And the Winner Is?
updated 2/21/01.

The 43rd Grammy awards show was a mixed bag of goodies for controversial rapper Eninem. The Grammy- winning Detroit star, who was up for four awards this year, won the Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group, and Rap Solo Performance. But the prestigious Album of the Year award went to rock group Steely Dan.

Despite receiving a standing ovation from Grammy go'ers, social critics and advocacy groups did protest the Grammy's because of the rap star's lyrics on his album. They said the lyrics are hate speech and they promote violence. The rapper, while accepting the Best Rap Album award, simply thanked voters for seeing what his album is and what is was not.

NewsHour Discussion: Eminem's Rap 2/21/01

What's up with Eminem?

Most people have an opinion about Eminem, the rapper whose album is nominated for four Grammy awards--the prestigious album of the year award and three rap categories.

Are his rhymes and rhythms infectious, or simply offensive?

Do songs that are disrespectful of both women and homosexuals encourage hate?

Students at T.C. Williams High School in Virginia had differing opinions about the blond-haired Slim Daddy. They produced this Video Buzz that explores how people feel about the rapper and the big deal parents and others are making out of him.

A big deal?

Eminem, 26, refers to "fags," fantasizes about raping his own mother and jokes about domestic violence. He is being sued by his mother and standing trial for attacking someone with a gun.

"I don’t understand how (the Grammy committee) could ignore his hateful, homophobic lyrics in their decision-making process," Joan Garry, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "It’s just not OK to be provocative at the expense of an entire community of people."

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Grammys has received thousands of calls and e-mails about the nominations. Response was about 2-1 against the nominations, according to the president of the organization.

But Eminem’s popularity has only soared with the recent attention. His album was the second-best-selling album of 2000, behind ’N Sync’s "No Strings Attached" -- it sold 7.9 million copies in the United States.

Erik Parker, music editor for Source magazine, said with the kind of success Eminem had, "the Grammys couldn’t help but to recognize that. I mean, it would have been a blatant oversight not to recognize Eminem."

As for the protests from groups like GLAAD, Parker said: "I think they have a right to be upset, but I don’t think that they can censor the Grammy nominations based upon the temperament of someone’s music, if it is artistically appreciated and acclaimed."

The Grammy ceremony will be held Feb. 21 in Los Angeles.

What do you think? Should Eminem win another Grammy? Do you like his music?

Click here for past buzzes...