The Grammys committee, more so than any other top flight awards organization, seem to ruffle the feathers of many “experts” on an annual basis. Incompetent as they may seem to some viewers, there are times that they get things exactly right, like Arcade Fire’s surprise win at the 2011 ceremony. Unfortunately, with the exclusion of Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – or MBDTF for short – as a nominee for Album of the Year, the 2012 show will be lacking that unbiased credibility that we’d expect from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
People expect “experts” to see something more behind the catchy tune that’s played dozens of times on Top 40 radio stations. Any catchy melody will get plenty of airplay and have the masses humming, regardless of any substance that may or may not be there. Besides a few choice selections, Kanye’s MBDTF didn’t get too much mainstream airplay. Yet it was the sheer display of artistry that led to West’s album becoming one of the best received contemporary albums in years. That’s the similar trait heard in The Suburbs (2010), Arcade Fire’s honest, relatable account of suburban life. Whatever the Grammy Academy found lacking in West’s 2010 album, there are more than a few reasons it will go down as one of the more egregious snubs in recent history.
Universal Acclaim
The fact that MBDTF was regarded with universal acclaim in hip hop and urban music circles could be written off as a subjective take on the album. But when the general consensus from ALL critics says that one rap album is far and away the best of 2010, there’s too much evidence to simply be ignored. Comparisons to Picasso, revealing “the darkest recesses of the heart most honestly” and proclamations that this was by far his best album – even better than his first three college themed albums, which were all Album of the Year nominees – leave little doubt about how revered this LP is. With the album’s release a little over a year after his infamous, Hennessy induced, Beyoncé praising moment at the 2009 MTV Music Awards, the soulful grandiosity heard through MBDTF trumped anything negative that could be said about the man behind the microphone.
Lackluster Competition as a Rap Nominee
A lot of quality music can often be written off as for being a too niche focused or stylized gimmick that will eventually pass. Especially in this day and age where genre lines continually blur and we end up with categorizations like electro-pop and alternative hip-hop. On My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, there are tracks miles removed from what we’d expect from the generic rap album (“Lost in the World,” “Runaway”) and others that get constant love all over urban radio (“Monster” and “Power”). But the virtuosity of making music that is universally praised (Song of the Year Nominated “All of the Lights”) is not only a success for an evolving rap genre, but for music in general. To recognize MBDTF simply as a stellar rap album, grouped with a pedestrian effort from by Lil’ Wayne standards in The Carter IV and a solid yet unrefined debut from Nicki Minaj, doesn’t do it any justice. Not to mention the other nominees which include an openly uninspired LASERS album from Lupe Fiasco and a little known album – that could be considered MBDTF lite – called Watch The Throne.
History Will Recall Incorrectly
This is probably the most disappointing thing about awards committee flubs. Years from now when someone Googles 2012 Album of the Year nominees, the most talked about and perhaps most influential album of that year won’t be listed in that group. Among the five nominees, Adele, the Foo Fighters and the polarizing Lady Gaga could be said to be clearly deserving. Rihanna’s Loud was nearly the soundtrack of 2011, and some of her best music to date. Her nomination can be rationalized as a sign of the times in the pop world, in the same way that Lady Gaga is the musical voice of a very present-day movement. Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops and Hooligans is teeming with intoxicating melodies and catchy lyrics, backed by some impressive musical arrangements. But as a debut, it’s noticeably lacking the depth of substance that we hear all over West’s album.
Longevity is usually the ultimate judge of how impactful any type of work has been. That’s why Dances with Wolves (1990) won for Best Picture at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards has gone down as one of the more questionable choices in history. It was a strong film, but more than 20 years later, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas seems to have held up much better against the test of time. Even if you felt that Scorsese might be a douchebag, scumbag or jerkoff in real life, you have to respect his work because it’s that good. He sets trends and influences others with his art. In reality, public opinion and that of people 'in the know' holds more weight than any hardware could in the long run. It just would be nice if the Grammy committee could remain 'in the know' too.
Chuma Chukwu - Chuma Chukwu is a freelance writer with a particular fondness for films, sports, and music. A graduate in electrical and computer ...
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