The nominations reflect either a poor year in the music business, or a bunch of quality artists were shut out of the lists.
My second thought on the announcement is the lack of diversity in the nominees in the general categories. Timberlake, Knowles, Outkast, Coldplay, Missy Elliot, and Eminem?---What is this?--The VMAs or The Grammys. I forget. The only nominee not born after 1975 appears to be Warren Zevon and that posthumous tribute doesn't qualify as a likely contender.
I'd vote for Outkast and Eminem...that's all I could say.