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Grammy music awards are a showcase for black artists

Rapper Lil Wayne is nominated for eight Grammy Awards — the most for any musical artist this year.(Zuma Wire West Photo)

Each year, the Grammy Awards show is one of the most glamorous celebrations in the world of entertainment.

This year, as the nation observes Black History Month, it also is a celebration of African American contributions to American music and culture.

The music awards competition that will be shown on television Sunday, February 8, represents “one of the most diverse years ever” for musical artists, according to The Recording Academy, the organization that gives out the Grammys.

And African American performers are at the head of the field for most nominations in the competition set up 51 years ago to honor “the highest levels of musical excellence.”

Rapper Lil Wayne leads all artists with eight nominations. Stars Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West have six each, newcomer Jazmine Sullivan has five, and Danger Mouse, Lupe Fiasco and T.I. have four each. Of course, black stars are not the only artists nominated in the competition, which has 110 categories in 32 fields of music.

The British band Coldplay has the second most nominations this year with seven, while Allison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant and Radiohead have five nominations each, and Adele, the Eagles and George Strait have each earned four.

Yet African American artists will be front and center during some of the Grammy Awards show’s most exciting moments.

In the highly competitive category for Album of the Year, Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” is up against Ne-Yo’s “Year of the Gentleman,” Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” Radiohead’s “In Rainbows,” and “Raising Sand” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

Among the live performances, one of the most eagerly awaited will be the “Swagga Like Us” collaboration featuring Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West.

Ella and Count

African American artists have been part of the Grammy Awards from the beginning. At the very first Grammys, jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie each won two awards.

As African American influence grew in music, whole categories were added to reflect the popularity of styles like rhythm and blues and rap.

Those categories remain some of the most hotly competitive, with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Nas and T.I. facing off in the Best Rap Album category this year.

In the Best R&B Album category, Jennifer Hudson, Eric Benet, Boyz II Men, Al Green and Raphael Saadiq are up for honors.

A Grammy CD

Music is a mirror of attitudes and tastes at the time it is created. With the U.S. becoming more diverse, it is no surprise that music awards shows reflect diversity.

With live performances by Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Radiohead, Coldplay and the Jonas Brothers, “2009 is shaping up to be the year that the Grammys go all-in” for diversity, MTV critic Gil Kaufman says.

And if anyone needs more evidence, The Recording Academy and Rhino Entertainment have released a CD of 20 diverse Grammy-nominated songs from the 2009 competition.

When it comes to music, everyone’s taste is different. The kind of music people like tells something about their interests or attitudes. And it may also say something about how they look at the world. As a class, create a chart of the types of music you and your classmates like. Break down the class’s choices by percent. Then talk about what your musical tastes say about your attitudes as a group.

Rap, rock, R&B and hip hop often draw ideas from the news. Look through the newspaper today for a story that might make a good subject for a rap or rock song. Write a few lines that might be the start of your rap or song, or the chorus that would be repeated. As a class, compare song ideas taken from the news. Were some topics chosen more than others?

Music lyrics often include unusual words, or use common words in unusual ways. Pick out five words from today’s newspaper that you consider unusual. For each, write out how this word might be used in an original music lyric.

Songs sometimes are written about famous people. Pick a person in the news today who could be the subject for a song. Write a sentence stating why you chose this person. Then write a sentence stating what kind of song it would be. It might be a love song, a song of praise, or a criticism of what the person stands for or does.