by Jacob Wilbanks

The 54th Grammy’s are on this weekend, marking “music’s biggest night” of the year. Tune in Sunday at 8:00 p.m. on CBS to catch the show.

It is no surprise that Adele racked up nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, along with four more nominations for a grand total of six. She had a stellar year, with 21 going platinum multiple times over and her single “Rolling in the Deep” arguably being the biggest hit of the year.

Kanye West actually surpassed her with seven total nominations to be the most nominated artist of the year (though some of these are for his joint effort Watch the Throne with Jay-Z). My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne are up for Best Rap Album, but both were left out of the Best Album of the Year category, which features some surprising choices like Rihanna’s Loud and Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

Some of the most nominated artists other than Adele and West are Bruno Mars, Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, and Skrillex.

Skrillex’s six nominations show that the Grammy’s are at least attempting to connect with the young audience, despite the mixed opinions about the musical merits of dubstep. However, the Grammy’s are somewhat notarized for their attempt at appealing to popular tastes and selecting the highest selling records to win awards – not for choosing critically lauded music. Any music buff will remind you that Buddy Holly, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix have never won a single Grammy.

However, in recent years, specifically last year, there were huge shocks such as Ezperanza Spalding winning Best New Artist, and Arcade Fire winning Album of the Year for The Suburbs. It will be interesting to note whether this years Grammy’s will be awarded to the top-selling musicians or if they opt for the lesser known critically-acclaimed acts.

The show will feature several performers, both new and old. The performers include Foo Fighters, Nicki Minaj, Adele, Paul McCartney and Coldplay, among many others.

The Grammy’s have a whopping total of 78 categories, but assuming most of you don’t listen to bluegrass or care about the “best engineered non-classical album,” here are some of the more prestigious awards.

 

Album of the Year

-Adele 21

-Foo Fighters Wasting Light

-Lady Gaga Born This Way

-Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans

-Rihanna Loud

 

Record of the Year

-Adele “Rolling in the Deep”

-Bon Iver “Holocene”

-Bruno Mars “Grenade”

-Mumford & Sons “The Cave”

-Katy Perry “Firework”

 

Song of the Year

-Kanye West “All Of The Lights”

-Mumford & Sons “The Cave”

-Bruno Mars “Grenade”

-Bon Iver “Holocene”

-Adele “Rolling in the Deep”

 

Best New Artist

-The Band Perry

-Bon Iver

-J. Cole

-Nicki Minaj

-Skrillex

 

Best Rock Album

-Jeff Beck Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul

-Foo Fighters Wasting Light

-Kings Of Leon Come Around Sundown

-Red Hot Chili Peppers I’m With You

-Wilco The Whole Love

 

Best Alternative Music Album

-Bon Iver Bon Iver

-Death Cab For Cutie Codes And Keys

-Foster The People Torches

-My Morning Jacket Circuital

-Radiohead The King Of Limbs

 

Best Rap Album

-Jay-Z & Kanye West Watch The Throne

-Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV

-Lupe Fiasco Lasers

-Nicki Minaj Pink Friday

-Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy