GRAMMY PREVIEW: Best Rap Solo Performance: Kanye Should Win for Power

Like my man Jalil from Whodini said on Friends, "Nevertheless, I'll say it again..." that Kanye West is the most important hip hop artist of the last 10 years. Don't agree? Then you're buggin'.

Cats forget we're talking about an artist that the label he was producing hits for, didn't wanna sign him. An artist who had to come out of HIS pocket to shoot a video for "Through the Wire (which he initially recorded with his jaw wired shut) for people to believe in his vision. And then blessed us with the damn near classic album "College Dropout" with hits like "All Falls Down", "Jesus Walks", "Slow Jamz" with Jamie Foxx and Twista and ends up selling over 3 million copies.

Then he follows that up with "Late Registration" where he collabs with Jon Brion to bring us "Drive Slow", "Touch the Sky", "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and "Heard 'em Say" that went on to sell 2.3 mil copies. Then hits us with "Graduation" with the hits "Good Life", "Can't Tell Me Nothing", "Flashing Lights" and "Stronger" which also sold over 2 million copies. Then Ye flips the script and decides to T Pain it on "808 and Heartbreaks" and STILL hits us in the head with "Amazing", "Love Lockdown", "Heartless" and "Coldest Winter" AND sells over 2 mil AGAIN. And last but not least he drops "My Dark Twisted Fantasy" which unless you've been living under a rock, you know how good that album is. Now, Ye did all that while producing Com's comeback album (because that's exactly what Be was), Brandy, Twista, Jay Z, Camron, Beans, Freeway, Twista, Talib Kweli, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Slum Village, Keyshia Cole and TOO many more artist to name. Not to mention Ye introduced the world to one of music's biggest stars, John Legend.

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Now, let's recap, that's 4 number one albums, over 16 million records sold worldwide, has produced hits for almost any artist that has been relevant for the last 10 years AND Kanye actually has something to say. This dude is the first mc to say that he's insecure. The first mc to bring up the controversy around conflict diamonds. The first mc to get a hip hop song about Jesus banged in the club, on the radio and I know I've heard this song in at least 3 movies! A song about Jesus! Not selling drugs, not being a pimp, not about blowing money fast, but Jesus!?!?!

All of that to say, is there another nominee in the Best Rap Solo Performance that deserves this award more then Kanye for "Power"? Now I know all the career stats I just beat ya'll in the head with has nuthin to do with next week's Grammy's but have you heard Power? Have you seen the video? The Saturday Night Live performance? And ya'll think someone deserves it more then Ye? "But nevertheless, I'll say it again"...ya'll buggin.