The Anti-Grammys: Who should have won

The+Anti-Grammys%3A+Who+should+have+won

It’s about that time of the year again where the Grammys shake up the world of the music industry. From the nominations to the performances, this year’s event brought a type of intensity that has been seen throughout Grammy history time and time again.

In this year’s Grammy awards, some artists got their first golden gramophone while others were snubbed from theirs. We also saw history being made while records were broken. So, does this mean the Recording Academy cast their votes correctly? We take a deeper look into the more acclaimed categories that had everyone talking Monday morning.

Best Pop Vocal Album

There were plenty of pop albums in 2016 that impressed and surprised listeners. Ariana Grande’s third album, “Dangerous Woman,” gave her fans a traditional pop album with her own unique twist that had people dancing all year long.

Sia continued her hot streak from her 2014 effort “1000 Forms of Fear,” with her new album “This Is Acting,” which owned the radio with hits like “Cheap Thrills,” featuring Sean Paul and “The Greatest,” featuring Kendrick Lamar.

Albums from Adele and Justin Bieber were on top of the pop charts for all of 2016 and carried over into 2017. Adele’s “25” brought a heartfelt approach to the genre with her album as a vehicle taking us on a journey through her experiences.

Meanwhile, Bieber’s “Purpose” showed us the former child pop star can make an album that was not just for the kids, with great production and catchy lyrics. Adele takes the crown again, but it was much closer than one would think.

Who Won: Adele, “25”

Who Should’ve Won: Adele, “25”

Runner Up: Justin Bieber, “Purpose”

Best Urban Contemporary Album

This category had one of the more intriguing races due to the quality of each album. Although Gallant’s “Ology” was strong in 2016, best urban contemporary album was between three different projects.

Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” not only had the world talking about her and husband Jay Z’s complicated relationship, it opened up a dialogue about black women’s empowerment and their place within society.

Anderson .Paak came into the scene with his sophomore release “Malibu,” which was a beautiful album from beginning to end with .Paak’s funk, soul, jazz and rock influences shining through. Rihanna’s radio reign continued with her album “ANTI,” putting her signature female badass style on songs like “Needed Me.”

Ultimately, although Rihanna and Beyoncé gave us some of their more creative and exceptional pieces of work, “Malibu” gave audiences something we have not heard since the days of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Anderson .Paak’s career is only just beginning.

Who Won: Beyoncé, “Lemonade”

Who Should’ve Won: Anderson .Paak, “Malibu”

Runner Up: Beyoncé, “Lemonade”

Best Rap Song

“I know when that hotline bling, that can only mean one thing.”

No one could get through last year without hearing Drake’s voice, those island- inspired drums or seeing the endless “Hotline Bling” music video memes.

Although other nominated songs may have been more lyrical or impressive in skill or style like in Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem” and Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” “Hotline Bling,” and Drake for that matter, completely owned 2016.

Who Won: Drake, “Hotline Bling”

Who Should’ve Won: Drake, “Hotline Bling”

Runner Up: Kanye West featuring The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper and Kirk Franklin, “Ultralight Beam”

Best Rap Album

This year’s Best Rap Album category did not seem to have the hype that other parts of the show did. Recently, we all remember the snub of the century when Macklemore’s “The Heist” beat out Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” four years ago, but in 2017, we really didn’t see this problem.

One could see Drake’s “Views” as that potential album. Drake’s last release was sub-par compared to some of his earlier work and more of a pop album.

ScHoolboy Q’s “Blank Face LP” was a fantastic concept album where ScHoolboy gave his fans a fascinating sequel to his previous release, “Oxymoron.” Kanye’s “The Life of Pablo” is an interesting collection of songs that never seem to quit as Kanye explains his new complex Los Angeles lifestyle and how it differs from his humble beginnings. The clear-cut choice to me, though, seems to be “Coloring Book” from Chance the Rapper. With the popularity of his last mixtape “Acid Rap,” Chance enlisted acts like Lil Wayne, Future, Justin Bieber and Young Thug to help continue his colorful, spiritual path that he started with tapes like “10 Day” and “Acid Rap.”

Who Won: Chance the Rapper, “Coloring Book”

Who Should’ve Won: Chance the Rapper, “Coloring Book”

Runner Up: Kanye West, “The Life of Pablo”