do that. After all, the Peas' three singles adored by the masses, I Gotta Feeling, Meet Me Halfway and Boom Boom Pow, are the reason that the L.A.-bred group received 11 Grammy Awards nominations. 

Clearly, BEP is pop, but they are also hip-hop. And, fact is, the entire Grammy nomination special was very hip-hop (a little uneven, too, writes L.A. Times' Ann Powers), what with LL Cool J performing a rap to set things off. What you likely won't read elsewhere is that the producers of the special, which aired on CBS, most likely saw YouTube video of Supernatural, an underground emcee who has been rapping at press conferences to announce line-ups for the Live Nation-backed Rock the Bells festivals year in and year out. And they had LL do the same — and 'do it well,' like on of LL's songs back in the day was called. 

Apparently, imitation is flattery, but let's be real: this was definitely not rap's year. Or, R&B year (save Maxwell, read about that down below). Hip-hop or rap artists, including Jay-Z and Eminem even, didn't get outside the 'hip-hop/rap' categories for music industry's biggest night. Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 would likely have done so, if it wasn't for the inconvenient fact that it was released on Sept. 11, several weeks after the Aug. 31 time period for albums to be considered. Eminem's Relapse did make it in before, but the album apparently didn't swing enough voters. The most nominations instead went to the BEP, Beyonce, Maxwell and Taylor Swift, whose chances were definitely buoyed by Kanye's antics at the MTV awards show.  

In the rap/hip-hop category, the most intriguing selection has to be Toronto-bred rapper-crooner Drake. Although Universal Motown has yet to release his debut album, a mixtape spawned his hit single Best I Ever Had, which goes up against Jay-Z's DOA and Eminem's Beautiful, with Kid Cudi and Mos Def also nominated but not expected to win. 

To me, the biggest story line of the Grammy nominations is the uber-success of the Black Eyed Peas. Sure, they are annoyingly omnipresent and make happy dance music, but they do it well. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, just like there's nothing wrong with will.i.am working with French producer David Guetta to hone the Peas' new sound. The Peas are a unique case study when it comes to that type of transformation, and it begins and ends with will.i.am, who this writer once had the privilege of interviewing at Hollywood's famous Record Plant studio. As it happened, while will.i.am was divulging his trade secrets — unabashed pursuit of "mass appeal" — Diddy was next door putting finishing touches on an album. And, if you don't know yet, you will now: Diddy tutored will.i.am for a period of time, which led to will.i.am's return to hip-hop as a producer of several tracks on Nas' Hip Hop Is Dead album and Game's Doctor's Advocate. Interestingly enough, Nas guested on Too Many Rappers, a lead single from Beastie Boys' much-delayed new album, which was nominated in the 'best rap performance by a duo or group' category.

The biggest surprise was Maxwell, however. His lengthy hiatus from recording and an unquenched thirst from a mostly female fan base propelled his Pretty Wings single, and the Blacksummers' Night album on which it came, to six Grammy nods. The Brooklyn-born artist celebrated by rockin' a show after the nationally televised nomination special, which found him doing a tribute to MJ, performing Lady In My Life. At his concert after the special, Maxwell put on a spectacular set to a predictably female audience that thoroughly enjoyed his falsetto, metrosexual dance moves and, of course, the music.  

So, all in all, urban artists definitely made their presence felt, just in more indirect ways. With the exception of will.i.am's dancing on tables of course. 

Is President Obama right about Kanye West being a 'jackass'?

Yes, he nailed it

No, Kanye made a mistake

I'm not sure

I'm so over this