Would Adele still have won AOTY in 2012

[Thomas P 18,376]

If Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was nominated?

He didn’t get that AOTY nod that literally everyone on this planet was predicting back then (most likely due to the fact that he and Jay’s Watch The Throne was also in contention, so he most likely split votes). 

It was by far the most acclaimed record in that eligibility period (not to mention one of the highest rated albums in mainstream music history), it was a commercial success, it changed hip-hop as a genre forever, etc. He was everywhere, he was having his own version of a redemption arc in the mainstream following the Taylor incident, etc. He was also the most nominated artist that night without the AOTY nomination anyway. 

21 was also one of the biggest cultural touchstones in music this past century, so I honestly still think it would’ve won (I mean if 25 could win and it didn’t nearly reach its predecessor’s highs...), but I was thinking about this while listening to a throwback playlist that played Runaway right after Rolling in the Deep. 

I know that BTW was also nominated (and don’t come for me, I like that album way more than the other 2), but there was literally no possible way anyone was gonna beat Adele, nor should they have with the kind of year she had. The only person that would’ve posed a threat to her that night was Kanye (regardless of what he’s done nowadays, try and think back to 2010/11/12). 

Im curious what you guys think about this 

[Chromatica 7,030]

Probably. For a few reasons IMO.

First of all, #GrammysSoWhite. 25 won even when it would’ve been in the Grammys best interest to give it to Lemonade.

Second of all, Adele was a cultural phenomenon and nothing was going to stop her. 
 

Third, critical acclaim doesn’t guarantee a win. Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the only other album besides MBDTF of this millennium to get a perfect ten on pitchfork and it didn’t get an AOTY nod either.

[Agunimon 20,162]

I think she would have, but I don't think it would have been deserved.

[Bio 23,538]

She would have but she shouldn’t.

[js4754394o9823 6,882]

born this way won in my mind

[Rio 5,088]

Ngl, out of the nominees that year, I thought Gaga would have beat Adele. Not because I'm a Gaga fan but it was a far better work than 21. It was more experimental, it had the hits, it had great production and it was just a more interesting and deeper level of work.

[Monster7 5,621]

Just like 25 won over Lemonade and 1989 won over To Pimp a Butterfly,or Bruno's 24k Magic too, 21 would have won

[Better Day 5,766]

21 only won the AOTY because of how long it spent in the charts not because it’s a better album. 

[Anderson123 30,923]

Yes, I think she would've won either way, 21 was massive. Rap is a very hard genre that rarely wins Album of the Year, Kendrick lost twice to pop albums and everyone agreed he should've won.

[HausOfAntonio 7,821]

If there is any album that would have never lost AOTY its 21. Are we forgetting the cultural paradigm shift it generated???

[gumzy3000 6,428]

She would have still beat Kanye because she had huge album sales and the Grammy's like that but I think MBDTF is 100x better than 21. That album is a masterpiece and Kanyes magnum opus 

[Hebi 13,928]

[FFXIV WhiteMage 4,981]

BTW was the real winner.

 

 

[boyerased 2,759]

Yes, but it would be a much controversial one, even over lemonade or TPAB losing. That album is literally one of the best albums of all time. As much as I love 21 and how polished and how much a cultural juggernaut it was, it just pales in comparison to MBDTF. That album subtlety influenced many of the last decade’s best albums and visual works.

[Sassy McSass 814]

21 is an iconic album. It still sells more than a lot of new releases today and even if it didn’t, it’s timeless and a body of work that will continue to be appreciated and relevant decades from now. It deserved the win. That said, depending on the year, it’s  just sad that sometimes it feels like more than one album deserved to be recognized. Sometimes there are albums that are so great that it feels random that just one should be named the best. But that’s just my opinion, of course.