The Grammys have never been perfect, but its hip hop selections are consistently abysmal and unrepresentative of what hip hop fans are truly listening to and appreciating. So, if you couldn’t already see where this was going, I’ve decided to give my own version of what the rap at the Grammys should actually look like, using the same four categories, time frame (November 2012 to November 2013), eligibility (i.e., no mixtapes. Sorry, Chance the Rapper) and a realistic approach to what types of artists and projects the majority of fans listen to. Without further adieu…

Best Rap Performance Nominees
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” — Kendrick Lamar
“Tom Ford” — Jay Z
“Worst Behaviour” — Drake
“New Slaves” — Kanye West
“Levels” — Meek Mill
Winner: “New Slaves”

“Best Rap Performance” always confused me, because I thought it was more or less the same as “Best Rap Song.” But in a genre like rap, where delivery and, well, performance is so vitally important, the award actually becomes very relevant. Kendrick harmonizes and raps in a variety of flows, Jay Z effortlessly throws swagger and dismisses Molly in favor of “Tom Ford,” Drake passionately stunts in an instantly quotable way (WORST!) and Meek Mill schools his haters and raps as if “Levels” is the last song he will ever make. But on “New Slaves,” Kanye gives the performance of a lifetime. His ruthless and biting message, palpable anger and religiously fervent delivery, bordering on full-blown lunacy, makes “New Slaves” a groundbreaking and gothic masterpiece.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominees
“Power Trip” — J Cole featuring Miguel
“Bound 2” — Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson
“Bad” — Wale featuring Tiara Thomas
“From Time” — Drake featuring Jhené Aiko
“One of Those Nights” — Juicy J featuring The Weeknd
Winner: “Power Trip”

Rap/sung collaborations had been a staple of hip hop long before the Grammys started acknowledging them in 2002 and still play a vital role in rap music. This year proved just as chock-full of great collabs. Kanye hearkens back to his old music with the help of Gap Band-founder and soul legend Charlie Wilson, Wale truly masters the balance between sexual and sentimental with newcomer Tiara Thomas on the mattress-squeaking “Bad,” Drake and Jhené Aiko explore troubled relationships over soft pianos and snaps, and Juicy J and The Weeknd — two of the most deviant artists in popular music — create a haunting and explicit ode to a crazy night out. “Power Trip,” nonetheless, is incredible. With its Stevie Wonder-esque flutes and rumbling synths, J. Cole’s self-produced single stands alone from anything else on the radio while also harnessing an inherently soulful quality. Cole’s effortless storytelling coupled with Miguel’s pained and love-laced chorus work to create a timeless song certainly deserving of recognition.

Best Rap Song Nominees
“Money Trees” — Kendrick Lamar featuring Jay Rock
“Blood on the Leaves” — Kanye West
“Numbers on the Boards” — Pusha T
“Control” — Big Sean featuring Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica
“Feds Watching” — 2 Chainz featuring Pharrell
Winner: “Blood on the Leaves”

Okay, I’m not going to lie. This was tough. Hundreds of incredible tracks are released every year, and naming one as the best feels wrong. Nonetheless, these five tracks not only attracted significant attention in the hip-hop community but also are simply excellent, innovative and fine-crafted songs. “Money Trees,” which almost took the cake for me, flips a seemingly unusable Beach House sample into a pounding and melancholy soundscape for Kendrick to recap his adventures, juxtapose Halle Berry and Hallelujah and for Jay Rock to unleash one of the best guest verses in recent memory. Pusha T snarls about money, drugs and success over a mind-blowingly sparse and vulgar combination of drums, vocal samples and intruding noises, Big Sean and Jay Electronica deliver excellent verses on the 7-minute “Control” only to be destroyed by Kendrick’s now infamous declaration-of-war against all rap kind and 2 Chainz says things that normal people simply can’t say while embodying luxury to its fullest with help from a tropical beat and floating chorus from the legendary Pharrell. And then there’s “Blood on the Leaves.” The perfect representation of the “new” Kanye, the track miraculously combines TNGHT-infused trap thunder, auto-tune wailing and a powerful Nina Simone sample to create a magnum opus that will go down as one of the major musical feats of this generation from one of the best to ever do it.

Best Rap Album Nominees
Drake — Nothing Was the Same
Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kanye West — Yeezus
J Cole — Born Sinner
Pusha T — My Name is My Name
Winner: good kid, m.A.A.d city

Now, the big one. All five of these artists are rap superstars in their own right and crafted exemplary projects. Drake combines a diverse sonic landscape and his always-notable wordplay into a heartfelt, confident and radiant album. Kanye cements his role as the most polarizing but also brilliant and innovative musical creator of the past decade with an inconceivable new genre of industrial-electronic-Chicago drill-soul rap, J. Cole finally produces a personal, lyrical and cohesive project with impressively few guests that lives up to his unrelenting hype and Pusha T manages to legitimately establish himself as a solo artist with a refreshing take on his perfected craft of drug tales, threats and bravado boosted by an all-star roster of producers and guest stars. But for all the undeniable talent assembled in this group, good kid, m.A.A.d city wins. Easily. Through a collection of brazenly original yet relentlessly cohesive tracks, Kendrick weaves a coming-of-age classic ripe with loss, sex, family, friendship and identity. Signed to a major label with a legendary mentor in Dr. Dre, Kendrick nonetheless refused to conform and instead created the best rap debut since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (also supervised by Dre) and a generation-defining classic whose message and impact somehow extends far beyond the borders of Compton and into the hearts and minds of music fans everywhere.

So there you have it. And if you’re wondering why Macklemore isn’t on any of these lists, take a moment and listen to good kid, m.A.A.d city — or to any of the other winners for that matter — and let me know if you’re still confused.