At last year's Grammy Awards, rapper 50 Cent (notorious for his bad-boy image including multiple bullet wounds) stormed the stage to protest after he lost the best new artist category to rock group, Evanescense.
This year, after pop group Maroon 5 was deemed the best new artist in 2004 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, 50 Cent should have jumped on stage and taken a bullet for Kanye West and the rest of the hip-hop world.
For the second year in a row, and to keep with the long-held tradition of denying rap music its proper due among the entertainment industry's elite, the RIAA handed its best new artist award to the wrong performers.
Instead of honoring West -- the only new male artist whose album reached double platinum status in 2004 -- the association proved its geriatric taste in music and inability to bob its head to the beat like the rest of the world.
Maroon 5 carried a category including teen pop/soul prodigy Joss Stone, producer-turned-rapper West, country rookie Gretchen Wilson and rock group Los Lonely Boys.
Maroon 5 probably shouldn't even have qualified for the best new artist award, though. The band was formed in 1995 (under the name Kara's Flowers), and released its first album in 1997. "Songs About Jane," the group's first and only album as Maroon 5, was released in 2002.
But the dilemma lies less in Maroon 5's status as a new artist and more with the recurring failure of the RIAA to recognize rap music equally with pop, rock and other music genres.
Only Lauryn Hill, who won the best new artist award in 1998, and Arrested Development, honored as 1992's best new artist, have ever used hip-hop music to win the Grammy's most prestigious award for breakout artists.
But the rap world isn't only denied respect in the best new artist category. A hip-hop record has yet to win for record of the year and only Outkast's album, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," has ever won album of the year. Only recently have rap albums and artists even been nominated for the Grammys most prestigious awards.
Instead of rap artists, the Grammy voters smile on musicians such as Ray Charles, this year showering him with eight awards -- including record of the year and album of the year.
Charles deserves his due, as do other experienced artists, but so does the rap industry. Too often, rap albums are overlooked or overly criticized because the music is of another generation -- our generation. It's a wonder hip-hop artists even attend the award shows at all.
Maybe they show up to perform and prove to the world that they command the music industry.
West had just lost the best new artist award to Maroon 5 when he shot adrenaline through the crowd with a fiery performance of "Jesus Walks." Along with a gospel choir, an elaborate church backdrop was used to mark West's near-fatal car accident and his subsequent resurrection.
West then accepted the best rap album award by saying, "When I had my accident, I found out that nothing in life is promised except death. Appreciate the moment." He then added, "People wondered what I would do if I didn't win. I guess we'll never know."
West epitomizes perseverance and the spirit of the rap industry. He was justly nominated for 10 awards and managed to win two: one for best rap album with "College Dropout," and one for best rap song with "Jesus Walks," an energetic, soul-pumping track on the album.
I just wonder why he didn't win more. But I guess we'll never know.
Ty Thompson is a journalism sophomore. Drop him a line at tyler.w.thompson@asu.edu.
