Lil Wayne Leads Grammy Nods With 8, Coldplay 7
Lil Wayne gets a leading 8 Grammy nominations, including album of the year; Coldplay gets 7
Though she hosted and performed, Swift, last year's best new artist nominee, was shut out completely. The 18-year-old country artist has had a sensational year thanks to the continued success of her 2006 self-titled debut album and her latest top-selling CD, "Fearless." While neither was eligible for consideration, her recent singles were.
While "Tha Carter III" was not regarded by critics as his greatest CD, it was the album that made the highly regarded rapper — who has been on the scene for more than a decade — a certified superstar, thanks to massive hits like "Lollipop" and "A Milli" — Lil Wayne slang for "a million." Lil Wayne not only rapped on his own hits but seemed to be on just about every urban act's record, and that was reflected in his multiple nominations, some of which were for collaborations.
"Tha Carter III" was the only record this year to sell 1 million copies in its first week and is the year's top seller with 2.7 million copies sold.
Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," its first album in three years, was also a huge hit; it has sold 1.9 million copies to date.
Radiohead's "In Rainbows" didn't break sales records, but it was as revolutionary as it was critically acclaimed. First released last fall in a pay-as-you wish format on the band's Web site, "In Rainbows" was an instant viral sensation that shook up an industry struggling with its traditional business model (although Radiohead later released the album traditionally via a record label). The CD netted seven Grammys, including producer of the year for Nigel Godrich.
Plant linked up with Grammy darling and bluegrass artist Krauss for a CD that pushed both in different musical directions, while Ne-Yo, who has produced several smashes for other artists, had success with "Year of the Gentleman."
"When I was putting it together, I was trying to do something that everybody could get into, as opposed to just my pop and R&B core group," Ne-Yo, who got six nominations, said after the ceremony. "I was trying to do something that the world could enjoy and I think that the Grammy people paid attention to that."
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