Music Minute - Grammy Nominations

The 2011 Grammy nominees were just announced during CBS's Grammy Nominations Concert Live event and with so much amazing music released this past year -- not to mention monster tours -- it's was as competitive as ever.

Eminem is the frontrunner for Grammy gold with ten nominations and country trio Lady Antebellum racked up four.  While stars like Justin Bieber and Miranda Lambert got nods, noticeably absent from the nominations list was 'Tik Tok' star Ke$ha.  

I'm most excited to see that newcomer Bruno Mars nabbed 7 noms beating out Lady Gaga who received 6.  He's a great vocalist and song writer and deserves all of it!

I'm also happy to see that Ceelo nabbed a nom for Song of the year for his song "Fuck You" or the radio version "Forget You" *lame*  That record was HOT from jump!!  Good luck to all the nominees.

See the full list of nominations below and check back on Feb. 13 for the big show.

Song of the Year
'Beg, Steal or Borrow' -- Ray LaMontagne
'Forget You' -- Cee-Lo
'The House That Built Me' -- Miranda Lambert
'Love the Way You Lie' -- Eminem Feat. Rihanna
'Need You Now' -- Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year
'The Suburbs' -- Arcade Fire
'Recovery' -- Eminem
'Need You Now' -- Lady Antebellum
'The Fame Monster' -- Lady Gaga
'Teenage Dream' -- Katy Perry

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence and the Machine
Mumford and Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Record of the Year
'Nothing on You' -- B.o.B. Feat. Bruno Mars
'Love the Way You Lie' -- Eminem Feat. Rihanna
'Forget You' -- Cee-Lo
'Empire State of Mind -- Jay-Z Feat. Alicia Keys
'Need You Now' -- Lady Antebellum

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
'King of Anything' -- Sara Bareilles
'Halo (Live)' -- Beyoncé
'Chasing Pirates' -- Norah Jones

'Bad Romance' -- Lady Gaga
'Teenage Dream' -- Katy Perry

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
'Haven't Met You Yet' -- Michael Bublé
'This is It' -- Michael Jackson
'Whataya Want from Me' -- Adam Lambert
'Just the Way You Are' -- Bruno Mars
'Half of My Heart' -- John Mayer

Best Pop Performance By a Group or Duo with Vocals
'Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)' -- Glee cast
'The Only Exception' -- Paramore
'Babyfather' -- Sade
'Hey, Soul Sister (Live)' -- Train

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
'Airplanes, Part II' -- B.o.B., Eminem & Hayley Williams
'Imagine' -- Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
'If it Wasn't for Bad' -- Elton John & Leon Russell
'Telephone' -- Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
'California Gurls' -- Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
'Flow' -- Laurie Anderson
'Nessun Dorma' -- Jeff Beck
'No Mystery' -- Stanley Clarke
'Orchestral Intro' -- Gorillaz
'Sleepwalk' -- The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Best Pop Instrumental Album
'Pushing the Envelope' -- Gerald Albright
'Take Your Pick' -- Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto
'Heart And Soul' -- Kenny G
'Singularity' -- Robby Krieger
'Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway' -- Kirk Whalum

Best Pop Vocal Album
'My World 2.0' -- Justin Bieber
'I Dreamed a Dream' -- Susan Boyle
'The Fame Monster' -- Lady Gaga
'Battle Studies' -- John Mayer
'Teenage Dream' -- Katy Perry

Best Dance Recording
'Rocket' -- Goldfrapp
'In For The Kill' -- La Roux
'Dance In The Dark' -- Lady Gaga
'Only Girl (In The World)' -- Rihanna
'Dancing On My Own' -- Robyn

Best Electronic/Dance Album
'These Hopeful Machines' -- BT
'Further' -- The Chemical Brothers
'Head First' -- Goldfrapp
'Black Light' -- Groove Armada
'La Roux' -- La Roux

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
'Crazy Love' -- Michael Bublé
'The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time' -- Barry Manilow
'Let It Be Me: Mathis In Nashville' -- Johnny Mathis
'Fly Me To The Moon...The Great American Songbook: Volume V' -- Rod Stewart
'Love Is The Answer' -- Barbra Streisand

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
'Run Back To Your Side' -- Eric Clapton
'Crossroads' -- John Mayer
'Helter Skelter' -- Paul McCartney
'Silver Rider' -- Robert Plant
'Angry World' -- Neil Young

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
'Ready To Start' -- Arcade Fire
'I Put A Spell On You' -- Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
'Tighten Up' -- The Black Keys
'Radioactive' -- Kings Of Leon
'Resistance' -- Muse

Best Hard Rock Performance
'A Looking In View' --Alice In Chains
'Let Me Hear You Scream' -- Ozzy Osbourne
'Black Rain' -- Soundgarden
'Between The Lines' -- Stone Temple Pilots
'New Fang' -- Them Crooked Vultures

Social Responsibility - World Aids Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day.

While we still have a long way to go,  some progress has been made in AIDS prevention through raising awareness BUT there is still no cure!! Be responsible and get to know your status! Get tested!! Wrap it up folks! Save yourself and another....

**You can be positive and still live positively....

Music Minute - American Music Awards

Ok, I have been falling behind on my updates!! Better late than never but never late is better!! I promise to keep it fresh to the best of my ability.

The American Music Awards came on 2 Sundays ago *pardon my delay* and the entire show was pretty entertaining and well produced!  If you know me by now, you would know that I live for awards shows!!  When the best in entertainment are acknowledged and awarded, you're guaranteed to find me there - at least on tv!  Here are the highlights.

• Rihanna opened the show with a medley of her current hits.  What she lacks in dancing skills, she more than makes up for with her presence alone! She is gorgeous! Was it just me or did she just do a mini tribute to Africa with the drum/dance bit? The energy was great.
• Enrique Iglesias came on with Pitbull to perform "I Like It" The performance was great! Very high energy but Enrique needs to step up his fashion game! Pitbull simply upstaged him!  Just because your hot doesn't mean you should disregard all effort.. just saying!  That 'just woken up' look is getting old.
• Usher nabbed the first award of the night and went on to get another award during the show to give him a total of two.  He performed "DJ's Got Us Falling In Love" which is a hot record! He has had a great year and don't you dare call it a comeback! He never left as he proclaimed!  His litle protege Justin Bieber was the big winner of the night nabbing four of the biggest awards of the night!  This kid has had amazing sales since his debut from being a YouTube sensation.  I must admit I am a 'belieber' Yep, I realize how lame that sounds but we can't deny the fact that the Biebs is a force to be reckoned with! Was touching to see him ask his mentor, Usher, on stage to help accept his award for Artist Of The Year!
• Pink - I love this woman! She can't do any wrong in my eyes! She performed, "Raise Your Glass" and did it the Pink way!  Granted she wasn't hanging on a trapeze like she did at the Grammys...she's knocked up after all but was still able to deliver a high energy performance! Bravo!
• Diddy and the dirty money crew - I was confused by the whole thing...
• Christina Aguilera - we all know this girl has some amazing pipes on her! I was looking forward to seeing her do thing but it was blah for me.
• The return of the boy bands - New Kids On The Block and The Back Street Boys recently announced that they are going on tour together! Exciting! They closed the show with a medley of their signature hits! I had forgotten how much i used to love the BSB!

Ps: Since I am very late in posting this, no video clips will be available... YouTube can hook that up for you:)

Royal Wedding Fever!!

After what seemed like a very long courtship, Prince William finally proposed to his long time girlfriend, Kate Middleton!! *do I hear a million girls hearts crashing?*  You never stood a chance so take heart in the fact that we are about to witness a royal wedding of epic proportion!  I am very excited about this! When Prince Charles and Diana got married, I was too to young to understand and appreciate any of it but this time I will be seating front and center in my living room enjoying what will be an internationally televised/streamed occasion.  Congrats to the happy couple!

The engagement took place in my home country Kenya! Way to put us on the map Prince William!  He gave her the same ring his father gave to his mum. *sniff...sniff*  I'll let him tell the story....   They are just adorable together!

Quotable Quotes

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Music Minute - Kanye West "Runaway" Short Film Premiere

The much-anticipated short film for 'Runaway' by Kanye West premiered last night exclusively on MTV and BET.  There has been a lot of buzz around it and I HAD to tune in to see the spectacle for myself. 

To try to describe it, would be an injustice to art.  I would fail miserably!  There was a lot going on!! It was however, visually stunning though it left me confused in some parts.  I feel like whoever was responsible for the concept, creativity etc etc, went overboard with it.  Michael Jackson is still the king of very well executed music videos/short films in my humble opinion.  I wont ramble anymore.  Judge for yourself.

BET or EBT Hip Hop awards?

If you missed the BET Hip Hop awards last night, fret not!  You didn't miss much! Hopefully you spent those 2hrs the show aired doing something meaningful.  Since I put myself through that mess of a show, it's only fair that I share!!  I went in with very low expectations so I don't know why I was surprised at how it turned out. I witnessed too much fuckery going on but here's what stood out for me:

The ugly:

• Soldier Boy - Yes I get it.  You have a knack of making craptastic music that is hella catchy!  Yes, your music is popular - but real hip hop it is NOT!! The show was an ode to hip hop. To showcase/award the best in hip hop but seriously, the future of that genre seems doomed if you're defining today's era of hip hop! Oh, and what's with the sagging pants?! Hideous!! Somebody get this boy a stylist!
• Wocka Flocka Flame - Riddle me this.  How did he get a record deal?  Seems like record deals are thrown to anyone with a dream and a mic these days! Does talent not count? There are far more deserving artists who need to get their shine on while he exits stage left!!  Word of advice to you Wocka: when you're allowed on stage to perform, do just that... this was not a meet and greet at the corner store!  

The bad:

•  P. Diddy - Must you be on stage for every perfomance? Including songs you're not featured on?  Sit down somewhere or go kill someone's music career as you've done with all artists affiliated with Bad Boy! 
• Presenters - quit it with the lame jokes.  Just announce the winners and exit the stage please.  Speaking of presenters, why does DJ Khaled always have to scream his announcements?
• Antoine Dodson - Ok, you were a viral hit with the famous rant heard around the world!  With the funds raised from your rant-turned-song, you moved your fam from the hood.  All good but you're 15 minutes of fame are up. Time to quit trying to stretch them! But then again, BET is to blame for that.  You had to be invited to the event right?   I just wish you could share your hair tips with me because that hair is fierce!!   Now run and tell dat homeboy!!! lol!
• MC Hammer - I am sucka for comebacks but that performance was lackluster!  His performances used to be very high energy during his prime but it just fizzled this time.  He seemed like he picked those dancers from the audience and threw on matching costumes on them. Better luck next time.

 Finally, the good:

•  Salt & Pepper receiving the lifetime Hip Hop Award - it's about damn time!! These ladies are truly pioneers in hip hop.  They were trendsetters and their songs remain relevant to date! They still look great and gave good speeches while receiving their awards.  Good look!
• B.O.B's performance -  We can't deny the boy is talented. He can sing, rap, plays his own instruments and is already a cross-over sensation.  It also doesn't hurt that he looks good:)  In this day and age when most rappers use auto-tune as a crutch, he's doing it as it should be done!  Good job Bobby Ray.
• Digital Underground's performance:  Was good to see them back on stage and do that tribute to Tupac. Nicely done! 
• Mike Epps as a host - he did have lots of funny moments. 

The best:

Undoubtedly, The Cyphers were the BEST parts of the show!  I was looking forward to each and every one but the two below were just dope!!!  Now this is real hip hop!!

Ice cube & sons. Reverend Run and sons.  How cool is that? The legends with their spawn! Amazing! Lil Diggy is definitely going places!!

This right here was just hot!! Good to see men in hip-hop looking dapper! I hope that catches on. Very good look!