People have mixed feelings about the Grammys, especially when it comes to hip-hop and thinking that the voters are out of touch with the genre. Regardless, it is a big music award show, and per usual I have my picks. You can check them out and a playlist below.
Album of the year:
“25” — Adele
“Lemonade” — Beyoncé
“Purpose” — Justin Bieber
“Views” — Drake
“A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” — Sturgill Simpson
I have a hard time between Adele and Beyonce. “25” was great and record breaking, but “Lemonade” was a cultural phenomena. But the vocals and song writing were stronger on “25.”
Record of the year:
“Hello” — Adele
“Formation” — Beyoncé
“7 Years” — Lukas Graham
“Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake
“Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
Keep in mind record of the year considers both performance and production. I feel like “Formation” was a better record out of all of these.
Song of the year:
“Formation” — Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
“Hello” — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
“I Took a Pill In Ibiza” — Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
“Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
“7 Years” — Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)
The songwriters award, I would go with “Hello.” “Love Yourself” and “7 Years” are definitely contenders to me as well.
Best new artist:
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
Chance is probably not going to win this because he’s not obscure or commercial enough. But his previous work, “Coloring Book,” and his song writing for “The Life Of Pablo” I think he’s a good choice.
Best pop vocal album:
“25” — Adele
“Purpose” — Justin Bieber
“Dangerous Woman” — Ariana Grande
“Confident” — Demi Lovato
“This Is Acting” — Sia
Vocally Adele is the strongest. No further debate about it.
Best dance/electronic album:
“Skin” — Flume
“Electronica 1: The Time Machine” — Jean-Michel Jarre
“Epoch” — Tycho
“Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future” — Underworld
“Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII” — Louie Vega
I was familiar with Flume’s songs because I knew “Never Be Like You,” but I became for familiar with him after Lollapalooza. I’ve listen to the whole “Skin” album and think its great dance album with awesome collaborations.
Best urban contemporary album:
“Lemonade” — Beyoncé
“Ology” — Gallant
“We Are King” — King
“Malibu” — Anderson .Paak
“Anti” — Rihanna
At first I actually chose “Lemonade” and I hated myself for doing that. While I think its a great album, I feel like there are some more interesting choices in this category. I feel like “Malibu” is the most underrated album of the year and includes so many cool elements, with Anderson’s vocals, the instruments and the song writing. “Anti” is also a good choice.
Best rap performance:
“No Problem” — Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
You know I love Chance, but I think the delivery on “THat Part” by both performers was better.
Best song written for visual media:
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar). Track from: “Trolls”
“Heathens” — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots). Track from: “Suicide Squad”
“Just Like Fire” — Oscar Holter, Max Martin, P!nk & Shellback, songwriters (P!nk). Track from: “Alice Through the Looking Glass”
“Purple Lamborghini” — Shamann Cooke, Sonny Moore & William Roberts, songwriters (Skrillex & Rick Ross). Track from: “Suicide Squad”
“Try Everything” — Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira). Track from: “Zootopia”
“The Veil” — Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel). Track from: “Snowden”
I feel like what makes a song written for visual media great is when it can stand on its own and integrate within the visual media it is for. I feel like “Heathens” did the perfectly.
Best music video:
“Formation” — Beyoncé
“River” — Leon Bridges
“Up & Up” — Coldplay
“Gosh” — Jamie XX
“Upside Down & Inside Out” — OK Go
It was a visually appealing song that was a great prelude to what the “Lemonade” movie would eventually be.
Producer of the year, non-classical:
Benny Blanco
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin
Nineteen85
Ricky Reed
A neat way for dvsn to be honored, but I know Max Martin will win.
Best pop duo/group performance
“Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
“7 Years” — Lukas Graham
“Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake
“Cheap Thrills” — Sia Featuring Sean Paul
“Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
“Culcha Vulcha” — Snarky Puppy
“Closer” might win since its always been high on the charts, but I think “Work” is a better choice. I wouldn’t be mad at “7 Years” winning either.
Best R&B performance
“Turnin’ Me Up” — BJ the Chicago Kid
“Permission” — Ro James
“I Do” — Musiq Soulchild
“Needed Me” — Rihanna
“Cranes In the Sky” — Solange
I wouldn’t be mad if any of these win, but I feel like Rihanna showed off her vocals more on “Anti” and that this song was a good representation of that.
Best R&B song
“Come See Me” — J. Brathwaite, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (PartyNextDoor featuring Drake)
“Exchange” — Michael Hernandez & Bryson Tiller, songwriters (Bryson Tiller)
“Kiss It Better” — Jeff Bhasker, Robyn Fenty, John-Nathan Glass & Natalia Noemi, songwriters (Rihanna)
“Lake by the Ocean” — Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
“Luv” — Magnus August Høiberg, Benjamin Levin & Daystar Peterson, songwriters (Tory Lanez)
This category is for the songwriters of the song, and I feel like lyrically “Exchange” is one of my favorite R&B song, and over song, of the year.
Best rap/sung performance
“Freedom” — Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Hotline Bling” — Drake
“Broccoli” — D.R.A.M. featuring Lil Yachty
“Ultralight Beam” — Kanye West featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & the-Dream
“Famous” — Kanye West featuring Rihanna
A great cohesive mix of rap and sung parts.
Best rap song
“All the Way Up” — Joseph Cartagena, Edward Davadi, Shandel Green, Karim Kharbouch, Andre Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie & Marcello Valenzano, songwriters (Fat Joe & Remy Ma featuring French Montana & Infared)
“Famous” — Chancelor Bennett, Ross Birchard, Ernest Brown, Andrew Dawson, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Noah Goldstein, Kejuan Muchita, Patrick Reynolds, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West featuring Rihanna)
“Hotline Bling” — Aubrey Graham & Paul Jefferies, songwriters (Drake)
“No Problem” — Chancelor Bennett, Dwayne Carter & Tauheed Epps, songwriters (Chance the Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz)
“Ultralight Beam” — Chancelor Bennett, Kasseem Dean, Mike Dean, Kirk Franklin, Noah Goldstein, Samuel Griesemer, Terius Nash, Jerome Potter, Kelly Price, Nico “Donnie Trumpet” Segal, Derek Watkins, Kanye West & Cydel Young, songwriters (Kanye West featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & the-Dream)
This reward is for the songwriters. I would definitely pick “Ultralight Beam,” which I view as the best song of any type of the year. The writing and emotion is amazing.
Best rap album
“Coloring Book” — Chance the Rapper
“And the Anonymous Nobody” — De La Soul
“Major Key” — DJ Khaled
“Views” — Drake
“Blank Face LP” — Schoolboy Q
“The Life of Pablo” — Kanye West
I doubt he will win because for some odd reason “Views” is popular, but “Coloring Book” was a great “debut” of Chance to the masses.
