A day before the 2011 Grammy Awards and the predictions of who will take home the top prizes—album of the year, best new artist among them—are heating up around town. Over at the LA Times’ Pop & Hiss blog, Todd Martens predicts that this year’s Grammys will be a victorious for hip-hop artists.
According to the LA Times critic, “The favorite for this year’s top prize is Eminem, whose Recovery was 2010’s top-selling album. Once a magnet for controversy, Eminem on Recovery is more thoughtful and serious, with a darker, less hook-filled tone.”
In the record of the year category, Martens also thinks hip-hop will score another Grammy, but for either renown rapper/producer Jay-Z or Eminem’s collaboration with Rihanna: “Jay-Z has never won in one of the top Grammy categories; his pairing with Alicia Keys for “Empire State of Mind” is likely his best shot yet.”
And among the best new artist nominees, the LA Times critic believes Justin Bieber’s primary fan base of teenage girls “aren’t a sizable portion of the Recording Academy voting bloc, which has shown a reticence toward embracing teen pop stars.” Instead, Martens thinks “Drake and English folk rockers Mumford & Sons will have their champions. Recent history, however, has voters often aligning with acts steeped in tradition (see Adele, Zac Brown Band, John Legend, Amy Winehouse, etc.), which makes Mumford & Sons the safest bet.”
What are your Grammy predictions?
