What’s this? Another news-heavy edition of “Till My Head Falls Off” you say? Now that 411’s gone BLACK, Daniels should be back in this slot in a short seven days…
In the meantime, check these out:
Missing Links
— The latest and greatest Ask411music is up, and if all of your questions haven’t been answered, then I suggest you get over there and speak up!
— Don’t miss my thought-provoking analysis of the Billboard Music Awards in 411’s Billboard Roundtable…
— Interested in Jeff Modzelewski’s thoughts on the GRAMMY nominations? Click over to his Monday Morning Wake-Up Call!
— Memo to Eric: Don’t write the Jericho/Trish angle off just yet – didn’t you catch Y2J’s stammering backstage when Bischoff asked him if it was a bet (“well, it started out as…”) before getting cut off by Christian? I’d have no problem with a little Jericho/Christian (and then Jericho/Hardy) feud leading into Mania, would you?
— Oh, and… TEAM NY RULES!
For Your Listening Pleasure
Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential Simon & Garfunkel
It just came out… buy it. I went to their MSG concert last Wednesday, and all I have to say is wow – these two 62 year olds can still sing way more beautifully than two men have any right to. And boy is it refreshing to see a show at that venue when surrounded by an “older” crowd (rather than a bunch of guys straight out of the nearest Abercrombie dressing room.
News to You
And now… the news!
— First off, a quick Rest In Peace goes out to Buena Vista Social Club’s Ruben Gonzalez…
— I know you can’t live without the latest Michael Jackson update, right? Well, it looks like this isn’t the first time his accuser’s charges have been examined by authorities in California. In fact, The Smoking Gun reports that back in February of this year, Los Angeles police as well as the LA Department of Children & Family Services conducted a probe into allegations against Michael Jackson that were concluded to be “unfounded”… This revelation along with the fact that the latest allegations surfaced the DAY Jackson’s latest album was released are definitely worth noting, at least in my opinion. Click over to that Smoking Gun report – definitely worth the read.
— Moving right along into more of the absurd, hip hop artists OutKast have found themselves in the news again. Civil rights hero Rosa Parks is suing the musical group for defamation and trademark violations. No, I’m serious, you’re not being Punk’d.
— Speaking of Rosa Parks, Girls Gone Wild has announced plans to release CD soundtracks in the very near future!
— Pink is in the giving spirit this Holiday Season, doing some very admirable work with Toys For Tots. Ah, that Pink, always giving!
— To answer a question all of you have no doubt had on your mind for quite some time: yes, John Oates IS in a video with Paris Hilton.
— As a tribute to what would have been Jim Morrison’s 60th birthday, his former bandmates honored him at his grave by setting a rose and a poem on fire. In my opinion, while this is a nice gesture and all, this was NOTHING compared to how they honored him for his 59th birthday – by shitting on his grave while touring under the name “The Doors 21st Century”.
— Does Eminem want to kill the president? If so, just get Benzino on the case, and I’m sure he’ll apologize.
— George Clinton, crackhead? At least that explains the wardrobe.
— Anyone can have a GRAMMY! If you’re willing to pay, of course!
Credit: Reuters, BBC.co.uk, E! Online, Undercover.com, Canoe.ca, VH1.com, NME.com, The Smoking Gun and Launch were used as sources for these stories.
GRAMMY Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Several inches – or was it feet? – of snow kept me indoors this weekend, and flipping through the TV channels, I came across a marathon of Christmas specials on ABC Family… A few days later, and I’m on Amazon.com searching for DVD versions of “Christmas Eve On Sesame Street” and “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol”. What does this have to do with the recently announced GRAMMY nominations? Nothing, really. I just needed a cute way to tie my sub-headline into this story.
Anyway, last Thursday marked the unveiling of the nominees for all 105 awards scheduled to be handed out at the 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 8, 2004, at 8pm on CBS. The categories range from Song of the Year to Best Polka Album, covering the following fields:
General
Field 1 — Pop
Field 2 — Dance
Field 3 — Traditional Pop
Field 4 — Rock
Field 5 — Alternative
Field 6 — R&B
Field 7 — Rap
Field 8 — Country
Field 9 — New Age
Field 10 — Jazz
Field 11 — Gospel
Field 12 — Latin
Field 13 — Blues
Field 14 — Folk
Field 15 — Reggae
Field 16 — World Music
Field 17 — Polka
Field 18 — Children’s
Field 19 — Spoken Word
Field 20 — Comedy
Field 21 — Musical Show
Field 22 — Film/TV/Visual Media
Field 23 — Composing/Arranging
Field 24 — Package
Field 25 — Album Notes
Field 26 — Historical
Field 27 — Production, Non-Classical
Field 28 — Production, Classical
Field 29 — Classical
Field 30 — Music Video
Since this list is a little bit too exhaustive (not to mention exhausting), and since I can’t get myself to care about any of the fields from Country through Classical, here is the list of complete nominations for the General, Pop, Dance, Traditional Pop, Rock, Alternative, R&B, Rap, and Music Video awards. And no, I don’t understand how Fountains of Wayne – an alterna-pop band that’s been around since their MAJOR LABEL debut on Atlantic Records in 1996 – qualifies for “Best New Artist”, but perhaps I’m missing something. Perhaps someone should bring this up with Matt Drudge or something.
Nominations are for recordings released during the Eligibility Year October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 (more or less than 5 nominations in a category is the result of ties). For complete list go to GRAMMY.com. I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting who I would select as winners in bold (disclaimer: these are my “quick picks”, since I don’t necessarily have STRONG opinions on all of these):
General Field
Category 1 – Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)
• Crazy In Love
Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z
Rich Harrison & Beyoncé Knowles, producers; Jim Caruana & Tony Maserati,
engineers/mixers
Track from: Dangerously In Love
[Columbia Records/Music World Music]
• Where Is The Love
The Black Eyed Peas & Justin Timberlake
Ron Fair & will.i.am, producers; Dylan Dresdow & Tony Maserati, engineers/mixers
Track from: Elephunk
[A&M Records]
• Clocks
Coldplay
Coldplay & Ken Nelson, producers; Coldplay, Ken Nelson & Mark Phythian,
engineers/mixers
[Capitol Records]
• Lose Yourself
Eminem
Eminem, producer; Eminem, Steve King & Micheal Strange, Jr., engineers/mixers
Track from: 8 Mile – Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Shady/Interscope Records]
• Hey Ya!
Outkast
André 3000, producer; Kevin “KD” Davis, John Frye, Robert Hannon, Pete Novak &
Neal Pogue, engineers/mixers
Track from: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
[Arista Records]
Category 2 – Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)
• Under Construction
Missy Elliott
Craig Brockman, Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, Erroll “Poppi” McCalla, Nisan &
Timbaland, producers; Jeff Allen, Carlos “El Loco” Bedoya, Josh Butler, Senator
Jimmy D, Guru, Timbaland & Mike Wilson, engineers/mixers; Herb Powers, mastering
engineer
[Gold Mind/Elektra Entertainment Group]
• Fallen
Evanescence
Dave Fortman & Ben Moody, producers; Jay Baumgardner, Dave Fortman & Jeremy
Parker, engineers/mixers; Ted Jensen, mastering engineer
[Wind-Up Entertainment]
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Outkast
André “3000” Benjamin & Antwon “Big Boi” Patton, producers; Vincent Alexander,
Chris Carmouche, Kevin “KD” Davis, Reggie Dozier, John Frye, Robert Hannon,
Padraic Kernin, Moka Nagatani, Pete Novak, Brian Paturalski, Neal Pogue, Dexter
Simmons, Matt Still & Darrell Thorpe, engineers/mixers; Brian Gardner & Bernie
Grundman, mastering engineers
[Arista Records]
• Justified
Justin Timberlake
Brian McKnight, The Neptunes, Scott Storch, Timbaland & The Underdogs,
producers; Andrew Coleman, Jimmy Douglass, Serban Ghenea, Dabling Harward, Steve
Penny, Dave “Hard Drive” Pensado, Dave “Natural Love” Russell, Timbaland & Chris
Wood, engineers/mixers; Herb Powers Jr., mastering engineer
[Jive Records]
• Elephant
The White Stripes
Jack White, producer; Liam Watson & Jack White, engineers/mixers; Noel
Summerville, mastering engineer
[V2/ThirdMan Records]
Category 3 – Song Of The Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)
• Beautiful
Linda Perry, songwriter (Christina Aguilera)
Track from: Stripped
[RCA Records; Publisher: Stuck In The Throat/Famous Music Corp.]
• Dance With My Father
Richard Marx & Luther Vandross, songwriters (Luther Vandross)
Track from: Dance With My Father
[J Records; Publishers: Uncle Ronnie’s Music, EMI April Music & Chi-Boy Music]
• I’m With You
Avril Lavigne & The Matrix, songwriters (Avril Lavigne)
Track from: Let Go
[Arista; Publishers: Avril Lavigne Publishing, Hollylodge Music, Rainbow Fish, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, Mr. Spock Music, Tix Music, Ferry Hill Songs & WB Music Corp.]
• Keep Me In Your Heart
Jorge Calderón & Warren Zevon, songwriters (Warren Zevon)
Track from: The Wind
[Artemis Records; Publishers: Zevon Music & Googolplez Music]
• Lose Yourself
J. Bass, M. Mathers & L. Resto, songwriters (Eminem)
Track from: 8 Mile – Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Shady/Interscope Records; Publisher: Eight Mile Style]
Category 4 – Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)
• Evanescence
• 50 Cent
• Fountains Of Wayne
• Heather Headley
• Sean Paul
Field 1 – Pop
Category 5 – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Beautiful
Christina Aguilera
Track from: Stripped
[RCA Records]
• Miss Independent
Kelly Clarkson
Track from: Thankful
[RCA Records]
• White Flag
Dido
Track from: Life For Rent
[Arista Records]
• I’m With You
Avril Lavigne
Track from: Let Go
[Arista Records]
• Fallen
Sarah McLachlan
[Arista Records]
Category 6 – Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Any Road
George Harrison
Track from: Brainwashed
[Capitol Records]
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Michael McDonald
Track from: Motown
[Motown Records]
• Send Your Love
Sting
Track from: Sacred Love
[A&M Records]
• Cry Me A River
Justin Timberlake
Track from: Justified
[Jive Records]
• Keep Me In Your Heart
Warren Zevon
Track from: The Wind
[Artemis Records]
Category 7 – Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Misunderstood
Bon Jovi
Track from: Bounce
[Island Records]
• Hole In The World
Eagles
[Eagles Recording Company]
• Stacy’s Mom
Fountains Of Wayne
Track from: Welcome Interstate Managers
[S-Curve Records]
• Unwell
Matchbox Twenty
Track from: More Than You Think You Are
[Melisma/Atlantic Records]
• Underneath It All
No Doubt
Track from: Rock Steady
[Interscope Records]
Category 8 – Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Can’t Hold Us Down
Christina Aguilera & Lil’ Kim
Track from: Stripped
[RCA Records]
• La Vie En Rose
Tony Bennett & k.d. lang
Track from: A Wonderful World
[RPM/Columbia Records]
• Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
Bob Dylan & Mavis Staples
Track from: Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs Of Bob Dylan (Various Artists)
[Columbia Records]
• Feel Good Time
Pink Featuring William Orbit
Track from: Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle – Music From The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Columbia Records/Sony Music Soundtrax]
• Whenever I Say Your Name
Sting & Mary J. Blige
Track from: Sacred Love
[A&M Records]
Category 9 – Best Pop Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Patricia
Ry Cooder & Manuel Galbán
Track from: Mambo Sinuendo
[Nonesuch Records]
• Marwa Blues
George Harrison
Track from: Brainwashed
[Capitol Records]
• Honey-Dipped
Dave Koz
[Capitol Records]
• Seabiscuit
Randy Newman
Track from: Seabiscuit – Soundtrack
[Decca Records]
• The Nutcracker Suite
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Track from: Boogie Woogie Christmas
[Surfdog Records]
Category 10 – Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)
• Peace
Jim Brickman
[Windham Hill]
• Mambo Sinuendo
Ry Cooder & Manuel Galbán
[Nonesuch Records]
• Wishes
Kenny G
[Arista Records]
• N.E.W.S.
Prince
[NPG Records]
• Night Divides The Day -The Music Of The Doors
George Winston
[RCA Victor]
Category 11 – Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
• Stripped
Christina Aguilera
[RCA Records]
• Brainwashed
George Harrison
[Capitol Records]
• Bare
Annie Lennox
[J Records]
• Motown
Michael McDonald
[Motown Records]
• Justified
Justin Timberlake
[Jive Records]
Field 2 – Dance
Category 12 – Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)
• Love One Another
Cher
Chris Cox, Rick Nowels & Wayne Rodrigues, producers; Manny Marroquin, mixer
[Warner Bros. Records]
• Easy
Groove Armada
Groove Armada, producers; Groove Armada, mixers
Track from: Lovebox
[Jive Electro]
• Die Another Day
Madonna
Mirwais Ahmadzaï & Madonna, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, mixer
Track from: Die Another Day – Soundtrack (Various Artists)
[Warner Bros. Records]
• Come Into My World
Kylie Minogue
Rob Davis & Cathy Dennis, producers; Rob Davis, Cathy Dennis, Bruce
Elliott-Smith & Phil Larsen, mixers
Track from: Fever
[Capitol Records]
• Breathe
Télépopmusik
Fabrice Dumont, Stephan Haeri & Christophe Hetier, producers; Stephan Haeri,
mixer
Track from: Genetic World
[Capitol Records]
Field 3 – Traditional Pop
Category 13 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
• A Wonderful World
Tony Bennett & k.d. lang
[RPM/Columbia Records]
• The Last Concert
Rosemary Clooney
[Concord Records]
• Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook
Bette Midler
[Columbia Records]
• As Time Goes By…The Great American Songbook: Volume II
Rod Stewart
[J Records]
• The Movie Album
Barbra Streisand
[Columbia Records]
Field 4 – Rock
Category 14 – Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Are You Happy Now?
Michelle Branch
Track from: Hotel Paper
[Maverick Recording Company]
• Losing Grip
Avril Lavigne
Track from: Let Go
[Arista Records]
• Trouble
Pink
[Arista Records]
• Time Of Our Lives
Bonnie Raitt
Track from: Silver Lining
[Capitol Records]
• Righteously
Lucinda Williams
Track from: World Without Tears
[Lost Highway Records]
Category 15 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• New Killer Star
David Bowie
Track from: Reality
[Columbia Records]
• Down In The Flood
Bob Dylan
Track from: Masked And Anonymous – Music From The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Columbia Records/Sony Music Soundtrax]
• If I Could Fall In Love
Lenny Kravitz
[Virgin Records America]
• Gravedigger
Dave Matthews
Track from: Some Devil
[RCA Records/Bama Rags]
• Return Of Jackie & Judy
Tom Waits
Track from: We’re A Happy Family: A Tribute To Ramones (Various Artists)
[DV8/Columbia Records]
Category 16 – Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Times Like These
Foo Fighters
Track from: One By One
[RCA/Roswell Records]
• There There
Radiohead
Track from: Hail To The Thief
[Capitol Records]
• Calling All Angels
Train
Track from: My Private Nation
[Columbia Records]
• Seven Nation Army
The White Stripes
Track from: Elephant
[V2/ThirdMan Records]
• Disorder In The House
Warren Zevon & Bruce Springsteen
Track from: The Wind
[Artemis Records]
Category 17 – Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Like A Stone
Audioslave
Track from: Audioslave
[Epic/Interscope Records]
• Bring Me To Life
Evanescence Featuring Paul McCoy
Track from: Fallen
[Wind-up Records]
• Straight Out Of Line
Godsmack
Track from: Faceless
[Republic/Universal Records]
• Just Because
Jane’s Addiction
Track from: Strays
[Capitol Records]
• Go With The Flow
Queens Of The Stone Age
Track from: Songs For The Deaf
[Interscope Records]
Category 18 – Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Did My Time
Korn
[Epic/Immortal Records]
• mOBSCENE
Marilyn Manson
Track from: The Golden Age Of Grotesque
[Nothing/Interscope Records]
• St. Anger
Metallica
Track from: St. Anger
[Elektra Entertainment Group]
• Smothered
Spineshank
Track from: Self-Destructive Pattern
[Roadrunner Records]
• Inhale
Stone Sour
Track from: Stone Sour
[Roadrunner Records]
Category 19 – Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Instrumental Illness
The Allman Brothers Band
Track from: Hittin’ The Note
[Sanctuary/Peach Records]
• Plan B
Jeff Beck
Track from: Jeff
[Epic Records]
• Session
Linkin Park
Track from: Meteora
[Warner Bros. Records]
• Squeeze
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Track from: Unclassified
[Warner Bros./Dare Records]
• Essence
Steve Vai
Track from: Mystery Tracks Archives Vol. 3
[Favored Nations]
Category 20 – Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)
• Bring Me To Life
David Hodges, Amy Lee & Ben Moody, songwriters (Evanescence Featuring Paul
McCoy)
Track from: Fallen
[Wind-up Records; Publishers: Zombies Ate My Publishing, Forthefallen Publishing & Dwight Frye Music, Inc.]
• Calling All Angels
Charlie Colin, Pat Monahan, Jimmy Stafford & Scott Underwood, songwriters
(Train)
Track from: My Private Nation
[Columbia Records; Publishers: EMI April Music, Inc. & Blue Lamp Music]
• Disorder In The House
Jorge Calderón & Warren Zevon, songwriters (Warren Zevon & Bruce Springsteen)
Track from: The Wind
[Artemis Records; Publishers: Zevon Music & Googolplex Music]
• Seven Nation Army
Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)
Track from: Elephant
[V2/ThirdMan Records; Publisher: Peppermint Stripe Music]
• Someday
Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake & Ryan Vikedal, songwriters (Nickelback)
Track from: The Long Road
[Roadrunner Records; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, Arm Your Dillo Publishing, Zero-G Music, Black Diesel Music & Lakediv, Inc.]
Category 21 – Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)
• Audioslave
Audioslave
[Epic/Interscope Records]
• Fallen
Evanescence
[Wind-up Records]
• One By One
Foo Fighters
[RCA/Roswell Records]
• More Than You Think You Are
Matchbox Twenty
[Melisma/Atlantic Records]
• The Long Road
Nickelback
[Roadrunner Records]
Field 5 – Alternative
Category 22 – Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Fight Test
The Flaming Lips
[Warner Bros. Records]
• Hail To The Thief
Radiohead
[Capitol Records]
• Untitled
Sigur Rós
[Fat Cat/MCA Records]
• Elephant
The White Stripes
[V2/ThirdMan Records]
• Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[Interscope Records]
Field 6 – R&B
Category 23 – Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Rain On Me
Ashanti
[Murder Inc. Records]
• Back In The Day
Erykah Badu
Track from: Worldwide Underground
[Motown Records]
• Dangerously In Love
Beyoncé
Track from: Dangerously In Love
[Columbia Records/Music World Music]
• Ooh!
Mary J. Blige
Track from: Love & Life
[Geffen Records]
• I Wish I Wasn’t
Heather Headley
Track from: This is Who I Am.
[RCA Records]
Category 24 – Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Step In The Name Of Love
R. Kelly
Track from: Chocolate Factory
[Jive Records]
• Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
Brian McKnight
Track from: U Turn
[Universal/Motown Records]
• Superstar
Ruben Studdard
[J Records]
• How You Gonna Act Like That
Tyrese
Track from: I Wanna Go There
[J Records]
• Dance With My Father
Luther Vandross
Track from: Dance With My Father
[J Records]
Category 25 – Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• The Closer I Get To You
Beyoncé & Luther Vandross
Track from: Dangerously In Love AND FROM Dance With My Father
[Columbia Records AND J Records]
• Where Is The Love
Stanley Clarke Featuring Glenn Lewis & Amel Larrieux
Track from: 1, 2, To The Bass
[Epic Records]
• Say Yes
Floetry
Track from: Floetic
[DreamWorks]
• I’ll Stay
Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor Featuring D’Angelo
Track from: Hard Groove
[Verve Records]
• Busted
The Isley Brothers With Ronald Isley aka Mr. Biggs Featuring JS
Track from: Body Kiss
[DreamWorks]
• Hands Up
TLC
Track from: 3D
[Arista Records]
Category 26 – Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Hold Me
Earth, Wind & Fire
Track from: The Promise
[Kalimba Records]
• Wonderful
Aretha Franklin
Track from: So Damn Happy
[Arista Records]
• Comin’ From Where I’m From
Anthony Hamilton
Track from: Comin’ From Where I’m From
[Arista Records]
• Way Up There
Patti LaBelle
Track from: Church: Songs Of Soul & Inspiration
[UTV/DMI Records]
• He Proposed
Kelly Price
Track from: Priceless
[Def Soul]
Category 27 – Best Urban/Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Danger
Erykah Badu
Track from: Worldwide Underground
[Motown Records]
• Milkshake
Kelis
[Arista Records/Star Trak]
• J’veux D’la Musique
Les Nubians
Track from: One Step Forward
[OmTown/Higher Octave/Virgin Music France]
• Forthenight
Musiq
[Def Jam/Def Soul]
• Hey Ya!
Outkast
Track from: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
[Arista Records]
Category 28 – Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)
• Comin’ From Where I’m From
Mark Batson & Anthony Hamilton, songwriters (Anthony Hamilton)
Track from: Comin’ From Where I’m From
[Arista Records; Publishers: Songs of Universal, Tappy Whyte’s Music & Bat Future Music]
• Crazy In Love
Shawn Carter, Rich Harrison, Beyoncé Knowles & Eugene Record, songwriters
(Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z)
Track from: Dangerously In Love
[Columbia Records/Music World Music; Publishers: Beyoncé Publishing/Hitco South, EMI Blackwood Music, Dam Rich Music, EMI April Music, Carter Boys Publishing & Unichappell Music.]
• Dance With My Father
Richard Marx & Luther Vandross, songwriters (Luther Vandross)
Track from: Dance With My Father
[J Records; Publishers: Uncle Ronnie’s Music, EMI April Music & Chi-Boy Music]
• Danger
Erykah Badu, J. Poyser, B.R. Smith & R.C. Williams, songwriters (Erykah Badu)
Track from: Worldwide Underground
[Motown Records; Publishers: Rexamillons, Divine Pimp Publishing, Tribes of Kedar, Jaja Music, i-n-i Vibrations, Sadiyah’s Music & Janise Combs Publishing]
• Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
A. Douglas, I. Lorenzo & A. Parker, songwriters (Ashanti)
Track from: Chapter II
[Murder Inc. Records]
Category 29 – Best R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
• Worldwide Underground
Erykah Badu
[Motown Records]
• Bittersweet
Blu Cantrell
[Arista Records]
• So Damn Happy
Aretha Franklin
[Arista Records]
• Body Kiss
The Isley Brothers Featuring Ronald Isley aka Mr. Biggs
[DreamWorks]
• Dance With My Father
Luther Vandross
[J Records]
Category 30 – Best Contemporary R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
• Chapter II
Ashanti
[Murder Inc. Records]
• Dangerously In Love
Beyoncé
[Columbia Records/Music World Music]
• Love & Life
Mary J. Blige
[Geffen Records]
• Comin’ From Where I’m From
Anthony Hamilton
[Arista Records]
• Chocolate Factory
R. Kelly
[Jive Records]
Field 7 – Rap
Category 31 – Best Female Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Got It Poppin’
Da Brat
Track from: Limelite, Luv & Nightclubz
[So So Def/Arista Records]
• Work It
Missy Elliott
Track from: Under Construction
[Gold Mind/Elektra Entertainment Group]
• Came Back For You
Lil’ Kim
Track from: La Bella Mafia
[Queen Bee/Atlantic Records]
• Ride Wit Me
MC Lyte
Track from: Da Underground Heat Vol. 1
[SGI/CMM/BMG]
• Go Head
Queen Latifah
Track from: She’s A Queen – A Collection Of Hits
[Motown Records]
Category 32 – Best Male Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Pump It Up
Joe Budden
Track from: Joe Budden
[Def Jam Recordings]
• Lose Yourself
Eminem
Track from: 8 Mile – Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Shady/Interscope Records]
• In Da Club
50 Cent
Track from: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records]
• Stand Up
Ludacris
[Def Jam South]
• Get Busy
Sean Paul
Track from: Dutty Rock
[VP/Atlantic Records]
Category 33 – Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Gossip Folks
Missy Elliott Featuring Ludacris
Track from: Under Construction
[Gold Mind/Elektra Entertainment Group]
• Magic Stick
Lil’ Kim Featuring 50 Cent
Track from: La Bella Mafia
[Queen Bee/Atlantic Records]
• Shake Ya Tailfeather
Nelly, P. Diddy & Murphy Lee
Track from: Bad Boys II Soundtrack
[Bad Boy/Universal Motown Records]
• Dipset (Santana’s Town)
Juelz Santana Featuring Cam’Ron
Track from: From Me To U
[Roc-A-Fella Records]
• Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
Young Gunz
Track from: State Property Presents The Chain Gang Vol. II
[Roc-A-Fella Records]
Category 34 – Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)
• Crazy In Love
Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z
Track from: Dangerously In Love
[Columbia Records/Music World Music]
• Where Is The Love
The Black Eyed Peas With Justin Timberlake
Track from: Elephunk
[A&M Records]
• Luv U Better
LL Cool J Featuring Marc Dorsey
Track from: 10
[Def Jam Recordings]
• Frontin’
The Neptunes Featuring Pharrell Williams & Jay-Z
Track from: The Neptunes Present…Clones
[Arista Records/Star Trak]
• Beautiful
Snoop Dogg Featuring Pharrell And Uncle Charlie Wilson
Track from: Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$
[Priority Records]
Category 35 – Best Rap Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.)
• Beautiful
Calvin Broadus, Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Snoop Dogg Featuring
Pharrell & Uncle Charlie Wilson)
Track from: Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$
[Priority Records; Publishers: Chad Chase Music, EMI Blackwood Music, Waters of Nazareth Publishing & My Own Chit Music]
• Excuse Me Miss
Shawn Carter, Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Jay-Z Featuring
Pharrell Williams)
Track from: The Blueprint² – The Gift & The Curse
[Roc-A-Fella Records]
• In Da Club
M. Elizondo, C. Jackson & A. Young, songwriters (50 Cent)
Track from: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records; Publishers: High On Life Music, WB Music Corp., Ain’t Nuthin’ Goin’ On But F*****’ Music, Music of Windswept, Blotter & Elvismambo Music]
• Lose Yourself
J. Bass, M. Mathers & L. Resto, songwriters (Eminem)
Track from: 8 Mile – Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (Various Artists)
[Shady/Interscope Records; Publisher: Eight Mile Style]
• Work It
Missy Elliott & Tim Mosley, songwriters (Missy Elliott)
Track from: Under Construction
[Gold Mind/Elektra Entertainment Group; Publishers: Mass Confusion Music, WB Music Corp. & Virginia Beach Music]
Category 36 – Best Rap Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
• Under Construction
Missy Elliott
[Gold Mind/Elektra Entertainment Group]
• Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
50 Cent
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records]
• The Blueprint² – The Gift & The Curse
Jay-Z
[Roc-A-Fella Records]
• Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Outkast
[Arista Records]
• Phrenology
The Roots
[MCA Music]
Field 30 – Music Video
Category 105 – Best Long Form Music Video
(For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)
• Legend
Sam Cooke
Allen Klein, video director; Mick Gochanour, Iris W. Keitel, Robin Klein & Mary
Wharton, video producers
[Abkco Music & Records]
• Phase One: Celebrity Take Down
Gorillaz
Tom Girling & Gorillaz, video producers
[Virgin Records America]
• The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Volume 1
Various Artists
Jon Kanis & David Peck, video directors; Janie Hendrix, Jon Kanis, John
McDernott & David Peck, video producers
[Hip-O Records]
• Leonard Bernstein: Trouble In Tahiti
Various Artists
Tom Cairns, video director; Fiona Morris, video producer
[BBC/Opus Arte]
• Muddy Waters Can’t Be Satisfied
Muddy Waters
Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville, video directors; Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville,
video producers
[Wellspring Media, Inc.]
Definitely an interesting mix for 2004. The GRAMMYs are really becoming, love ’em or hate ’em, indicative of the Year In Music lately. Just looking at the Album of the Year nominees… THOSE NOMINEES are what people bought, THEY’RE what people talked about, and THEY’RE the albums that were, more or less, critically acclaimed in 2003. It’s an interesting mix of sales vs. hype, and even though it’s not necessarily what I want to see the music industry putting out, it’s amazing to me how the GRAMMYs are actually right on with this balance. Another thing: this Year In Music was ALL over the place, but a common denominator WAS a bunch of people with diverse tastes looking for cool beats more than anything else. I’m stunned the Album of the Year nominations aren’t Zevon, Cash and Harrison. Good as their most recent albums were, five years or so ago the GRAMMYs wouldn’t have looked past nostalgia – at least this year they seem to be looking at the present.
Now if only I had more hope that the future had some great, new, innovative things to offer….
The New Releases
Speaking of the future, here are some notable December 9 releases, according to Billboard.com:
Leaders of the New South – Crunk and Disorderly
Les Paul & His Trio – California Melodies
Nick Cannon – Nick Cannon
Ruben Studdard – Soulful
Tex Ritter – High Noon: 1942-1952
The Association – Association
The Association – Live
The Association – Stop Your Motor
The Offspring – Splinter
Westside Connection – Terrorist Threats
Until next time…
peace. love. moe.
– Matt
Matthew Michaels’s Till My Head Falls Off can be found weekly on 411 Music (old columns are archived in the pull-down menu below each column). Already hit everything on 411? You can find more from Matthew Michaels at moodspins and 1-42.
