Grammy nods aid Eminem recovery

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 honour an album that was considered masterful in its artistry, yet morally bankrupt in its values.

Yesterday, as the Recording Academy once again nominated Eminem for album of the year along with nine other nominations, it again gave accolades to a foul but genius piece of work — Cee Lo Green’s Fuck 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.”

The person with the second-leading tally, Bruno Mars with seven, was not without his own drama this year, after being arrested in Las Vegas in a cocaine possession case, which is pending. It was the only negative in a brilliant year for Mars, who co-wrote Fuck You and was also featured on BoB’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.

Other top nominees included Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, who were all nominated with six each. Gaga was also nominated for album of the year — the second straight nomination in the category for her.

Susan Boyle will take on Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The Scottish singing sensation was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album for her debut I Dreamed A Dream.

The album, which has sold more than 10 million copies, is up against Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream.

Boyle said: “Up against wonderful artists like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, I don’t expect to win for a moment but how fantastic just to be recognised like this with a nomination on my first album.”

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.

It also marked a stark contrast between the Eminem nominated 10 years ago and the one today. Back then he was a stunning yet divisive figure whose violent imagery and slurs against gays and women outraged as many people as he entertained. Eminem would become one of the best-selling artists in the world and arguably rap’s greatest artist, but his stature was diminished as his battle with prescription drug addiction led to lags between albums and sub-par material.

With Recovery, an album that detailed his battles and how he overcame them, his status as the best rapper — and pop’s top artist — was restored.

Country trio Lady Antebellum’s album Need You Now was the second-best selling album of the year, doing almost as well as Recovery, with almost 3 million albums sold and fuelled by the lovelorn title track — a huge crossover hit for the band. Grammy voters rewarded that success, nominating them for album of the year and record and song of the year for the hit.

The awards are to take place on February 13.