By Osagie Alonge
Nigerian musician and respected Afrobeat singer Femi Kuti has been nominated at the 54th edition of the prestigious Grammy Awards.
Femi picked up his third ever nomination in the World Music Category for his ‘Africa for Africa‘ album last night Wednesday, November 30, 2011 when the list was unveiled at the ‘Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!‘ in Los Angeles, US.
In 2003, Femi, eldest son of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti picked up his first ever Grammy Award nomination but lost out to Panamanian salsa singer Rubén Blades. He similarly lost in 2010 when he was nominated in the same category. US banjo player Bela Fleck walked away with the award.
His recent nomination sees him up against Latin/Roots music band AfroCubism, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Malian band Tinariwen.
‘We’re extremely happy, and hoping they give him this time around‘ Femi’s elder sister and Positive band veteran Yeni Kuti told us this morning over the phone. ‘It’s his third time and he has really worked hard‘. Femi Kuti himself, currently touring Europe, is unreachable for now. ‘I can’t say if he’ll attend or not, but I hope he will. He did not attend last year‘ Yeni says.
US rapper Kanye West leads the pack with seven nods, making it the second year in row a Hip-hop artiste has reached that feat. (Eminem topped the nominees list in 2010, with 10nods. He walked away with two wins).
Kanye is closely followed by UK singer Adele who is tied with Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars with six nods each. But the controversial rapper-producer was, surprisingly missing on the biggest award category ‘Album of the Year’. Other notable acts that missed out on the big prize are Taylor Swift and veteran singer Tony Bennett.
The awards ceremony is billed to hold on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Adele, 21
The Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Lady Gaga, Born This Way
Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops and Hooligans
Rihanna, Loud
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Adele, ‘Rolling in the Deep’
Bon Iver, ‘Holocene’
Bruno Mars, ‘Grenade’
Mumford & Sons, ‘The Cave’
Katy Perry, ‘Firework’
SONG OF THE YEAR
Kanye West, ‘All of the Lights’
Mumford & Sons, ‘The Cave’
Bruno Mars, ‘Grenade’
Bon Iver, ‘Holocene’
Adele, ‘Rolling in the Deep’
BEST NEW ARTIST
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
‘Someone Like You’ — Adele
‘Yoü And I’ — Lady Gaga
‘Grenade’ — Bruno Mars
‘Firework’ — Katy Perry
‘F***in’ Perfect’ — Pink
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
‘Body And Soul’ — Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
‘Dearest’ — The Black Keys
‘Paradise’ — Coldplay
‘Pumped Up Kicks’ — Foster The People
‘Moves Like Jagger’ — Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
BEST DANCE RECORDING
‘Raise Your Weapon’ — Deadmau5 & Greta Svabo Bech
‘Barbra Streisand’ — Duck Sauce
‘Sunshine’ — David Guetta & Avicii
‘Call Your Girlfriend’ — Robyn
‘Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites’ — Skrillex
‘Save The World’ — Swedish House Mafia
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
Zonoscope, Cut/Copy
4×4=12, Deadmau5
Nothing But The Beat, David Guetta
Body Talk, Pt. 3, Robyn
Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, Skrillex
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Duets II, Tony Bennett & Various Artists
The Gift, Susan Boyle
In Concert On Broadway, Harry Connick Jr.
Music Is Better Than Words, Seth MacFarlane
What Matters Most – Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics Of Alan And Marilyn Bergman, Barbra Streisand
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ — Coldplay
‘Down By The Water’ — The Decemberists
‘Walk’ — Foo Fighters
‘The Cave’ — Mumford & Sons
‘Lotus Flower’ — Radiohead
BEST HARD ROCK/METAL PERFORMANCE
‘On The Backs Of Angels’ — Dream Theater
‘White Limo’ — Foo Fighters
‘Curl Of The Burl’ — Mastodon
‘Public Enemy No. 1″ — Megadeth
‘Blood In My Eyes’ — Sum 41
BEST ROCK ALBUM
Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul — Jeff Beck
Wasting Light — Foo Fighters
Come Around Sundown — Kings Of Leon
I’m With You — Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Whole Love — Wilco
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Bon Iver — Bon Iver
Codes and Keys — Death Cab For Cutie
Torches — Foster The People
Circuital — My Morning Jacket
The King of Limbs — Radiohead
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
‘Sometimes I Cry’ — Eric Benét
‘Fool For You’ — Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona
‘Radio Message’ — R. Kelly
‘Good Man’ — Raphael Saadiq
‘Surrender’ — Betty Wright & The Roots
BEST R&B ALBUM
F.A.M.E. — Chris Brown
Second Chance — El DeBarge
Love Letter — R. Kelly
Pieces Of Me — Ledisi
Kelly — Kelly Price
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
‘Party’ — Beyoncé & André 3000
‘I’m On One’ — DJ Khaled, Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne
‘I Need A Doctor’ — Dr. Dre, Eminem & Skylar Grey
‘What’s My Name?’ — Rihanna & Drake
‘Motivation’ — Kelly Rowland & Lil Wayne
‘All Of The Lights’ — Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
‘Look At Me Now’ — Chris Brown, Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes
‘Otis’ — Jay-Z & Kanye West
‘The Show Goes On’ — Lupe Fiasco
‘Moment 4 Life’ — Nicki Minaj & Drake
‘Black And Yellow’ — Wiz Khalifa
BEST RAP ALBUM
Watch The Throne, Jay-Z & Kanye West
Tha Carter IV, Lil Wayne
Lasers, Lupe Fiasco
Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
‘Dirt Road Anthem’ — Jason Aldean
‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’ — Martina McBride
‘Honey Bee’ — Blake Shelton
‘Mean’ — Taylor Swift
‘Mama’s Song’ — Carrie Underwood
BEST COUNTRY SONG
‘Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not’ — Jim Collins & David Lee Murphy
‘God Gave Me You’ — Dave Barnes
‘Just Fishin’’ — Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill
‘Mean’ — Taylor Swift
‘Threaten Me With Heaven’ — Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Will Owsley & Dillon O’Brian
‘You And Tequila’ — Matraca Berg & Deana Carter
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
Emotional Jukebox — Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down — Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain — Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman — Levon Helm
Blessed — Lucinda Williams
BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
AfroCubism – AfroCubism
Femi Kuti- Africa For Africa
Ladysmith Black Mambazo- Songs From A Zulu Farm
Tinariwen- Tassili
BEST BLUES ALBUM
Low Country Blues — Gregg Allman
Roadside Attractions — Marcia Ball
Man In Motion — Warren Haynes
The Reflection — Keb’ Mo’
Revelator — Tedeschi Trucks Band
BEST FOLK ALBUM
Barton Hollow — The Civil Wars
I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive — Steve Earle
Helplessness Blues — Fleet Foxes
Ukulele Songs — Eddie Vedder
The Harrow & The Harvest — Gillian Welch
20 comments
As Yeni Kuti said, let this be third time lucky for the Arararara exponent. He stands a better chance this time around with the calibre of co-nominees he is competing with. It also shows that there are few Nigerian artistes that can win a Grammy nomination in that Best World Music Album category especially with the excess Western sound influence on their production. Please be original!!
Femi Kuti is a legend,and I hope he gets the grammy.Speaking of which,why is Yeezy’s album missing from d list of nominees for album of the year?’My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ is an absolute classic,and the Academy has made a big mistake!Kip up the gud work NET,u guyz r d best.
Is our own dear 2face not matured for the grammys yet?I cant wait to see him at the staple centre.
2face still has alot to do 4 him to appear in Grammy.His music is xceptional but Femi Kuti music is
9ice 1 femi kuti keep it up.
I wish my boss all the very best this time,i pray and i believe he will win the GRAMMY AWARD this time around,all the best boss.
i hope dis tym he gets it
go get it femi.
I wish femi kuti the best of luck!!!
You have worked,may God crown ur efforts. All d best.
@lytan olagoke as if sey everyday na xmas 4 2baba,grammy neva reach am bro,instead 2 de hope sey femi wins u dey talk 2baba,mind u d person wey close to grammy after femi na dbanj tke it or leave it,2baba na master but person wey close 2 getin grammy na dbanj,i kno u kno dat but as a 2baba addict u go go 4 2baba,i rest me case bruv
This is really gonna do us very proud,may God show us His wonder this third time..go for it Baba Femo..
Mike,ur a clown o!@Lytan Olagoke,pls lets hear word here…Anyone can win or be nominated 4 the Grammy!Whether 2face or not….The Koko is for Naija to sha win when any of our peeps is nominated.2Face and D’Banj are masters in very different ways musically.Whether one got into the industry first is not the issue,leave sentiments pls.U tuface die hard lovers are always going on and on.The 2 are the biggest boys in our music industry and its been so for like the last 4 yrs!I wish 2baba and D’banj plenty luck in the next Grammy nominations.Me,i gbadun both of them anyhowwwwww ‘cos whilst one’s music touches the bottom of my soul (Tuface’s),the other’s music uplifts my entire soul (D’Banj’s).
D’banj under wat category? When no one even hears wat he says in a song. Do yall think grammy’s a child’s play? Tu face is a musician, D’banj is an entertainer. Ask him and he will tell you same.
God bless Nigeria,may the soul of fela kuti rest in peace,more srenght and fresh ideas to you king femi kuti.the grammy is coming to LAGOS.
GRAMMY GRAMMY! NO AKON ON THIS LIST WHAT A PITY GRAMMY JUST AN AWARD TO ME NOTHING SPECIAL COS THEY NEVER RECOGNISE D BEST
GRAMMY GRAMMY! NO AKON ON THIS LIST WHAT A PITY GRAMMY JUST AN AWARD TO ME NOTHING SPECIAL COS THEY NEVER RECOGNISE D REAL WINNERS
@dan te,if u listen u wld hear my dear.Point of correction,Tuface is an artiste NOT a musician.He can’t be referred to as a musician ‘cos he can’t play a musical instrument.As a matter of fact,D’Banj is who u shld call a musician ‘cos he plays the mouth organ (harmonica) excellently well aside his entertaining talent/remarkable stage performance.However,Tuface is a very good artiste with very good vocals.
Grammy is Grammys,no big deal.For someone like R.Kelly not to have been given award and even Akon too,then it tells u that there’s no big deal about it regardless of the fact that its the biggest award event according to them.
make illuminati let @lst 1 nigerian win grammy wt-out having 2join d club na… sir fela..thumbs up..u deserve it evn wt-out their nomination &pls dnt bend 2their illuminte jast 2win 1 award!
Nemex,wot illuminati are u yarning?Come out straight with ur points pls.Illuminati my foot…..