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Here ‘Ye, here ‘Ye! Or don’t: Kanye West may have lead the pack with seven nods when the 54th annual Grammy nominations were announced on Wednesday, but the rapper, whose album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy topped countless critics’ end-of-year lists, was snubbed in the Album of the Year category, as well as every major category except Song of the Year. Academy voters were most comfortable relegating West to genre categories like Best Rap Performance.
Taylor Swift (for Speak Now) and Beyoncé (for 4) were also overlooked for Album of the Year. (Taylor’s probably doing a very different kind of surprised face right now.) Despite a grand roll-out that included multiple videos and the big VMAs reveal of her baby earlier this year, poor Bey scored only two nominations, both in fairly minor categories: “Party,” her collaboration with Andre 3000 (and, frankly, not the best song on 4), earned a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration nod, while “I Am…World Tour” is in the running for Best Long Form Video. Does this mean we won’t be able to see Beyoncé shake her best tassled maternity dress onstage this year?
And That Song that’s been playing on the radio, in your car, at the grocery store, at the gym, and in your head for the better part of 2011? Sadly, Foster the People went largely unrecognized for “Pumped Up Kicks,” which will no doubt anchor many Best Singles of 2011 lists. Passed over for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, even the Best New Artist category, the group was left to compete only for Best Alternative Album.
Of course, that leaves more space for the big surprise of the night: rave kingpin Skrillex. Racking up five nominations, and taking up a slot in the Best New Artist category that could’ve been filled by, say, Fleet Foxes, Foster the People, or the Civil Wars, he may soon be famous for more than just being the Most Hated Man in Dubstep.
Readers, what’s your take? Find our extended gallery of snubs and surprises here.
More on EW.com:
Grammy nominees list 2012
Trey Parker and Robert Lopez on ‘Book of Mormon’ Grammy nod
On the scene at the 2012 Grammy Nominations Concert: Best and worst moments
