When someone's had a career as fruitful as Nasir Jones has, it goes without saying that he should have more than a few Grammys under his belt. To the horror of many hip hop fans (myself included), Nas boasts 0, despite being nominated a whopping 9 times.
Immediately I wondered, who took home the golden award? Were the victors the rap reincarnation of Milli Vanilli, or were they deserving opponents? Take a look at Nas' Grammy snubs over the years, and wish him luck as he's nominated for 3 awards tonight thanks to the commercial and critical success of Life Is Good.
1997:
Best Rap Solo Performance for "If I Ruled the World" ft. Lauryn Hill
Lost to: LL Cool J - "Hey Lover"
2000:
Best Rap Album for "I Am..."
Lost to: Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "The Essence" (with AZ)
Lost to: Outkast ft. Killer Mike - "The Whole World"
Best Music Video, Short Form for "One Mic"
Lost to: Eminem - "Without Me"
2008:
Best Rap Album for "Hip Hop Is Dead"
Lost to: Kanye West - Graduation
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Better Than I've Ever Been" (with Kanye West & KRS-One)
Lost to : Common & Kanye West - "Southside"
2009:
Best Rap Album for "Untitled"
Lost to: Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Best Rap Solo Performance for "N.i.*.*.e.r. (The Slave and the Master)"
Lost to: Lil Wayne - "A Milli"
2010:
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Too Many Rappers" (with The Beastie Boys)
Lost to: Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent for "Crack A Bottle"
I think the issue with Nas' Grammys history is that he simply should've been nominated for more of his work. A lot of Nas' snubs on features were understandable, but I think "If I Ruled The World," Untitled, and "One Mic" should have brought home the gold. Comment below and tell me what you think.
Will Nas snap his streak tonight? Tune in to CBS at 8PM ET to find out!
