Urban Music Stars Shine at Grammy Nominations
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce Knowles, rapper Jay-Z, flamboyant hip-hop duo OutKast and musician/producer Pharrell Williams led the contenders for the Grammy Awards on Thursday, as urban acts dominated the nominations for the music industry’s most coveted prizes.
Each landed six nominations, while nine artists — including rapper Eminem, his protege 50 Cent and R&B singer Missy Elliott — scored five nods apiece.
Musicians in other genres also featured prominently, with rock band Evanescence, pop singer Justin Timberlake, bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs, and late rock singer/songwriter Warren Zevon also receiving five nominations each.
“Emotionally it hasn’t hit me,” OutKast member Andre “3000” Benjamin told Reuters of his six nods. “It probably won’t — maybe a year from now…”
Benjamin and colleague Antwan “Big Boi” Patton were nominated for album of the year for their U.S. chart-topper “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” which consists of two solo discs. The nod was an exoneration of sorts given “what it took to make the album and how this album almost was not made, and how many different phases this album went through,” Benjamin said.
His catchy tune “Hey Ya!” — a grim rumination on marriage set against an upbeat melody — will vie for record of the year.
Williams, one-half of hitmaking production duo the Neptunes, said he also felt validated by the recognition.
“Man, I could have been nominated for best shoestring,” he said. “I’m just glad to be here, man.”
Williams’ production partner, Chad Hugo, was among the five-time nominees, along with R&B veteran Luther Vandross, who was felled by a life-threatening stroke earlier this year.
“These five Grammy nominations bring yet another unbelievable blessing in a year that’s been filled with dramatic ups and downs for Luther Vandross,” his business manager, Carmen Romano, said in a statement. “His fans have been incredible and it is so important that his work is recognized in this manner by the industry.”
VANDROSS CAREER FIRST
For the first time in his career, Vandross was cited for song of the year, a category that goes to the songwriter, for “Dance With My Father,” which he co-wrote with Richard Marx.
Also competing were Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” (written by Linda Perry); Canadian pop singer Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You” (written by Lavigne and producing combo the Matrix); Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” (written by Zevon and Jorge Calderon); and Eminem’s Oscar-winning “Lose Yourself” (written by Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto).
Among the acts with four nominations each were R&B singer Erykah Badu, country veteran Willie Nelson, classical conductor Jose Serebrier, and Jack White, singer/guitarist with Detroit rock duo the White Stripes.
The White Stripes’ critically acclaimed release “Elephant” will compete for album of the year with Elliott’s “Under Construction,” Evanescence’s “Fallen,” Timberlake’s “Justified” and the OutKast set.
The other contenders for record of the year are “Crazy in Love,” performed by Knowles with Jay-Z; “Where is the Love,” by funk band Black Eyed Peas with Timberlake; “Clocks” by U.K. rock band Coldplay; and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
Evanescence will also vie for the best new artist category, along with 50 Cent, pop duo Fountains of Wayne, R&B singer Heather Headley and Jamaican reggae star Sean Paul.
Elsewhere, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham, each received a nomination. He, along with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Italian actress Sophia Loren will compete in the spoken word album for children for their work on a version of “Peter and the Wolf.” His wife, a previous Grammy winner, was nominated for spoken word album for “Living History,” a recording based on her book.
Winners in all 105 categories will be announced during the 46th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 8.
Categories