not that i give a rats ass about awards, but damn i hope she wins this one...

her latest release "Spirit Music Jamia: Dance Of The Infidel" is nominated for Best Contemprary Jazz Album

like i said, i don't usually care about awards at all, but i reallywant her to win this for several reasons...

...one of which is ironic karma...

You see, she originally wanted to release this record on her original longtime label. But they didn't want to release it. They said nope...'No, we're not putting that out. You're a funk artist, or you're soul artist, or hip-hoppish artist or an alternative artist...actually we don't know WHAT you are really, but we KNOW we're not letting you put out a record of improvisational jazz. thats for SHO'

But Meshell believed in the record so much, she continued to fight for it...even after the label she was signed to said flat out 'NO, WE WILL NOT PUT THIS RECORD OUT, now go back and create a record we can sell to radio, mtv whatever'...

but Meshell stayed true to her convictions and fought on...eventually at least getting the 'ok' from her longtime label for her to hit the pavement and shop her own Jazz record around HERSELF to see if anyone ELSE cared to release it...i guess they didn't think she'd find any takers...they're probably thinkin like "yeah...you got some improvisational Jazz album??? yeah right..like somenes gonna bite on that. You'll be back"...

well someone else DID bite...over in Europe (Universal France put it out over there and then Shanachie put it out over here in the states)...

...so...
•her original label didn't think the record was worth putting out. guess they wanted more of a marketable 'hit' type of record...
•but these OTHER labels believed in the album and Meshells vision and agreed to put her Jazz record out,
•and Meshell then gets dropped by her old/original record label...
•and then this Jazz record that her OLD label DIDN'T believe in, (but Meshell and these other labels DID believe in) is now nominated for a Grammy...

heheh...so, whether she wins or not, and whether a win actually means more sales, more fans, more recognition, or not...regardless of the outcome, i definitely think theres a bit of ironic Karma here without a doubt...

but damn i want her to win this...

go ahead Meshell with your badass...i'm rootin for ya girl...

kool.

It's a fantastic album!

she is everything that prince wishes he could be right now. he is kidding himself when he (and his fans) declare, "the only competition is me in the past".

honey chile....dont be scurred cause she is a girl. she is up for the challenge. COMPETE!!

Yeah, I hope she wins, too! For real artists, the traditional record industry just doesn't work anymore. They are all about the bottom line now. No matter who you are, if you don't sell a certain number, you're out. So all they have left are disposable "artists" that they can milk for a couple of albums, then throw away. Real artists are going to have to continue to find other ways to get their stuff out there...

Here's the category definition and who she's running against...

Field 10 - Jazz
Category 45 - Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)


"The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance Of The Infidel" - Meshell Ndegeocello

"Keystone" - Dave Douglas

"Soulgrass" - Bill Evans

"The Way Up" - Pat Metheny Group

"Momentum" - Joshua Redman Elastic Band

when do the grammy's air anyway?