R&B/hip-hop world needs to get involved in Grammys

02/07/2007 8:10 PM, Reuters
Gail Mitchell

It's easy to stand on the outside and carp about who should and shouldn't have been nominated in Sunday's Grammy Awards derby.

The hard part is slogging it out on the inside, working in the trenches to ensure the voting process becomes more inclusive -- especially when it comes to R&B and hip-hop.

The Grammys have definitely come a long way in that regard. Mary J. Blige's eight nods and talented rookie Chris Brown's mention for best new artist reflect the more "tuned-in" stance the Recording Academy has made the last several years. Add to that the marquee nominations for surprise crossover act Gnarls Barkley and U.K. urban/pop talent Corinne Bailey Rae.

In the R&B and rap categories, there's a fairly representative slate of nominees in the best contemporary R&B album and best rap/sung collaboration categories. Beyond that some questions spring up.

Critical fave Lupe Fiasco earned best rap solo performance and best rap song nods for "Kick, Push" -- why didn't fellow best rap song nominee Yung Joc ("It's Going Down") get recognized for his solo turn? Others question why, after Damian "Junior Gong" Marley won last year's best urban/alternative performance award for "Welcome to Jamrock," did the category lose its footing by including two songs from Sergio Mendes' "Timeless" album, plus what is at best a standard funk performance by Prince on "3121?" (The album of the same name got a nod for best R&B album.)

Then there's the producer of the year category. On the MIA list: Bryan-Michael Cox, a major player on Blige's "The Breakthrough," and hip-hop veteran Timbaland, whose credits this year include Nelly Furtado's Grammy-nominated performance on "Promiscuous," on which he guests, and Justin Timberlake's album of the year entry, "FutureSex/LoveSounds."

The stock answer to these questions from the urban community is it's all about the politics. We can't beat the old-boy (read: white) system. Though politics is definitely an issue, the urban industry can't afford to let that remain an obstacle. With R&B/hip-hop still commanding a healthy share of the dollars the industry generates, its artists, producers and label executives need to take more ownership of what they bring to the table all the way up and down the line.

And that means taking the time to become more involved in the Grammy process. So many R&B/hip-hop artists and producers remain unaware that they have enough credits to become voting members. Once inside the door, a more concerted effort can be made to further define and strengthen the various R&B and rap categories, as well as widen the net for potential and deserving nominees.

By the same token, it's imperative that the Recording Academy further fortify its commitment to urban outreach efforts. The industry landscape is rapidly changing thanks to MySpace and other digital communities, and the academy can't afford to keep being tagged as strictly the province of older white men.

There's still a ways to go. But with both sides working together, it will get better.

Reuters/Billboard