ARTIST OF THE YEAR

JAY-Z

It was that kind of year: The most important artist of the year didn’t even have a proper release. “The Black Album,” Jay-Z’s supposed swan song, came out last November, but the Jigga Man still cast a long shadow over 2004. First, there was “The Grey Album,” which gave us an excuse to listen to Jay-Z lyrics all over again, this time spliced with beats built from the Beatles “White Album.” EMI’s cease-and-desist prevented it from ever being released, but it still made its creator, DJ Danger Mouse, a star and made an implicit case that Jay-Z and the Beatles are in the same league. Jay-Z returned to the top of the Billboard chart twice before the year was out, first with “Unfinished Business,” his collaboration with R. Kelly, and then with “Collision Course,” a live mashup album with rap-rockers Linkin’ Park. He capped the year by accepting the top post at Def Jam records, which means his influence will continue to be felt for years to come.

BEST NEW ARTIST YOU HEARD PLENTY ABOUT

KANYE WEST

Jay-Z was also responsible for introducing the best new artist of the year, Roc-A-Fella recording artist Kanye West. Kanye had already established himself among A-list producers when he decided to launch his own rap career with the album “College Dropout.” A cinematic album full of old-skool skits, soul-fueled beats, and Baptist swing, it conjures a black slice of life not unlike a Spike Lee joint, setting Kanye apart from the hordes of hardcore gangsta rappers. With 10 Grammy nominations – including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and two for Album of the Year (for “College Dropout” and as producer and songwriter for “The Diary of Alicia Keys”) – it looks like Kanye will be recognized for his efforts. But the artist behind the hit song “Jesus Walks” may be developing a God complex – this year he began describing himself as hip-hop’s savior.

BEST NEW ARTIST YOU HAVEN’T HEARD OF

JOANNA NEWSOM

The little girl with the big harp, the beguiling voice, and the buffalo nickel words, Joanna Newsom became an instant heartthrob in the indie rock/psychedelic folk circles. Her debut album, “The Milk-Eyed Mender,” is something of a litmus test: You either blush and gush, or you giggle your way through it. But the best way to experience her elfin charms is live. Her show with Devendra Banhart at the Bowery Ballroom, which began with her singing her caterwaul a capella at the foot of the stage to a stunned crowd, was the bravest and most enchanting show of the year.

UNDERACHIEVING HIP – HOP LOCALE

ST. LOUIS

Nelly tried to pass quantity off as quality with this year’s simultaneous releases “Sweat” and “Suit.” They offered plenty in the way of limp superstar duets (with Christina Aguilera and Tim McGraw) – a sure sign of creative decline, if ever there was – but none of the infectious “Hot in Herre” vibe of “Nellyville.” Fellow St. Louisian Chingy likewise came up empty with “Powerballin’,” the perhaps-rushed follow-up to last year’s platinum-selling “Jackpot.” While there’s still plenty of neologistic word-slurring, nothing approaches the easy charm of previous singles “Right Thurr,” “Holidae In,” or “One Call Away.” St. Louis not only failed to learn new tricks, but it somehow managed to forget the old ones.

STILL OVERACHIEVING HIP – HOP LOCALE

ATLANTA

If the ATLiens of OutKast supplied the signature sound of 2003, 2004 belonged to Lil Jon and Crunk. He didn’t invent the shout-along Dirty South sound, but he perfected it and took it mainstream. Lil Jon’s new album, “Crunk Juice,” was the least of his accomplishments this year: he ushered Usher to the top of the Billboard charts with his pinging synth production on “Yeah!” (2004’s answer to “Hey Ya!”), parodied himself in a popular “Chappelle’s Show” sketch, and added energy drinks, an Oakley sunglass line, and a porn video to his already considerable business portfolio.

Meanwhile, Atlanta rapper T.I. became the leading candidate to succeed Jay-Z. “Is he the Jay-Z of the South?” a Vibe cover asked. The answer is no – he’s not nearly the lyricist Jay-Z is – but there’s plenty to encourage the comparison. After dropping R. Kelly from his recent tour, Jay-Z invited T.I. to play some dates, then made him the next face of the S. Carter Reebok shoe line. T.I. is still enjoying heavy airplay from his single “Bring ‘Em Out,” which may have the single catchiest beat since “Crazy in Love,” and includes a sample of … you guessed it, Jay-Z.

BEST COLLABORATION

JACK WHITE ON LORETTA LYNN’S “VAN LEAR ROSE”

The reason this combination works so well is that it isn’t the star-crossed commercial ploy that it appears to be at first blush. Jack White is a devoted student of traditional American music, and Loretta Lynn has more than a little punk sass. The album runs the gamut, from “Trouble on the Line,” which out-twangs many of her hits from the 1960s and 1970s, to the early rock ‘n’ roll sound of “Have Mercy” and the entirely believable intergenerational flirtation of “Portland, Oregon” (with White assuming the traditional Conway Twitty role). But the album’s finest moment is all Lynn. “Miss Being Mrs.” finds her tearfully reminiscing about her departed husband Doo.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

TV ON THE RADIO, “DESPERATE YOUTH, BLOODTHIRSTY BABES”

TV on the Radio arrived largely unheralded and fully formed in the spring of 2004 with their debut album “Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes.” If you’ve ever wondered what a black-fraternity post-punk band might sound like, this is it. Tunde Adebimpe sings like a subdued Prince over a wet-cement mix of gravelly bass, spacey keyboards, and grumbling feedback, adding a healthy dose of soul (and doo-wop and barbershop) to the lily-white world of college rock.

Take, for instance, “Staring at the Sun,” the first single off the album. It begins with some vocal harmonization before becoming an aching, pulsing wash of sound. But to really understand it, you also have to also hear the demo doo-wop-meets-beat-box version. It’s slow, soulful, and playful, with the band members attempting to create the dynamics of their music with their voices. This, in the end, is the band’s secret: You get the sense that, deep down, a doo-wop song underlies everything they do.