Macklemore won all the Grammys

[hustler]

the m. night. shakakahn twist is that sean was employee all along.

[Mindbender Futurama]

more so than anyone else who has ever reached these heights in hip hop macklemore came up in the same creative space as you MB. he's a different colour than you.. but he was virtually trying to do the same thing as you & all of your friends
how would you feel if governor bolts or something was in macklemore's position right now?

good point.
governor boltz put in work. he was also in a rap crew in London called the Collapsyllables, and he paid his dues to his community.

I never said "Macklemore never paid his dues!" I just don't know much about his history. Did he dedicate himself to the culture since he was young and be on some "I loved LL Cool J and Ice-T shit and can recite old school shit" like Eminem was? If Macklemore is that guy, then that's better than I thought. But if he's on some Plies shit like "I don't give a fuck about the 4 elements or Afrika Bambaataa" shit, then
I gotta hear Macklemore's songs with SchooLboy Q and Ab-Soul.
But those certainly aren't co-signs like, ironically, Kendrick Lamar getting a huge co-sign from Eminem by being the only rapping guest on "MMLP2".

Even Paul Barman was co-signed by Prince Paul.

Macklemore came up even faster than DRAKE, though. Why? BECAUSE OF HIS WHITENESS, NOT BECAUSE OF HIS RAP SKILL.

Drake ONLY blew up because LIL WAYNE CO-SIGNED HIM. Before that, Drake was just another slept-on, talented Canadian rapper doing collabs with Trey Songz.

the rapping coffin is one of the only people who gets what I'm talking about. thank you, brother.

ALL of us should not IGNORE the FACT that, for the first time in music history, there was not one Black artist in the Billboard Top 100, all year. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON THERE?

you people who don't want to talk about this subject don't have to be in this thread. there ARE other threads.

thank you to the people who can see IT'S BIGGER THAN HIP HOP

[ackbar]

Did he dedicate himself to the culture since he was young and be on some "I loved LL Cool J and Ice-T shit and can recite old school shit" like Eminem was? If Macklemore is that guy, then that's better than I thought. But if he's on some Plies shit like "I don't give a fuck about the 4 elements or Afrika Bambaataa" shit, then

yes, he did. that's why i brought it up
i met him when he was a teenager.. the same time i met a lot of canadian underground rappers you call your crew & peers. except that maybe him & his crew had more directly west coast influences (freestyle fellowship, project blowed, etc.).. you guys were all doing the same independent tape thing

drake blew up much quicker than macklemore for the record

[Larry2times]

if he's on some Plies shit like "I don't give a fuck about the 4 elements or Afrika Bambaataa" shit, then

1:24

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

Did he dedicate himself to the culture since he was young and be on some "I loved LL Cool J and Ice-T shit and can recite old school shit" like Eminem was? If Macklemore is that guy, then that's better than I thought. But if he's on some Plies shit like "I don't give a fuck about the 4 elements or Afrika Bambaataa" shit, then

yes, he did. that's why i brought it up
i met him when he was a teenager.. the same time i met a lot of canadian underground rappers you call your crew & peers. except that maybe him & his crew had more directly west coast influences (freestyle fellowship, project blowed, etc.).. you guys were all doing the same independent tape thing

drake blew up much quicker than macklemore for the record

very solid point. Macklemore is essentially the white mindbender with more rhythm and less growling.

[sean]

i watched macklemore grind it out in the underground for many many years.
not that it matters, but yeah, he probably put in more grunt work than drake did.
he was road dogging it, and selling his music hand to hand for at least 10 years. possibly more.

regardless of your opinion of his music, on some hard work shit, no one can claim that macklemore didn't earn these awards.

[Philaflava]

he earned his success, the awards are another thing. did he really have the best rap album and song of the year? i got nothing against him and don't begrudge him one bit, but not sure if he was deserving of the award he got at the grammys. then again, most aren't when it comes to any rap categories.

[sean]

nah, fuck that. it ain't about who had the best album of the year. never has been.
it's about who was noticed by the people who voted. period.
and he earned that.

most people at a rap messageboard will agree that kendrick had the better album.
but none of you are voters.

become one.
it ain't that difficult.
it's a fee and a registration form.
instagram your i voted sticker.

[sean]

...

double stoned

[sean]

out of curiosity, were you satisfied with the winners of any of the other catagories?

[Mindbender Futurama]

he earned his success, the awards are another thing. did he really have the best rap album and song of the year?

super mega

we know he did not. 'Thrift Shop' is a catchy song, but it's not a GREAT song. And the album? :kanyeshrug:

but it worked, which is why, yes: he earned his -success-. I totally agree, and do not begrudge him ANY of his record sales, and totally am happy that he went platinum as an independent artist. THAT is wonderful for all musicians.

But the politics of these Grammy Awards is ALL I am criticizing here, and that's all I've been focusing on. WHY he was The Chosen One.

rap is outta control

i got nothing against him and don't begrudge him one bit, but not sure if he was deserving of the award he got at the grammys. then again, most aren't when it comes to any rap categories.

Yeah... me too. I never had anything against Macklemore... until he said himself: "i robbed you" to Kendrick Lamar.

until he does something more than send a text message to K. Dot... then I got something against him.

he knows he didn't deserve it. it's usually fucked up in one way or another with these things... but this year?

IT'S REALLY FUCKED UP

[Mindbender Futurama]

out of curiosity, were you satisfied with the winners of any of the other catagories?

i thought they missed most of the amazing music that was released in the world, more than usual, actually.

but that's not a surprise at all, is it?

no

[Mindbender Futurama]

nah, fuck that. it ain't about who had the best album of the year. never has been.
it's about who was noticed by the people who voted. period.
and he earned that.

most people at a rap messageboard will agree that kendrick had the better album.
but none of you are voters.

become one.
it ain't that difficult.
it's a fee and a registration form.
instagram your i voted sticker.

sean is right.

I actually have been a Rap judge/voter for the Canadian Juno Awards.

do something to fight wackness. it is within your power.

[Philaflava]

out of curiosity, were you satisfied with the winners of any of the other catagories?

The show in general has a lot of flaws as does anything with voting. The Presidential election (Gore). The baseball Hall of Fame. Anytime you give an individual some power like that you will have issues. The Grammys have always had this issue, especially with black music. I'd imagine the core voting staff are soccer mom's based on the winners. That doesn't mean we can't talk about it. We can't be upset or we can't challenge the outcome.

As for the other categories, I really didn't have a problem with Daft Punk winning all those awards. They had a great album, with great songs and it made sense given some of the other nominees in those categories. Bruno Mars winning best Pop Vocal. Pharrell best producer. JT winning "Pusher Lover Girl" as best R&B song. I don't have an issue really with any of this.

But I also don't agree with this and it's not because he is white or from Washington or anything other than I don't think he was worthy of what he got. Apparently, neither does he.

Best New Artist:
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Best Rap Performance:
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz, "Thrift Shop"

Best Rap Song:
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz, "Thrift Shop" (Ben Haggerty and Ryan Lewis, songwriters)

Best Rap Album:
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the Heist

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... t-20140126

[Philaflava]

most people at a rap messageboard will agree that kendrick had the better album.
but none of you are voters.

If you truly believe that is where all of this outrageous is from you're wrong bro. I'm sure you're very empathetic because he is fellow employee in your profession. You both know one another, respect one another and maybe there are other tangibles. I understand why you might defend him. BUT, I don't think this is limited to just nerds on the internet. Just about every rap media the very next day covered this and were in disbelief. Sway, Flex, just about every Hot 97 show, even Howard Stern, Complex medias, Allhiphop, DX, every hipster and urban outlet including all of us on message boards. The shit was huge but not limited in any way to just some people on the internet. The world was disgusted man and not with Macklemore, but with the process, the outcome and the absurdity.

[step one]

ALL of us should not IGNORE the FACT that, for the first time in music history, there was not one Black artist in the Billboard Top 100, all year.

I read this somewhere else and ignored it. Its horseshit surely?
I don't keep up with the Billboard charts but I'm assuming Jay Z and Kanye both cracked the Top 100 in 2013?
I'd have thought Beyonce, Rihanna would've been up there somewhere aswell.

[sean]

If you truly believe that is where all of this outrageous is from you're wrong bro. I'm sure you're very empathetic because he is fellow employee in your profession. You both know one another, respect one another and maybe there are other tangibles. I understand why you might defend him. BUT, I don't think this is limited to just nerds on the internet. Just about every rap media the very next day covered this and were in disbelief. Sway, Flex, just about every Hot 97 show, even Howard Stern, Complex medias, Allhiphop, DX, every hipster and urban outlet including all of us on message boards. The shit was huge but not limited in any way to just some people on the internet. The world was disgusted man and not with Macklemore, but with the process, the outcome and the absurdity.

nah, i'm just addressing the thread.
i don't hear what flex says. i don't read complex etc.

i've never met macklemore. i've never met kendrick.
i wouldn't say i'm defending him as much as trying to explain why i understand his wins.

but if all of those people and media outlets were somehow surprised at the outcome, i must have a crystal ball, because i knew he was gonna win best rap album before the grammys aired.

as for him acting surprised and apologetic, i don't buy that shit.
in my opinion, i think that's just him/his camp trying to be diplomatic.

[myself]

I am not a fan of Macklemore. I heard the name several years ago, but I've never listened to his music. I think the first mention I saw was in some bizarre interview or concert review when a rapper criticized his lame crowd by yelling at them and saying they were probably Macklemore fans or something. This was awhile ago and I swear it was C Rayz, but I couldn't find it when I searched for it. Who knows- maybe it was from a review of a Mindbender performance?

That said, what I find bizarre is some of the same criticisms I see Mindbender (mostly) making of Macklemore are also criticisms that non-fans level against the white rappers Mindbender does like. And I don't really see any difference, other than knowing the other artists well enough to know when attacks are baseless bullshit. Again, I don't know much about Macklemore's career or his music, but I was under the impression that he had been a participant in the underground rap scene somewhere for quite some time- which has been verified here by at least one member who knows just a tiny bit about participating in hip-hop music recording and touring.

So, Macklemore is white, he makes preachy music that old white ladies with gay children like, and he and Ryan Lewis resemble Aaron Rodgers and his ex-roommate/male assistant. He lacks soul and other musical elements that 99% of of popular music (including other white rappers and most popular black rappers as well) does. He didn't have the best rap/hip-hop album of the year. Though, why that automatically means that Kendrick's almost as commercially successful (as an album) project is THE ONE undisputed best hip-hop album thatgotrobbedbecausetherewerenogoodalbumsthatsoldlessthan1million- I have no idea.

The accuracy of the Grammys results goes way beyond Macklemore and has little to do with Macklemore, IMHO. It's debatable whether it really means anything, really. And I'm not at all tolerant of "white supremacy." FWIW, I was around when Dj Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were the white establishment pick- and the non-airing of their award was simultaneously a snub of both black music AND the safe rap that white kids and parents loved. Not that those things are mutually exclusive, of course, but I think a genuine analysis can't just focus on one aspect at the exclusion of everything else.

[Larry2times]

ALL of us should not IGNORE the FACT that, for the first time in music history, there was not one Black artist in the Billboard Top 100, all year.

I read this somewhere else and ignored it. Its horseshit surely?
I don't keep up with the Billboard charts but I'm assuming Jay Z and Kanye both cracked the Top 100 in 2013?
I'd have thought Beyonce, Rihanna would've been up there somewhere aswell.

This dude ran the numbers

http://dtownsteez.tumblr.com/post/75090 ... -reference





he goes into more detail in the post

[seagrams hotsauce]

Sean, would/did you vote for Macklemore in any of those categories over the other artists nominated? Do you personally think he was the correct nominee to select for any of the awards he won?

[Jaundus Bee]

So you'd rather every new Hip-Hop artist go the Kendrick route? One where, you have to go through a lengthy vetting process, accumulate 'co-signs' ad infinitum from old dinosaurs before you become commercially viable? Wouldn't you prefer it if an artist's popularity was more organic?

Hip-Hop is always in flux, and it will go through many more changes before it finally dies out and makes way for the next great youth movement.

[ChaMerZ]

most people at a rap messageboard will agree that kendrick had the better album.
but none of you are voters.

If you truly believe that is where all of this outrageous is from you're wrong bro. I'm sure you're very empathetic because he is fellow employee in your profession. You both know one another, respect one another and maybe there are other tangibles. I understand why you might defend him. BUT, I don't think this is limited to just nerds on the internet. Just about every rap media the very next day covered this and were in disbelief. Sway, Flex, just about every Hot 97 show, even Howard Stern, Complex medias, Allhiphop, DX, every hipster and urban outlet including all of us on message boards. The shit was huge but not limited in any way to just some people on the internet. The world was disgusted man and not with Macklemore, but with the process, the outcome and the absurdity.

The difference between the doofuses who voted for him in the Grammy's and the so-called hardcore fans who patronize message boards like these is one of kind and not form. Not everybody liked GKMC.

[step one]

Has anyone mentioned that awards ceremonies are essentially an extension of a marketing campaign?
Looking at what he won it looks like someone threw some $$$ at it to get him over. Winning any award is basically just additional publicity that impacts on sales and bookings.

[ChaMerZ]

Sean, would/did you vote for Macklemore in any of those categories over the other artists nominated? Do you personally think he was the correct nominee to select for any of the awards he won?

There's usually a lot of nepotism and politics in award shows like the Grammy's. Most wins are usually without merit and do not have a one to one correspondence, with what's actually going on out there in the world. It's like how sci-fi books are nominated (& eventually win) the Nebula / Hugo awards. The people pulling the strings eschew quality for popularity.

I echo sean's sentiment. I'm not very surprised, and frankly I don't understand why everyone's taking the piss. If I knew who rapped on that thrift shop song, i could've predicted the outcome from a mile away.

[Dudeman]

He had the biggest selling rap song of the year so I dont get what the big deal is?
I'm betting Mr.Mindbender has not even listened to this dudes album? Has anyone on here?

The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles Of 2013
1 BLURRED LINES ROBIN THICKE/TI/PHARRELL
2 GET LUCKY DAFT PUNK FT PHARRELL WILLIAMS
3 WAKE ME UP AVICII
4 LET HER GO PASSENGER
5 LA LA LA NAUGHTY BOY FT SAM SMITH
6 ROAR KATY PERRY
7 THRIFT SHOP MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/WANZ
8 JUST GIVE ME A REASON PINK FT NATE RUESS
9 COUNTING STARS ONEREPUBLIC
10 MIRRORS JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
11 POMPEII BASTILLE
12 WAITING ALL NIGHT RUDIMENTAL FT ELLA EYRE
13 CAN'T HOLD US MACKLEMORE/RYAN LEWIS/DALTON
14 LOVE ME AGAIN JOHN NEWMAN
15 BURN ELLIE GOULDING
16 WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN BRUNO MARS
17 I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE TAYLOR SWIFT
18 SCREAM & SHOUT WILL I AM FT BRITNEY SPEARS
19 I LOVE IT ICONA POP FT CHARLI XCX
20 DEAR DARLIN' OLLY MURS

[seagrams hotsauce]

It's not surprising, at all, and I don't begrudge Macklemore himself for his success by any means. I think the reason Macklemore is such a target for the ire he's drawn is that the material rewarded is not very good, especially when it's sitting next to something as heralded as Kendrick's album. There are significantly worse examples of white artists appropriating black music, but I get why people are irritated by a voting committee that's been mostly clueless about hip-hop for ages showering Macklemore in awards and not giving Kendrick shit.

Sidenote: the metal nominations, when they exist, are far, far more appalling.

[intuition]

just want to state that black sabbath won best metal album of the year...this year. i know nothing of the modern metal scene but there has to be a bizarro metal forum like this one having the same argument about black sabbath winning over whoever actually had a real metal album this year.

if you guys are mad that macklemore won best album this year, wait for another 30 when rap still exists but mainstream america pays no attention and he's still winning them.

[Thun]

Huh?

[intuition]

i dunno, made sense in my head when i typed it.

[Mindbender Futurama]

It's not surprising, at all, and I don't begrudge Macklemore himself for his success by any means. I think the reason Macklemore is such a target for the ire he's drawn is that the material rewarded is not very good, especially when it's sitting next to something as heralded as Kendrick's album. There are significantly worse examples of white artists appropriating black music, but I get why people are irritated by a voting committee that's been mostly clueless about hip-hop for ages showering Macklemore in awards and not giving Kendrick shit.

this is the summary of all I have been trying to say.
there are other factors at play here, and we will see if this is an anomaly or not, but... yeah.

I don't even LIKE 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City'! But I know that my opinion doesn't matter, and that, by ALL logical standards of commercial success, critical acclaim, creative reward, and cultural impact, Kendrick Lamar should have won the 'Best New Artist' Grammy Award. I'm not a racist, a hater, or a fucking idiot. I have nothing against Macklemore as an artist. But ANYONE who wins an award they don't deserve: SIMPLY DOESN'T DESERVE THAT AWARD.

Anyone who comprehends a very rare human concept called "JUSTICE" will also share my sentiments.

and yes, in a year where Miley Cyrus robbed Rihanna's sound, Robin Thicke robbed Marvin Gaye, and the internet robbed the Harlem Shake from G-Dep, amongst other unpunished crimes in Black cultural appropriation: Macklemore winning ALL the Grammys is not just a slap in the face to ALL the other, more deserving artists who should have won. It's a warning of how fucking ugly things are about to get if hip hop culture doesn't organize itself to celebrate its achievements properly.

ANY REAL MC would rather get an award from the hip hop community than the Grammys.

Nas, Jay-Z, Rakim, KRS-One, Lauryn Hill, Big Boi, Andre 3000, Drake, Ghostface, etc... are the people that most artists want recognition from, more than getting an award from some mainstream industry committee. I'm sure one of the main reasons people like being on the Grammys is that they will be seen by their peers and idols... cause the Grammys themselves are not very respected. I love when people are like "yeah, that fucking statue collects dust in the corner of my bathroom. But I went to an amazing Clive Davis afterparty and met Stevie Wonder there, OMG that was the besssst"

you essentially summed up what I've been ranting about quite succinctly, good sir Kony.
plus
WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT A GOD DAMN GRAMMY and RAP IS OUTTA CONTROL