The Grammy is the most prestigious award in music, so it’s no surprise that it can spark plenty of heated debate.

Which acts deserve to take home trophies in the various categories? Is Wilco really a rock band? Can T-Pain actually sing?

Music writer Aaron “Indie Boy” Davis and 209Vibe editor Ian “Hiphopopotamus” Hill face off over these questions and others while opining on who should win Sunday in some of the major categories.

Record of the Year

Nominees: “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé; “The Pretender,” Foo Fighters; “Umbrella,” Rihanna featuring Jay-Z; “What Goes Around ... Comes Around,” Justin Timberlake; “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse.

Aaron: Winehouse should have this one locked up, if nothing else for penning an anthem for every headline-hogging pop star that spent a few weeks hangin’ with Betty Ford. An upset by Rihanna would be a little surprising (and irritating), but then again, “Umbrella” was the “other” most inescapable tune of ’07. Or, maybe Timberlake’s knockaround Super Bowl commercial gives him a last-minute leg up.

Ian: J.T. would have to pull off a Giants-like upset to win, and Beyoncé and Rihanna are their own worst enemies in this category. Sure, “Umbrella” and “Irreplaceable” were everywhere in 2007. But eventually, hearing “To the left, to the left” and “-ella, -ella, hey, hey, hey” over and over again became as painful as getting slapped by a drunken Amy Winehouse. This Grammy is Winehouse’s to lose.

Album of the Year

Nominees: “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” Foo Fighters; “These Days,” Vince Gill; “River: The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock; “Graduation,” Kanye West; “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse.

Ian: Smart money’s on Hancock; Grammy voters love honoring baby boomer-friendly musicians for recordings that feature a different collaborator on every song (Santana, anyone?), But the two best albums in this category are “Graduation” and “Back to Black.” Hopefully, Winehouse will take home the trophy. Mr. West will throw the more entertaining tantrum when he loses.

Aaron: Start to finish, “Back to Black” is a solid offering and will probably take it home. But thank you, Mr. Hill, for rocking the Kanye bandwagon and reinforcing my theory that the Foo Fighters’ “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” will end up being a complete afterthought. Dave Grohl and company deserve better for this album than being seat fillers.

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Nominees: “Same Girl,” R. Kelly featuring Usher; “Disrespectful,” Chaka Khan featuring Mary J. Blige; “Hate That I Love You,” Rihanna featuring Ne-Yo; “Baby,” Angie Stone featuring Betty Wright; “Bartender,” T-Pain featuring Akon.

Aaron: At the risk of agreeing with Ian on baby-boomer friendliness issue, nostalgia is once again going to trump the youthful popularity of acts like T-Pain and Rihanna when this award goes to Chaka Khan. Not to say that “Disrespectful” doesn’t have soul, but come on, Khan is a living relic of the disco era, she’s on Broadway, and she has Mary J. Blige in her corner: That spells G-r-a-m-m-y.

Ian: And it’s too bad, because there’s a lot of great music in this category that deserves recognition. Say what you want about R. Kelly — and there’s a lot that can be said — he’s still an incredible performer, and “Same Girl” is a fun song. “Hate That I Love You” shows that Ne-Yo is growing into one of R&B’s best artists. T-Pain is ... well, OK, T-Pain is terrible. Perhaps if I had a good version of ProTools, I too could have an R&B hit.

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

Nominees: “Southside,” Common featuring Kanye West; “Make it Rain,” Fat Joe featuring Lil’ Wayne; “Party Like a Rockstar,” Shop Boyz; “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You),” UGK featuring Outkast; “Better Than I’ve Ever Been,” Kanye West featuring Nas and KRS-One

Aaron: For once, they can actually give an award to the most commercially popular artist (Ian’s boy Kanye) and to the best artist at the same time by throwing this one out to Common for “Southside.” The Windy City’s two top emcees going at it, super funky bass and the guitar line that sounds plucked from 311’s basement — what more do you want from a hip-hop track?

Ian: 311? Where are you writing from, 1997? And if you have the power to bend space and time, can you show me how to erase “Party Like a Rockstar” from hip-hop history? “Southside” is a good track, but it’s not a banger like “Int’l Players Anthem.” UGK took one of the best soul samples not used by Kanye and created a fun hit that spotlights lyrical skills.

Best Rock Album

Nominees: “Daughtry,” Daughtry; “Revival,” John Fogerty; “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” Foo Fighters; “Magic,” Bruce Springsteen; “Sky Blue Sky,” Wilco.

Ian: Aaron will lose his hipster membership card if he doesn’t represent for his indie brethren by picking Wilco. Never mind that “Sky Blue Sky” is less a rock album and more one long commercial. Listen to it and you’ll recognize many tracks from TV ads. “Magic” is a great melodic rock album and Springsteen’s best work since the early ‘80s. He deserves to win.

Aaron: For dogging Jeff Tweedy in my presence, I will be mailing Ian a box of angry scorpions; if Daughtry wins this award, I will let them sting me first to distract from the pain. While I readily concede that “Sky Blue Sky” is not one of Wilco’s finest offerings, I still give them the prize over The Boss’ very respectable effort, but by a much narrower margin than my membership card would indicate.

Best Alternative Music Album

Nominees: “Alright, Still ...,” Lily Allen; “Neon Bible,” Arcade Fire; “Volta,” Bjork; “Wincing the Night Away,” The Shins; “Icky Thump,” The White Stripes.

Ian: What the heck is alternative? Based on this category, the academy defines it as anything not at the top of the radio charts. So if it’s good music, you can call it alternative. “Volta” certainly fits any definition of alternative, as it pushes the boundaries of popular music in exciting fits and starts. “Icky Thump,” meanwhile, just turns up the volume on classic blues-rock. Still, it’s incredibly engaging and it makes for a fun listen. Jack and Meg should bring home the award.

Aaron: Although the “Icky Thump” guitar solo is my current ringtone (I believe Ian’s is “Umbrella”), I know the Stripes don’t belong in this category, but I have no doubt they will win anyway; the Grammys have had the fever ever since “Seven Nation Army.” “Icky” truly belongs over in the Rock category, while for theatricality and inventiveness, this award should rightfully go to Arcade Fire.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: My ringtone is "Spit Your Game" by the Notorious B.I.G.)

email: adavis@209Vibe.com