2012 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album nominees
•Watch the Throne, Jay-Z & Kanye West
•Tha Carter IV, Lil Wayne
•Lasers, Lupe Fiasco
•Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj
•My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
Kanye West finds himself in an odd position this year, nominated twice in the Best Rap Album field. Even though many Grammy experts seem to think West will win this one, I find a Kanye victory here unlikely.
Many voters will opt for "Watch the Throne," his collaborative effort with Jay-Z, based on the combined star power on the record. A smaller but significant number will vote for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," West's brilliant solo record released in late 2010.
With Kanye supporters torn, somebody else is likely to triumph here. The question is, will it be Lil Wayne or Nicki Minaj? Weezy has more of a Grammy track record, but "Tha Carter IV" didn't produce any smash hits.
Minaj is the current queen of hip hop, but will rap voters see her as more of a pop artist and decline to give her the most prestigious Grammy Award in the rap field?
It's a tough call. All we know is that Lupe Fiasco has no chance, though we applaud his surprise nomination.
Only five artists (Kanye, Eminem, Outkast, Ludacris, Lil Wayne) have won this award in the past 12 years, so it's a very exclusive club. The gut feeling is that Nicki breaks through, making her the first solo female ever to win it.
2012 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album prediction
Should win: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Will win: Pink Friday
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