Eminem up for 10 Grammys
WHEN EMINEM was first nominated for album of the year some 10 years ago for The Marshall Mathers LP, it marked a milestone for the Grammys as it chose to honor an album that was considered masterful in its artistry yet morally bankrupt in its values.
On Wednesday, as the Recording Academy once again nominated Eminem for album of the year along with nine other bids, they again gave accolades to a foul but genius piece of work — Cee Lo’s Expletive You, an infectious retro groove with an unforgettable, unprintable chorus.
The tune, which is so profane it had to be changed to Forget You for radio play, was nominated for two top Grammy honours: record and song of the year.
“It wasn’t meant to be a radio song,” said Cee Lo after the nominations.
“It was meant to be something with flair and first impression and it really took on a life of its own, and I had no idea it would become what it is today.”
It’s a sign of how much times have changed, and Eminem himself, that his leading nominations were not controversial, but expected and respected. The person with the second-leading tally, Bruno Mars with seven, was not without his own drama this year, after getting arrested in Las Vegas for coke possession; his case is pending. It was the only negative in brilliant year for Mars, who co-wrote Expletive You and was also featured on B.o.B’s Nothin’ On You, also nominated for record of the year.
“It’s just been a great year, incredible, incredible year, and I can’t believe this is happening to me,” said Mars, who was also nominated for best male pop vocal for his own hit, Just the Way You Are.
“We’ve worked so hard trying to make a living doing music and the fact that we’re here right now is incredible, incredible,” he added, speaking from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, where the nominations were announced as part of an hour-long live special on CBS.
Other top nominees included Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, who were all nominated for six each. Gaga also was nominated for album of the year — the second straight nomination in the category for her.
For Eminem, Recovery was a critical and commercial triumph. It became the best-selling album of the year so far, with more than three million copies sold, and spawned top hits like Love the Way You Lie featuring Rihanna, which was nominated for song and record of the year. —AP
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