Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance

The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958, and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

In 2003, the category was divided by gender with the introduction of the Female to accompany the award for Male Rap Solo Performances.

[3] Female rapper MC Lyte has campaigned for the reinstatement of the female-specific category and believes that "it destroys [hip-hop] culture to not have the perspective of a woman".

For the 45th Grammy Awards (2003), Best Male Rap Solo Performance nominees included: Eminem for "Without Me", Jay-Z for "Song Cry", Ludacris for "Rollout (My Business)", Mystikal for "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)", and Nelly for "Hot in Herre".

"[10] The award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance was presented to Nelly at Madison Square Garden in New York City, though not broadcast on television.

[11] Nominees for the 46th Grammy Awards included: 50 Cent for "In da Club", Joe Budden for "Pump It Up", Eminem for "Lose Yourself", Ludacris for "Stand Up", and Sean Paul for "Get Busy".

[17][18] Prior to the separate female and male categories, Eminem received the award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 2000 for "My Name Is" and in 2001 for "The Real Slim Shady".