Kanye West captured eight Grammy nominations Thursday, but he might still have something to complain about: He didn’t score any nominations in the country categories.
The Chicago rapper and producer scored nominations for best record, best R&B song, best rap song, album, solo performance and collaboration, and two best album nods, for his own “Late Registration” and as a producer on Mariah Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi.”
West’s shot at last year’s best-album award was derailed when the honor went to Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company,” an album that earned eight awards at last year’s ceremony.
West wasn’t happy about it, and told MTV earlier this week: “If I don’t win Album of the Year [in February], I’m gonna really have a problem with that.”
Winners will be announced in a prime-time ceremony Feb. 8 to be broadcast live from the Staples Center in L.A.
West, Carey and R&B singer John Legend all had eight nominations each.
Carey’s nominations represent a vindication for the performer, whose 1990s popularity was followed by a rocky career slide that included erratic behavior and fading interest in her music. On Thursday, she told E! Entertainment Television that “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which has sold more than 4 million copies to reach No. 2 on this year’s album-sales chart, was a creation that came from her heart.
“Finally, I’m just allowed to be me, and it’s really cool,” she said. “Everything I went through has made me a stronger and better person.”
If the nominations were a triumphant rebound for Carey, they were welcome industry recognition for Legend, a smooth-voiced old-school R&B vocalist. Among his nominations are best new artist–where he’s joined by Chicago band Fall Out Boy–and best song, a songwriting award.
Among the other acts with multiple nods were 50 Cent, Beyonce Knowles and Stevie Wonder, with six each. Although 50 Cent logged the year’s top-selling album with “The Massacre,” his six nominations didn’t include any recognition in major categories.
Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys, Springsteen, Stefani and U2 each are up for five awards.
Common, Destiny’s Child, Jermaine Dupri, Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, Neptunes, Brad Paisley and Gretchen Wilson all received four nods.
In the best-album category, McCartney likely will face strong competition from the year’s big commercial hits, which the Academy’s 12,000 voting members traditionally have loved.
In addition to Carey’s “Emancipation of Mimi,” Stefani’s solo debut without the band No Doubt also was a strong enough commercial force to lift it into contention.
As 50 Cent can attest, however, a hit album alone isn’t always enough to gain recognition from the unpredictable Grammy voters.
In what might be perceived as a snub, Coldplay’s “X&Y” was ignored in the overall album, song and record categories.
The band did receive three nominations in rock categories.
