Thedewsperspective

And the winner is…

Since the inception of Hip Hop, which marks a half of century, only two Hip Hop albums have won the most coveted Grammy Award, Album of The Year! This weekend, as the recording industry celebrate the 65th Grammy Awards, by highlighting the lifetime of Hip Hop, I’m compelled to think about how our genre of music hasn’t always received the proper recognition from the gatekeepers of the industry. even though it’s the biggest genre in the US.

Now before I go any further, I must address the peanut gallery that’ll say, “who cares about winning a Grammy”? Well let me put it like this, I’d assume it’s the equivalent of winning Teacher of The Year. And not just “Urban” Teacher of The Year, but Teacher of The Year. And as an Educator, if I ever won the TOTY award, besides the fact that it would immediately go at the top of my resume, whenever I’d be introduced it would become part of my handle. I reckon the introduction would then go like this, “Please allow me to introduce to you, Teacher of the Year recipient, Mr. Cornell Dews.” Whether it’s true or not (in my case I’d like to think it is), the perception would be that I am the best in my professional field of work, including all, excluding none. Besides the fact that it would “validate” my work in peoples eyes, it would also allow me to say, in the words of Fat Joe, “yesterday’s price is not today’s price.”

Album of the Year is completely different than winning Best Rap performance, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap song or even Best Rap Album. It is the Grammy’s most prestigious award honoring artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry period. In the 50 year existence of Hip Hop less than five percent of Hip Hop artists have taken home the illustrious gramophone trophy. The only two performing Hip Hop acts who’ve won a Grammy for Album of The Year, have been Lauryn Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999 and Outkast for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below album in 2004. And here’s a list of all the other Hip Hop acts ever nominated for Album of the Year: MC Hammer, The Fugees, Nelly, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Drake, Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Eminem and Jay Z. Even though for this year’s awards show, we have several incredible and well deserving women closely rooted in and associated to the genre of Hip Hop nominated for the most desired award, Kendrick Lamar is the only solely Hip Hop artist nominated.

Hip Hop has fought long and hard to earn it stripes to be recognized as a serious artform. It is the most visibly used artform marketed to sell America to American’s and every other country abroad. Hip Hop is a multi-billion dollar industry. Hip Hop epitomizes the once told fable of the American Dream. However, the recording industry, specifically the Grammy’s haven’t always recognized, celebrated and awarded Hip Hop and its artists all that it deserves. So on this night, when the Grammy’s give Hip Hop its flowers for turning 50 years old, let us be conscientious of the fact that in the history of the Grammy’s less than 5% of Hip Hop acts have ever won AOTY. That record may or may not be changed tonight, however, it would be great to see more parity in the coming future because Hip Hop deserves it. Who will be the next Hip Hop artist to win Album of The Year at the Grammy’s?