Papi Chulo's BLOG

MUSIC VIDEO :: Kanye West, "Monster" [Feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj]

~Papi Chulo~

53rd Annual Grammy Award Nominees Announced

Nominations for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced last night on a live CBS television special hosted by LL Cool J. Eminem received the most honors with 10 nominations in categories including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars came in next with seven nominations. Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum and Lady Gaga each received six nominations.

The 2011 Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 13, 2011 @ 8pm on CBS.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Album of the Year

* The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
* Recovery, Eminem
* Need You Now, Lady Antebellum
* The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga
* Teenage Dream, Katy Perry

Record of the Year

* "Nothing on You," B.O.B featuring Bruno Mars
* "Love the Way You Lie," Eminem featuring Rihanna
* "Fuck You! (Forget You!)," Cee Lo Green
* "Empire State," Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
* "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year

* "Beg, Steal or Borrow," Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs (Writer: Ray LaMontagne)
* "Fuck You! (Forget You!)," Cee Lo Green (Writers: Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars)
* "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert (Writers: Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin)
* "Love the Way You Lie," Eminem featuring Rihanna (Writers: Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman and Marshall Mathers)
* "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum (Writers: Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott)

Best New Artist

* Justin Bieber
* Drake
* Florence and the Machine
* Mumford & Sons
* Esperanza Spalding

Kanye West Cancels Today Show Performance

Kanye West has canceled a scheduled performance on NBC's Today show after his "brutal" interview with host Matt Lauer. West tweeted his cancellation.

Kanye West (@KanyeWest): "I'm not performing on the Today Show for obvious reasons. I'm so happy the world got to see just a small piece of 'the set up.' I blatantly said I'm not performing on a tweet and to everyone around me and the next day they still announced a performance."

But just to make it clear, West tweeted that his beef wasn't personal.

Kanye West: "Right now I'm not complaining. I'm tweeting because I'm so happy you guys got to see this shit really go down!!!!:)))))))!!!! FINALLY!!! And I don't hate Matt Lauer...We don't promote hate. That's the whole point!!! I promote love and truth! All positive energy...all smiles. Much love to Matt and the whole Today Show. I accept y'all future apology in advance LOL!"

~Papi Chulo~

In the News :: Kanye West Apologizes for George Bush Comment, Calls Today Interview "Brutal"

Kanye West was interviewed on NBC's Today show and he told host Matt Lauer that he regrets his infamous "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" comment. The former president cited that comment as a low point in his presidency.

Kanye West: "I would say of George Bush, in my moment of frustration, I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist. But I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that, we as human beings don't always choose the right words."

George W. Bush was shown the clip and he said: "I appreciate that. It wasn't just Kanye West who was talking like that during Katrina, I cited him as an example, I cited others as an example as well. You know, I appreciate that."

During the interview, Lauer showed West a clip of Bush reacting to the mention of West's name.

Matt Lauer: "Don't even listen, just look at his face. This is the most emotional he [Bush] got during the interview."

Kanye West: "I didn't need you guys to show me the tape to prompt my emotions. I came up here because I wanted to say something right after the fact. This is the reality, this is the real thing going on. I don't need all the jazz. I want to give it the exact perfect wording because everything I say gets taken and drawn into headlines. I'm here to man up to different mistakes I made and speak to the moment I pegged George Bush as a racist. I came here to say I made mistakes and grown as a person."

Then, Lauer used a clip of the VMA incident for emphasis. West didn't like that.

Kanye West: "How am I supposed to talk when you're running this thing when I'm talking? It's ridiculous."

But, West didn't appreciate how the whole exchange was handled by Today. West tweeted (@KanyeWest) yesterday: "I went up there to express how I was empathetic to Bush because I labeled him a racist and years later I got labeled as a racist. While I was trying to give the interview they started playing the 'MTV' under with me with audio!!!!!!!! I don't mess with Matt Lauer or the Today Show…and that's a very nice way for me to put it! HE TRIED TO FORCE MY ANSWERS. IT WAS VERY BRUTAL AND I CAME THERE WITH ONLY POSITIVE INTENT. I felt very alone very used very tortured very forced very misunderstood very hollow very very misused. I don't trust anybody but myself! Everyone has an agenda. I don't do press anymore. I can't be everything to everybody anymore. I can't be everybody's hero and villain savior and sinner Christian and anti Christ! Everything sounds like noise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING SOUNDS LIKE NOISE!!!!!!!! I don't trust anyone! Very judged very scrutinized very criticized! Yo I really wonder if Matt Lauer thought that shit was cool to play the 'MTV' clip while I was speaking about Bush? He played clips of Bush and asked met to look at his face while I was trying to talk to him."

Lauer said there was nothing unusual in showing a clip and having a guest comment on it.

~Papi Chulo~

In the News :: George W. Bush "Feeling Disgust" Over Kanye West's Comment; West Responds

In a special prime-time interview with Matt Lauer set to air November 8, 2010 on NBC, former president George W. Bush takes a look back at his eight years in office. During the interview, he calls Kanye West's "Bush doesn't care about Black people" comment one of the low points of his presidency.

George W. Bush: "He called me a racist. And I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now. It's one thing to say, 'I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another to say, 'This man's a racist.' I resent it, it's not true."

Lauer read a passage from Bush's memoirs, Decision Points, that stated: "Five years later I can barely write those words without feeling disgust. I faced a lot of criticism as president. I didn't like hearing people claim that I lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or cut taxes to benefit the rich. But the suggestion that I was racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low."

George W. Bush: "Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt 'em when I heard 'em, felt 'em when I wrote 'em and I felt 'em when I'm listening to 'em. ... I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There's a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple."

Kanye West has responded to Bush's comments.

Kanye West: "I definitely can understand the way he feels, to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me, where I got accused of being a racist. For both situations, it was basically a lack of compassion that America felt in that situation. With him, it was a lack of compassion of him not rushing, him not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. For me, it was a lack of compassion of cutting someone off in their moment. But nonetheless, I think we're all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I'm more open, and the poetic justice that I feel, to have went through the same thing that he went [through]—and now I really more connect with him on just a humanitarian level."

Here's the audio from Kanye's response:

~Papi Chulo~