LOS ANGELES–Lil Wayne didn’t get A Milli Grammy nominations, but his total haul was still pretty amazing–eight. Nominations for the prolific and ubiquitous rap MVP, who became pop’s biggest success in 2008 with his top-selling albu
LOS ANGELES–Lil Wayne didn’t get A Milli Grammy nominations, but his total haul was still pretty amazing–eight.
Nominations for the prolific and ubiquitous rap MVP, who became pop’s biggest success in 2008 with his top-selling album, Tha Carter III, included a coveted album of the year bid.
The New Orleans rapper–who has been nominated for Grammys before but has never taken home a trophy–was the leading nominee. Nominations were announced in a new format this year, with an hour-long CBS concert special that featured a brisk procession of performers and LL Cool J and Taylor Swift as hosts.
While Tha Carter III was not regarded by critics as his greatest CD, it was the album that made the highly regarded rapper–who has been on the scene for more than a decade–a certified superstar, thanks to massive hits like "Lollipop" and "A Milli"–Lil Wayne slang for “a million.” Lil Wayne not only rapped on his own hits but seemed to be on just about every urban act’s record, and that was reflected in his multiple nominations, some of which were for collaborations.
Tha Carter III was the only record this year to sell 1 million copies in its first week and is the year’s top seller with 2.7 million copies sold.
Ne-Yo, who has produced several smashes for other artists, had success with Year of the Gentleman.
“When I was putting it together, I was trying to do something that everybody could get into, as opposed to just my pop and R&B core group,” Ne-Yo, who got six nominations, said after the ceremony. “I was trying to do something that the world could enjoy, and I think that the Grammy people paid attention to that.”
Other multiple nominees included Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, who had six each and Jennifer Hudson got four, including best R&B album for her self-titled CD.
The Recording Academy typically has announced nominations like most top awards shows during a morning news conference. But in an era where awards shows are as commonplace as reality shows, even the top-tier events are finding it hard to stand out.
So they put on the prime-time event, included performances from past Grammy winners such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and the Foo Fighters.
Held at the Nokia Theatre, the show also celebrated the opening of the new Grammy Museum next door.
The Grammy Awards are scheduled for live broadcast on CBS on Feb 8.
Last year’s show drew 17.2 million viewers, making it one of the least-watched Grammys and continuing the trend of shrinking awards show audiences. AP
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