Various Artists News

(1/26/00, 7 a.m. ET) - RCA Records has joined forces with the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) to release a pair of year 2000 Grammy compilations, the sixth entry in the annual series that honors many of the year's Grammy-nominated artists and songs.

The 2000 Grammy Nominees album will see release on Feb. 8 and features tracks by popular artists such as Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys. Song selections from the 2000 Grammy Nominees album represent nominees from the record of the year, best new artist, and best pop vocal performance categories.

The 2000 Grammy Rap Nominees album features tracks by rap and hip-hop artists such as Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Nas, and the Roots, and will be released in both "clean" and "explicit" versions on Feb. 15. The 2000 Grammy Rap Nominees set represents nominees from best rap solo performance, best rap performance duo or group, and best rap album categories.

The packaging for the 2000 Grammy albums will include multi-page, full-color booklets highlighting the nominated artists, with an outline of the Grammy-nominating process and descriptions of the various categories. Past Grammy-nominee releases have generated worldwide sales of more than 9 million units.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of both of the 2000 Grammy Nominees albums will benefit the NARAS Foundation's music-education programs -- such as Grammy in the Schools, National Grammy Concert Series For Children, and Grammy All-American High School Jazz Band & Choir -- as well as its archive and preservation initiatives.

The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards will be held at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Feb. 23, and will be broadcast live on CBS.

The 2000 GRAMMY Nominees album comprises some of the past year's most celebrated recordings, including:
Record of the year:
Backstreet Boys - "I Want It That Way"
Ricky Martin - "Livin' La Vida Loca"
Santana featuring Rob Thomas - "Smooth"
TLC - "No Scrubs"

Best new artist:
Christina Aguilera - "Genie In A Bottle"
Macy Gray - "Do Something"
Kid Rock - "Bawitdaba"
Britney Spears - "... Baby One More Time"
Susan Tedeschi - "It Hurt So Bad"

Best pop vocal performance:
Marc Anthony - "I Need To Know"
Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5"
Andrea Bocelli - "Sogno"
Ricky Martin - "Livin' La Vida Loca"
Sting - "Brand New Day"

The 2000 GRAMMY Rap Nominees album features chart-topping rap and hip-hop tracks such as:

Best rap solo performance:
Busta Rhymes - "Gimme Some More"
Eminem - "My Name Is..."
Will Smith featuring Dru Hill & Kool Moe Dee - "Wild Wild West"

Best rap performance by duo or group:
Busta Rhymes featuring Janet Jackson - "What's It Gonna Be?"
Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg - "Still D.R.E."
The Roots featuring Erykah Badu - "You Got Me"
Eminem & Dr. Dre - "Guilty Conscience"

Best rap album:
Busta Rhymes - "Gimme Some More"
Eminem - "My Name Is..."
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - "She's A Bitch"
Nas - "Nas Is Like"
The Roots - "The Next Movement"

-- Jason Gelman, New York

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