Just Out There Biebin'

I was overjoyed to see Esperanza Spaulding take home the Best New Artist Grammy. I was dismayed that her Wikipedia page was hacked the next day, most likely by a marauding bunch of 'tween Justin Bieber fans who probably can't afford to pay for the Internet access they used to accomplish their deed.

Thank heavens the music world isn't ruled by twelve year-olds.

In case you Bieber fans can't possibly comprehend how the Biebs lost out on that one, let me break it down for you: The Recording Academy is not a fan. And they've pretty much predicted that Spaulding has career staying power and Bieber doesn't.

I'm not saying the Recording Academy always gets it right. Past winners of the Best New Artist Grammy include the Starland Vocal Band, Bob Newhart, Marc Cohn and Milli Vanilli -- until it was discovered that neither Milli nor Vanilli actually sang on their records. Past losers include Leontyne Price, Kanye West, John Mayer, Jill Scott, Green Day, The Judds, and this year's big winners, Lady Antebellum. But when you look at the list of winners, the last teen sensation to take home the award appears to be The Beatles back in '65. But that was different -- they were, after all, The Beatles.

Justin Bieber is not The Beatles.

Long story short, teen idols don't get Best New Artist Grammies precisely because they are, well, teen idols. The world, and especially the Recording Academy, isn't ruled by twelve year-olds and their fickle and questionable taste in music.

Black Man Not Blogging doesn't usually weigh in on cultural stuff. He's too busy working. But this time, he spoke up.

"Esperanza Spaulding, that girl was playing the violin at 5, was concertmaster by 15, at the Berklee College of Music by 16, on their faculty by 20! Justin Bieber, well, that boy, he's just out there Biebin'."

There you have it, folks. Justin Bieber is just out there Biebin', and Black Man Not Blogging wishes he would stop. Real soon. Like yesterday.