Predicting hip-hop at the Grammys has been notoriously difficult, but the best Rap/Sung Collaboration category has been one of the easiest. Like the other categories in Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song, the Grammys go for star power, but with Rap/Sung Collaboration, they do not deviate from what the charts and the radio say is what the kids are listening to. The 2015 nominees are a little different, with inclusions from Common, Schoolboy Q and ILoveMakonnen with the assist from Drake, but otherwise star power rules the day. The argument of who should win and who will win will rage on long after the Grammys are over and is always divisive, but we took our best crack at it.
The nominees are:
Common featuring Jhené Aoki - "Blak Majik"
Eminem featuring Rihanna - "The Monster"
ILoveMakonnen featuring Drake - "Tuesday"
Schoolboy Q featuring BJ the Chicago Kid - "Studio"
Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson - "Bound 2"
What Collaboration Should Win: Eminem featuring Rihanna - "The Monster"
In a somewhat weak nomination pool, Eminem should find himself rise to the top of the pack in this category. ILoveMakonnen's "Tuesday" has become a serviceable anthem for drunken partygoers, but that does not warrant the most prestigious award in music. Not even Drake will be able to save him, though Drake has had his own issues winning Grammys.
Schoolboy Q falls just short in this category when surprisingly the Grammys did not nominate his collaboration with Kendrick Lamar "Collard Greens" to the same category. "Studio" was his most successful song, but compared to what Eminem and Kanye West put together in this category, it falls just short. The contribution of BJ the Chicago Kid cannot hold up to the power that Rihanna brings to "The Monster."
Common is a name that is just big enough to earn nominations, but not enough to win Grammys. "Blak Majik" is a strong effort from him and Jhené Aiko, but it does not represent Common's best work or the best in the category.
"Bound 2" was another tour de force from Kanye West -- a perfect way to cap off Yeezus. He could take home the award as an apology for not getting anything last year, but the inclusion of Charlie Wilson in the category seems a bit convenient and geared toward winning a Grammy nod.
With the best pure collaboration among equals in the group, Eminem and Rihanna's "The Monster" fits the bill to a tee. Both artists shine with well-written lyrics and a stellar performance that led to a tour across the United States. "The Monster" became the standout of an album that was hit and miss, but this power collab showed no signs of letting up from start to finish.
Who Will Win: Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson - "Bound 2"
Let me give you a stat. Among the past 13 groups of winners, nine of them have either included Jay Z or Kanye West. Sixty-nine percent of the winning collaborations have either had Jay Z or Kanye West. 2015 does not have anything from Jay Z, but Kanye has snuck his way into the nominations by releasing "Bound 2" as a single during the 2015 voting period.
Past winners have been stacked with star talent, like Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye West's "Run This Town" or Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Kudi and Fergie's "All of the Lights," and right off of bat, three nominations can be eliminated on lack of star power and visibility alone. Schoolboy Q featuring BJ the Chicago Kid's "Studio" did some damage in the charts, but never got up there. Common can earn nominations, but is not mainstream enough for this category, and iLoveMakonnen -- even with Drake -- does not have the name recognition to carry the day.
It comes down to Eminem and Kanye West, and though the voters do like Rihanna, she is the featured artist and not the lead act in this case, like Kanye West. Neither are relevant anymore, but that does not matter to the Grammys. The voters will recognize the sample-based style from another Kanye work, College Dropout, which they voted for Best Rap Album in 2004 and give it a nod over Eminem, who they also love. It is a toss-up here, but the tie will go to Yeezus.
