51ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Artists nominated for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards reflect one of the organization’s most diverse years, with the Album Of The Year category alone representing the rap, R&B, folk and rock genres.  The musical output of Black acts is significantly represented in both the number of nominations and genres. Lil Wayne leads with eight nominations; Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each garnered six.

J Records had a banner year with its new artists. Former BRE Cover artist Jazmine Sullivan received five nominations and is up for the prestigious Best New Artist award and her labelmates actress/singer Jennifer Hudson received four nominations (including one for collaboration with labelmate Fantasia) and British sensation Leona Lewis claimed three with label stalwart Alicia Keys receiving three.

The Recording Academy was both about breaking history and making history. This year, for the first time, it announced its nominations for the annual Grammy Awards that will take place February 8th on primetime television on CBS in a show called “Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night.” The one-hour special live broadcast from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles featured past Grammy winners and nominees performing songs that are ensconced in the Grammy Hall of Fame in the new Grammy Museum. The Academy made history with the grand opening of the new museum the day following its live telecast.

Two-time Grammy winner LL Cool J and Grammy nominee Taylor Swift co-hosted the telecast, and presenters/performers included four-time Grammy winner Christina Aguilera, five-time Grammy winners Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, the six-time Grammy-winning Foo Fighters, 14-time Grammy winner B.B. King, and five-time Grammy winner John Mayer, among others.

Rapper Lil Wayne’s eight nominations included Tha Carter III in the Album of the Year and Best Rap Album categories; Best Rap Song “Lollipop” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration “Got Money” featuring T-Pain. Kanye West and Jay-Z each picked up six Grammy nominations. West, for Song of the Year for “American Boy” with Estelle; Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group for “Put On” with Young Jeezy; “Swagga Like Us” with Jay-Z, T.I., and Lil Wayne; Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “American Boy” with Estelle, Best Rap Song for “Swagga Like Us” with Jay-Z, T.I., & Lil Wayne; and Album of the Year for Tha Carter III (featured artist).

Jay-Z also received nominations in the Best Rap Album category, for American Gangster and for Best Rap Song with “Swagga Like Us.” Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman is up for Album of the Year.

Dangermouse, Atlanta’s T.I. and Chicago’s Lupé Fiasco followed closely with four nods each. Newcomers Estelle and FloRida claimed nods while Rihanna, T-Pain and Nas were returning nominees.

Other R&B Best Album of the Year nominees are: Eric Benet for Love & Life, Boyz II Men for Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, Al Green for Lay It Down, and Raphael Saadiq for The Way I See It.

Soul icon Al Green received nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Stay With Me (By The Sea)” featuring John Legend, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “You’ve Got The Love I N

eed” featuring Anthony Hamilton. Lay It Down was also nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for the engineering work of Jimmy Douglass, Russell “The Dragon” Elevado, and Jon Smeltz.

Jordin Sparks picked up a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “No Air,” her duet with Chris Brown.

J. Holiday’s “My Lac” earns a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album for his Capitol label, adding to his American Music Award and BET nominations.

Keyshia Cole’s hit single “Heaven Sent” was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

Natalie Cole was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her Still Unforgettable.

In the Gospel categori

es, CeCe Winans was nominated for Best Gospel Performance for “Waging War” and Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for Thy Kingdom Come. Best Traditional Gospel Album nominations went to The Blind Boys of Alabama for Down in New Orleans; The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir for I’ll Say Yes; Dorinda Clark Cole for Take It Back; Deitrich Haddon for Deitrich Haddon Presents…Together in Worship with Voices of Unity; and Bishop Charles E. Blake Presents…No Limits with the West Angeles COGIC Mass Choir.

Kirk Franklin returns to 

 

the Grammy ring again for his Zomba Gospel album The Fight of My Life. And labelmate, Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Donald Lawrence saw his latest discovery, six-member sibling group The Murills, receive both Grammy and Stellar nods for the Quiet Water/Zomba Gospel debut project, Family Prayer.

Another six-member group who has proven adept in any musical genre, Take 6, has a Grammy nod for Best Gospel Performance for “Shall We Gather At the River.”

In the blues category, John Lee Hooker, Jr., the son to his legendary bluesman father, returned home from an overseas tour in Europe, Turkey and Russia in time to receive news of his second Grammy nomination for his third CD All Odds Against Me. Nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album, the album includes the animated video crossing over into hip hop, “Blues Ain’t Nothin’ But A Pimp.”

 

Cannon Re-Loaded: All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley is among the contenders for Best Contemporary Jazz Album while Best Jazz Vocal Album has Karrin Allyson, Stacey Kent, Kate McGarry, Cassandra Wilson and Norma Winstone vying for the win.

 

 

Danger Mouse and will.i.am are among the Producer of the Year nominees.

“The Grammy Awards process once again has yielded a comprehensive, diverse and eclectic group of excellent nominees across multiple genres,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “This year’s nominations are truly reflective of the talented community of artists and creators who represent some of the highest levels of musical excellence.”

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 to 11:30 pm (ET/PT).