The Grammy Award nominations are out and two Okayafrica darlings, Femi Kuti (killin' it on the couch, above) and Tinariwen, got the nod for "Best World Music Album." Femi is nominated for his Africa for Africa LP (out via Knitting Factory) and Tinariwen for the Mali nomad blues of Tassili.

Looking past our issues with the problematic "world music" tag —  we'll let you hear that from David Byrne — and the fact that the Grammys are notably out of touch with modern music (see: Steve Stoute), we'd like to congratulate Femi and Tinariwen for this major feat in terms of public appreciation and American exposure. They're joined by South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Cuba's Afrocubism in the category. Big ups to all of them.

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-reposted from December, 1 2011