2017 Grammy Nominations: Rap

Still working my way through some of the Grammy nominations to make sure I know who is who when I am picking apart the dumb decisions by the Grammy decision-makers.  Here are some thoughts about the rap nominations.

Best Rap Performance:

• "No Problem" — Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
• "Panda" —Desiigner
• "Pop Style" — Drake Featuring The Throne
• "All The Way Up" — Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
• "That Part" — ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West 

"IF ONE MO LABEL TRY TO STOP ME, ITS GOAN BE SOME DREADHEAD BROTHAS IN THA LOBBY!  HUAH HUAH!!!"  I saw a UT football promo video the other day with "No Problem" as the backing track and wanted to groove, hump, and chew fluorescent light bulbs all at the same time.  I'll also give respect to "Panda," despite its inherent stupidity, for having the hook of the year and being an unstoppable earworm.  My kids and I just randomly said "pandapandapanda" to each other over and over all summer.  Drake sucks on toast, and that song is jenky as crap.  Oh, wow, I had no clue that Fat Joe did that "All the Way Up" track I've heard before.  Popcorn rap song and all, but it sure sounds tough.  "That Part," especially the Black Hippy remix, is salty shit.  But the regular version with just Kanye feels a little tossed off.  Last year, Kendrick won over the garbage song of the year ("Trap Queen"), a Drake piece of garbage ("Back to Back"), and Kanye, J. Cole, and Nicki Minaj.  So I am going to go with Chance winning this one.

Best Rap Song:

• "All The Way Up" — Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
• "Famous" — Kanye West Featuring Rihanna
• "Hotline Bling" — Drake
• "No Problem" — Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
• "Ultralight Beam" — Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream

If Kanye hadn't made that obnoxious video for "Famous," would people have even noticed it?  Kind of doubt it.  Oh no, wait, he called TayTay a bitch and said he made her famous, which set off controversy as well.  Ugh.  The guy is so insufferable now.  And "Ultralight Beam" is better, just because it is so odd, but whatever I still don't think it should be considered best of the year. Especially when Chance came along next and took the gospel-tinged rap crown, polished it up, and pulled it down over his ears with a smirk.  How unoriginal are the Grammys that stupid Kanye gets two nominations for this weak crap?  I know that "Hotline Bling" was annoying in its ubiquity, but I actually enjoyed it better than anything else on that album.  I guess I'll say that Chance win this one too, although I doubt it.  Probably dumb Kanye's Ultralight Beam.

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 was about to get pissed that the Tribe album wasn't in here, but it was released after the eligibility period for the 2017 awards.  The only one of these I haven't already reviewed is DJ Khaled.  His guest list is impeccable, from Jay Z, Kendrick, Nas, and Lil Wayne to Big Sean, YG, Busta Rhymes, and Nicki Minaj.  And then some chumps like Future, Drake, J. Cole, and Travis Scott in the middle. I was kind of impressed until about the 5th and 6th songs, when the beats got less original and I started to get bored, but I'll say that this is significantly better than I expected.  Nas and Big Sean sound freaking good. Chris Brown still makes me want to vomit and Future is on too many tracks.  Oh God, and then Megan Trainor dumps all over a song near the end.  I'll review this one in full some time, but my initial impression on this one is good.  That being said, I think that Chance should win this one, with Schoolboy in my second place slot, but fear that the old turds in charge of this will give it to Kanye.