the urban alternative.

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Performances Ranked From Best To Worst

The 2017 Grammy show delivered consistently good performances – some were a few steps above greatness, and some were just a few steps below it. Adele – “Hello” The effortless opener by Adele became an earth-shattering moment that led to 5/5 wins for the British singer. Unlike many of the other performances, “Hello” doesn’t need a lot of theatrics to excel. All it needs is a powerhouse vocalist…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions + Commentary On ‘The Big Four’ Categories

The stakes are higher than ever in the 2017 Big Four Grammys as Bey and Adele are set to face-off in some of music’s biggest accolades. Due to the potential for public outcry and riots, I’m expecting Bey to pull some huge upsets in the Big Four, leaving the genre-specific category wins to the likes of Adele, Lukas Graham, and Rihanna respectively (see 2016 list here). Record Of The Year (Category…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammys Cheat Sheet x Predictions and Nominees

Below are TUA’s official predictions for the 2017 Grammys. Check back on Monday, February 13th to see if the predictions below were accurate. The Big Four Categories Record Of The Year (Category 1) Rihanna (feat. Drake) – Work Album Of The Year (Category 2) Beyoncé – Lemonade Song Of The Year (Category 3) Adele – Hello Best New Artist (Category 4) The Chainsmokers Click here to read the full post…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions x Pop/Dance

Since there’s no Skrillex, Diplo, or Taylor Swift amongst the 2017 nominees, there’s bound to be lots of new faces to win this year – if Adele doesn’t win AOTY (see 2016 list here). Best Pop Solo Performance (Category 5) Adele – Hello Beyoncé – Hold Up Justin Bieber – Love Yourself Kelly Clarkson – Piece By Piece (Idol Version) Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman Who Should Win: Kelly Clarkson –…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions x Rap

Instead of Kendrick Lamar dominating each of these categories as similar to 2016, there’s a lot more Drake than I anticipated which could lead to a few upsets for some of rap’s biggest nominees (see 2016 list here). Best Rap Performance (Category 22) Chance The Rapper (feat. Lil’ Wayne and 2 Chainz) – No Problem Desiigner – Panda Drake (feat. The Throne) – Pop Style Fat Joe and Remy Ma (feat.…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions x Country

TUA favorite Brandy Clark returns with a new album in 2016 that will become a frontrunner in many of the country categories this year (see 2016 list here). Best Country Solo Performance (Category 26) Brandy Clark – Love Can Go To Hell Miranda Lambert – Vice Maren Morris – My Church Carrie Underwood – Church Bells Keith Urban – Blue Ain’t Your Color Who Should Win: Maren Morris – My Church…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions x R&B

A lot of wins within the R&B categories depend on whether Beyonce’ wins AOTY and if Rihanna’s “Work” wins ROTY. Any shifts between those two categories will have direct impact on the predictions (and winners) of nearly every other Grammy category. Best R&B Performance (Category 17) BJ The Chicago Kid – Turnin’ Me Up Ro James – Permission Musiq Soulchild – I Do Rihanna – Needed Me Solange’ –…

[REVIEW] 2017 Grammy Predictions x Rock

The rock generation lost a legend in 2016, and I’m hoping that the winners in these categories expands on David Bowie’s legacy (see 2016 list here). Best Rock Performance (Category 12) Alabama Shakes – Joe (Live From Austin City Limits) Beyoncé (feat. Jack White) – Don’t Hurt Yourself David Bowie – Blackstar Disturbed – The Sound Of Silence (Live On Conan) Twenty One Pilots – Heathens Who Should…

The 2017 gospel/contemporary picks features lots of new artists and surprising collaboration projects. Without Lecrae under any of this year’s categories, this year could be the first in which all first-time nominees could become certified Grammy winners (see 2016 list here). Best Gospel Performance/Song – Songwriter’s Award (Category 36) Shirley Caesar (feat. Anthony Hamilton) – It’s Alright,…

[YEAR-END] Best Albums Of 2016 (30-21)

These ten albums mark the halfway point of TUA’s year-end lists and are just a few steps away from greatness (see 2015 list here). 30. Bat For Lashes – The Bride I’m not usually big on concept albums, but Bat For Lashes (also known as Natasha Khan) and ‘The Bride’, it’s a marriage well-deserved. On her fourth album, bride Khan writes beautiful ballads about a husband who dies in a car crash on…