Who Should Win at the 2011 Grammys?

It’s awards season, and being a music blogger, the awards show that I most care about is the Grammys. Allow me to rephrase that – I really do not want to care about the Grammys because I want to be a snide, disenchanted indie blogger, but I unfortunately still have a soft spot for the mainstream and can’t help but care a little bit. With the Grammys a few weeks away, I would like to discuss the nominees and my choices for the deserved winners of some of the most prominent categories.

Record of the Year:

After my ten or so years of paying attention to the Grammys, I still cannot quite tell you what the difference is between this category and Song of the Year. As I understand it, this category is more about the production and overall package of a song, rather than just the songwriting. In my opinion, this one should go to everyone’s favorite profane pop confection, Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You.” This track started out as a viral sensation and turned into a subversive smash, in the same vein as previous Grammy nominations for Amy Winehouse and Lil Wayne. The production in this song is great. Every Motown horn blast, every wobbling bass note, every crack in Cee-Lo’s one of a kind voice, it’s all crystal clear. The Smeezingtons production team, lead by Bruno Mars, did a hell of a job on this cut. It sounds big, loud, and larger than life, very much like Cee-Lo’s artistic persona. As for the other nominees, B.o.B’s “Nothin On You” has the same pristine Smeezingtons production, but it’s not quite as good a song (although very solid). “Need You Now” is another solid cut from a very talented country group, Lady Antebellum. The harmonies are fantastic and can be heard perfectly. “Empire State of Mind” – who doesn’t know this song? It’s a behemoth of a song, but not instrumentally complex enough in my opinion to merit this prize. Lastly, Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie” blusters and rages along, but I’ve never been a huge fan of this one (neither is Kyle.) In my opinion – it’s “Fuck You” all the way. My prediction is that “Need You Now” will win – it’s not too polarizing and fairly neutral. Perfect Grammy fodder.

“Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

I am What I Hate: Rihanna, Eminem and America

So I wrote this for class today, and because A) It’s kinda about music and B) I haven’t written something for a while, I’m putting it up here. Enjoy.

New Theory Time: Chuck Klosterman said on a podcast over the summer that he believes that certain celebrities are operating under a new form of “confidence” guided by the mantra “Only God can Judge Me.” His theory was about Lebron James and R&B singer Drake, who seem, much to the chagrin of the public, to not care at all about the concept of Legacy. My theory is somewhat different, and pertains to a much larger aspect of today’s youth culture (don’t I sound pretentious…); specifically, we focus incredibly hard on what people are saying for the sole purpose of doing the opposite in an attempt to seem counterculture. Not caring is cool, and has always been. Look at the Fonz. Unfortunately, our generation goes about this the wrong way, instead of not caring, we care about everything so that we can know specifically what not to care about. Because of this, you get people who look like they are making the exact wrong decision, a decision so painfully stupid in logic that you ask yourself, “This has to be intentional, right?” Although the person in question would never admit it, and possibly not even know it, these decisions are entirely calculated as the antithesis response to the public’s desires. This, in a nutshell, is how you get Rihanna singing a song glorifying an abusive relationship.

First, let me admit that I’m over my head, and completely under qualified to talk about someone else’s relationships. I know very little about Rihanna and Chris Brown’s relationship outside of what I heard on the radio, and what I read on Wikipedia 15 minutes ago. I do know he beat her. I do know the song “I Love the Way you Lie” is about an abusive relationship, because I saw the video. I also know that I’m confused as to why anyone would ever do this. This is the same way I feel about Lebron James’s “The Decision” special on ESPN over the summer. This is not a coincidence. I’m sure Rihanna didn’t have this planned out as a publicity stunt, that’s a little too low for me to believe. What I do think is that she has convinced herself that this treatment of her relationship with Chris Brown, this attitude that it’s really alright and that they are fine, is what makes her an individual.

This might sound ridiculous. Rihinna knows that domestic abuse is wrong. I’m sure she’ll tell you that whole-heartedly. She also knows that anyone who stays, voluntarily, in an abusive relationship is making a mistake, either out of irrationality or stupidity. She knows that anyone who glorifies an abusive relationship, in say a song by Eminem, is irrational or stupid. What Rihanna also knows, however, is that she is not irrational or stupid. Therefore, if she is not irrational or stupid, she is not making the wrong decision by making this song. Because she views herself as acting with logic and reason, she has convinced herself that she is wholly unique, and that this same individualism is what will help her prevail over her history of abuse. In her mind, she is a pioneer of relationships, striking down the preconceived notions of how to live your life by observing the mistakes of others and making rational decisions. In reality, she is glorifying a problem that ruins lives, while seeming horribly insensitive to victims of domestic violence.

I’m going to climb down my high horse now. This essay here? This is an example of everything I was just talking about. You see, if someone else had written this, I would probably call him a hipster and, I don’t know, spit on him. But I believe that, because I created this, that it is wholly unique and insightful and genius. I am what I hate while actively denying it; I am the American Youth.

Decide About Eminem’s New LP for Yourself: Full Stream

Last night Eminem’s new album was released on his MySpace and within 2 hours, the reviews were surprisingly split.

One Thirty BPM.com, usually reserved in their reviews, loved it. (91/100)

Pithfork, insisting on holding their title as indie’s top drama queens, hated it. (2.8/10)

How can two different sources disagree on an album by over 60 percentage points? I don’t really know. Rather than reviewing it myself and getting PTC involved in the war over Em’s comeback, I think everyone should go listen to the full album that is up for streaming on Eminem’s MySpace right now. If you love it or hate it (or neither), leave us a comment and let us know. I’m very intruiged by this

Listen to it all here