The 57th Grammy Awards: Let’s Talk Rap Category Predictions

The Grammy’s is notorious for getting the Rap category completely wrong when it comes to who goes home with the awards. Yeah, I’m staring real hard at Macklemore right now (It’s not your fault that you swept the category last year, but I’m still a little pressed). 

I’m sure this year we’ll all be shaking our heads at the TV screen when the awards in the rap category are given out. Again. Nevertheless, I still have to hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, I won’t be entirely disappointed. So, who’s going home with Grammys?

Best Rap Performance

Probably going to: “Rap God” by Eminem or “0 to 100/The Catch Up” by Drake

Both Eminem and Drake have great mainstream appeal and since no one who votes on the academy seems to pay attention to rappers that aren’t regulars on the top 40, I’d say we can expect to hear one of these names called from the envelope. Now, every song nominated in this category truly deserved the slot, and thankfully, both “Rap God” and “0 to 100/The Catch Up” were both quality releases this year. Either one would actually deserve the accolades. Congratulations, academy, you can’t really screw this one up.

Personal favorite: “i” by Kendrick Lamar

After, Lamar got completely snubbed at last year’s Grammys, I went and listened to his album then promptly fell in love with it. Nothing would make me happier than seeing him finally snag a well deserved Grammy. “i” was a retro flavored jam that showed off Lamar’s unique rapping style and was definitely a strong follow up to his successful debut record.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Probably going to: “The Monster” by Eminem feat. Rihanna

“The Monster” got more mainstream radio play than all of the other nominees combined. There is something so electric about the juxtaposition of Eminem’s aggressive raps and Rihanna’s powerful vocals, as proven on the success of this track and “Love the Way You Lie” before it. Paired with the thoughtful lyrical content that comes out of an Eminem/Rihanna collaboration, “The Monster” hands down has dibs on this Grammy.

Personal favorites: “Studio” by Schoolboy Q feat. BJ The Chicago Kid

One of those classic gritty rap sex jams, I can’t really resist that smooth hook and 808. The voices pair perfectly and the lyrics are blunt but not vulgar. Schoolboy Q had a good year and I’d love to see him walk away with at least one of the awards he is nominated for.

I will riot in the streets if it goes to: “Tuesday” by I LOVE MAKONNEN feat. Drake

I like Drake, but this song is the definition of basic. There is no way it deserves to beat out Eminem AND Schoolboy Q AND Common AND Kanye West. I would seriously rather see “Bound 2” win and no one wants that after the trainwreck music video.

Best Rap Song

Probably going to: “0 to 100/The Catch Up” by Drake

Now, I’m going to say that the academy will probably go ahead and give this to Drake because I can’t imagine they would all collectively back Kanye West or Nicki Minaj, the other two top 40 artists. “Bound 2” and “Anaconda” were both equally kind of ridiculous songs, to be honest. At least Drake’s song wasn’t the butt of any jokes/viral internet memes. However, I could be wrong. Maybe the academy has a sense of humor?

Personal favorite: “i” by Kendrick Lamar

I’m gonna be really sad if Kendrick Lamar gets snubbed. AGAIN.

I will riot in the streets if the award goes to: “We Dem Boyz” by Wiz Khalifa

No. Just no. The very idea is beyond laughable to me.

Best Rap Album

Probably going to: “The Marshall Mathers LP2” by Eminem or “The New Classic” by Iggy Azalea

Academy, if you are going to screw this up like I know you are, at the very least go with Eminem. Iggy Azalea may be at the top of my ratchet hype playlist, but “The New Classic” IN NO WAY deserves to beat out everyone else in this category. It definitely was not the best rap album of 2014, compared to the other nominees in this category (besides Azalea’s reissue was much better than the original album anyway). At least Eminem’s album was actually a really great record. The long list of quality songs off “The Marshall Mathers LP2” in combination with his mainstream appeal would be enough to secure a Grammy win that would in fact be pleasant to see and not cringe-worthy.

Personal favorite: “Because the Internet” by Childish Gambino and “Oxymoron” by Schoolboy Q

The best rap albums to me are the ones that really have a defined narrative running through them. I love rap albums with intros, interludes, skits, the whole nine yards. “Because The Internet” is literally a story complete with accompanying screenplay and visuals. Childish Gambino’s creativity deserves some major credit for just how invested he was in crafting the 19 song masterpiece. Equally deserving of praise is Schoolboy Q with “Oxymoron” though. His album flows just as seamlessly and offers an extremely personal and introspective approach to the creation of each song. Both these records were true works of art.