2012 Grammy Predictions by Ken Simmons

ケン・シモンズ、今年のグラミー受賞アーティスト予想！

2月12日、いよいよグラミー賞の受賞式が開催されます。毎年、イベントの少ない２月に行なわれる恒例のグラミー賞、ニューヨークで開催されていた時期もあるのですが、現在はずっとLAにて開催されています。気候的にも寒いニューヨークより温暖なカルフォルにアのほうが適しているという理由もありますが、どうも政治的な背景が関係しているらしく、2003年以来ずっとＮＹでの開催はありません。

「ハーレム２ニッポン」のアドバイザー、ブラック・ミュージック・ジャーナリストのケン・シモンズに今回グラミーの予想というのを語ってもらいました。カテゴリーはたくさんありますが、ここではアーバン/ブラック中心に進めていきたいと思います。

今回のノミネート最多獲得はカニエ・ウエストの７部門、アデールの6部門、ブルーノ・マーズ６部門、リル・ウェイン５部門。他に、ニッキー・ミナージ、シーロ・グリーンなども健闘しています。

ケンさんによると、今年はアデールとブルーノ・マーズの対決になるそうです。ケンさんは個人的にもブルーノ・マーズを応援しているのだとか…….。プロデューサーとしてもノミネートされているマーズ、その音楽性、クリエィティヴなところが魅力なのだそう。

ほかに注目する点はラップ部門のカニエ・ウエストとジェイZ。なんとカニエは「ベスト・ラップ・ソング」部門で、 All Of The Lights（Kanye West）とOtis（Jay-Z & Kanye West）2曲同時ノミネート、つまり自分自身との戦い、という不思議な対戦になってしまったのです。どうなることやら……。結果は当日のお楽しみ…..。

（by Ken Simmons)

以下、ケンさんの受賞予想です。

Record of The Year

Rolling In The Deep Adele

Holocene Bon Iver

Grenade Bruno Mars　♪♪♪

The Cave Mumford & Sons

Firework Katy Perry

Album Of The Year

21          Adele　♪♪♪

Wasting Light Foo Fighters

Born This Way Lady Gaga

Doo-Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars

Loud Rihanna

Song Of The Year

All Of The Lights Kanye West

The Cave Mumford & Sons

Grenade Bruno Mars

Holocene Bon Iver

Rolling In The Deep Adele　♪♪♪

Best New Artist

The Band Perry

Bon Iver　♪♪♪

J. Cole

Nicki Minaj

Skrillex

Best R&B Performance

Far Away Marsha Ambrosius

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

Not My Daddy Kelly Price & Stokley

In This Love Corinne Bailey Rae

You are Charlie Wilson

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Sometimes I Cry Eric Benet　♪♪♪

Fool For You Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Radio Message R. Kelly

Good Man Raphael Saadiq

Surrender Betty Wright & The Roots

Best R&B Song

Far Away Marsha Ambrosius

Fool For You Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Not My Daddy Kelly Price & Stokley

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

You Are Charlie Wilson

Best R&B Album

F.A.M.E. Chris Brown

Second Change El DeBarge

Love Letter R. Kelly

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

Kelly Kelly Price

Best Rap Performance

Look At Me Now Chris Brown feat/Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes

Otis Jay-Z & Kanye West

The Show Goes On Lupe Fiasco

Moment 4 Life Nicki Minaj & Drake　♪♪♪

Black And Yellow Wiz Khalifa

The Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Party Beyonce & Andre 3000

I’m On One DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne

I Need A Doctor Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey

What’s My Name? Rihanna & Drake　♪♪♪

Motivation Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne

All Of The Lights Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Best Rap Album

Watch The Throne Jay-Z & Kanye West

Tha Carter IV Lil Wayne　♪♪♪

Lasers Lupe Fiasco

Pink Friday Nicki Minaj

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye West

2012 GRAMMY PREDICTIONS

by Ken Simmons

As a nationally syndicated entertainment journalist and radio producer based in New York City who has covered music for 36 years, I am anxiously awaiting the 54^th Grammy Awards this Sunday in Los Angeles. I produced the Official Grammy Awards Radio Special for Premiere Radio Networks for several years, and covering The Grammys is always one of my personal highlights every year.

One of my favorite Grammy memories was in 1998 when I was scheduled to interview Aretha Franklin during a Grammy Awards rehearsal at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The Queen of Soul is also the Queen of the Grammys with eighteen awards. Although I had met Aretha previously and will always remember taking a photo with her and my mother, she was one of the few major recording stars I had never interviewed. This was going to be one of my proudest moments, interviewing the legendary Aretha for The Grammy Awards Radio special, and I was overflowing with anticipation. When the time arrived for the interview, I looked up and saw a messenger carrying a pizza past me. I regretfully discovered that the food was destined for The Queen in her dressing room, and she had decided to use the time designated for our interview to eat. Aretha chose a pizza over being interviewed by me! I was devastated, but I overcame the disappointment and proceeded to interview several of the remaining nominees. Ironically, I just received a call from her publicist asking to recommend a choir to sing with Aretha next week at the scene of my embarrassment, Radio City Music Hall. Maybe this time she will finally grant me the interview I’ve been waiting to conduct for fourteen years!

This year The Grammys are being presented at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kanye West leads all artists with seven nominations. He’s been a Grammy favorite winning fourteen awards in only seven years. Adele, Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters follow him with six nominations, Lil Wayne has five, and several artists are up for four awards including Drake, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. My crystal ball says the big winners this year will be Adele and Bruno. They are each nominated in the three biggest categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Bruno Mars is also nominated for Producer of the Year. Kanye will compete against them in the  Song of the Year category for “All Of The Lights” featuring Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergy from his CD My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  Mars’ is nominated for “Grenade” and Adele was recognized for “Rolling In The Deep.” Kanye faces the obstacle that historically rap artists rarely win the big three awards. The voters from the National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences (NARAS) are generally older and conservative, so they tend not to choose rappers in those categories. As usual, Kanye will have the consolation of walking away with at least one award in a rap category, probably “Best Rap Song” for “All Of The Lights.”

Who will be the big winners of the night? It’s a tossup between Adele and Mars. They could tie for the most awards. But I’ll pick Mars as the star of the night. Why? I had a close encounter with him after attending the premiere of Beyonce’s “Live At Roseland” concert video last year in Manhattan. As I left the theater, Mars pulled up in a van and crossed the street right in front of me. So Sunday night a “Grenade” will explode at The Staples Center and The Grammys will be transported to Mars!

Here are a few of my predictions.

Record of The Year

Rolling In The Deep Adele

Holocene Bon Iver

Grenade Bruno Mars　♪♪♪

The Cave Mumford & Sons

Firework Katy Perry

Album Of The Year

22          Adele　♪♪♪

Wasting Light Foo Fighters

Born This Way Lady Gaga

Doo-Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars

Loud Rihanna

Song Of The Year

All Of The Lights Kanye West

The Cave Mumford & Sons

Grenade Bruno Mars

Holocene Bon Iver

Rolling In The Deep Adele　♪♪♪

Best New Artist

The Band Perry

Bon Iver　♪♪♪

J. Cole

Nicki Minaj

Skrillex

Best R&B Performance

Far Away Marsha Ambrosius

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

Not My Daddy Kelly Price & Stokley

In This Love Corinne Bailey Rae

You are Charlie Wilson

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Sometimes I Cry Eric Benet　♪♪♪

Fool For You Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Radio Message R. Kelly

Good Man Raphael Saadiq

Surrender Betty Wright & The Roots

Best R&B Song

Far Away Marsha Ambrosius

Fool For You Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Not My Daddy Kelly Price & Stokley

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

You Are Charlie Wilson

Best R&B Album

F.A.M.E. Chris Brown

Second Change El DeBarge

Love Letter R. Kelly

Pieces Of Me Ledisi　♪♪♪

Kelly Kelly Price

Best Rap Performance

Look At Me Now Chris Brown feat/Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes

Otis Jay-Z & Kanye West

The Show Goes On Lupe Fiasco

Moment 4 Life Nicki Minaj & Drake　♪♪♪

Black And Yellow Wiz Khalifa

The Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Party Beyonce & Andre 3000

I’m On One DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne

I Need A Doctor Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey

What’s My Name? Rihanna & Drake　♪♪♪

Motivation Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne

All Of The Lights Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Best Rap Album

Watch The Throne Jay-Z & Kanye West

Tha Carter IV Lil Wayne　♪♪♪

Lasers Lupe Fiasco

Pink Friday Nicki Minaj

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye West