The 38th Annual Grammy Nominations : R&B; / RAP : Some New Names Emerge

The most surprises in the R&B;/rap nominations come from the rap side of the equation.

Academy voters have favored “safe rap”--be it the cultured stylings of Arrested Development or the beatnik verve of Digable Planets--in the past. Hard-core rap, in particular the gangsta variety, has tended to be ignored.

This year’s nominations for Coolio, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, 2Pac, Dr. Dre and Method Man, among others, are as shocking as they are significant.

In the rap solo category, Skee-Low’s “I Wish” is the kind of lighthearted song the voters have gone for in the past, but Dr. Dre’s “Keep Their Heads Ringing,” Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” and 2Pac’s “Dear Mama” are all hard to ignore. The biggest surprise in the rap album category is Old Dirty Bastard’s strikingly unorthodox “Return to the 36th Chamber, the Dirty Version.”

Past nominees and winners Anita Baker, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey and Vanessa Williams have resurfaced in the female R&B; vocal competition, proving that it helps to be a familiar name on the ballot. The only newcomer is young sensation Brandy.

For male R&B; vocal, D’Angelo, with his mellifluous voice and inspired lyricism, is clearly the golden child, although he’ll have some stiff competition from his idols Stevie Wonder and Prince, whose “I Hate You” is one of his best songs in years.