Grammy Predictions: Kanye's Saturn Return

Do people still care about the Grammys? Eh, maybe not so much. But since it is a slow day in the world of cosmic celebrity news, I thought I'd do a little horoscope-based handicapping of a couple of the most prominent nominees.

First off, Kanye West's chart gave me a bit of a chuckle since it so obviously sums up his loose-cannon, say-anything persona. With his Sun and Jupiter conjunct in hyper-mental, articulate Gemini, Kanye is not only a gifted rapper but a guy who really enjoys shooting his mouth off. With his Venus and Mars conjunct at 1° Taurus, he is as stubborn as Geminis come, with a stick-to-his-guns value system. (Venus Taurus would also explain his penchant for sporting designer labels and hanging hernia-inducing hunks of gold around his neck.) Since Chiron also conjuncts Venus and Mars, albeit not quite as tightly, there is a certain defensiveness about these values. Witness last year, when he was unapologetic about proclaiming that he was robbed of a Best New Artist trophy. This is a man who has a rock-solid sense of his own self-worth, but still needs the validation that comes with announcing it to the world. (After all, "Gold Digger" was the best song of the year; you kinda can't fault him for pointing it out.)

This year, with glamour-and-glitter Neptune in Aquarius trining his Sun, conjunct the transiting Sun, Kanye might well find himself in the spotlight. On the other hand, transiting Venus and Jupiter are squeezing his natal Sun into a yod, perhaps forcing him to take a good look at his own ego. Kanye's been going through his Saturn return since late last year, accounting for both the recognition he's received for his hard work, and the public reproach he earned by criticizing government authorities. (After all, George Bush really doesn't care about black people; you kinda can't fault him for pointing it out.) Right now Saturn is retrograde, so it may not be time for Kanye to rest on his laurels just yet. In the long run, a Grammy disappointment could actually benefit him more, by driving home a Saturn-in-Leo lesson about the nature of fame and the importance of expressing your genuine self regardless of the public's response. But with Mars transiting Kanye's Mercury in Taurus, in the near term, Kanye could react to a loss with an angry verbal outburst. And with Mercury, Venus, Mars and Chiron in Taurus, let's just say you wouldn't like Kanye when he's angry.

Stay tuned for a post analyzing Aries diva Mariah Carey and her triumphant Annus Mariahbilis.

UPDATE: Upon pulling up Mariah's chart it became clear that it would require far too much analysis to complete before the Grammy start date. However, Kanye himself seconded my sentiments during the broadcast when he warned, "If I don't win, there's gonna be a problem!" Indeed he hogged the spotlight with his fantastic performance of "Gold Digger," a lyrical homage to his Taurus stellium (Mercury + Venus in Taurus = "Holla 'We want pre-nup!'"), but looked far too invested in getting the recognition of a win. I'm glad he took home at least a few minor categories, and hope that Taurus Bono's acceptance-speech shoutout gave him the encouragement he needs to learn his Saturn-return lessons wisely.