Should Macklemore be the man to take home 2014 Grammy for Best Hip Hop Album, and not Kendrick Lamar, lovers of the genre should open their ears to change.

The Grammys is filled with plenty of awards but, this year, leave it to hip hop to provide one of the most controversial categories of the bunch–the Best Rap Album category: The Heist (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), good kid… m.A.A.d city (Kendrick Lamar), Magna Carta Holy Grail (Jay Z), Yeezus (Kanye West) and Nothing Was the Same (Drake).

After being heralded as a classic and impressive among rap debuts, the consensus within the general hip-hop community is that Kendrick’s effort should snatch the gold-plated gramophone trophy. But there’s also belief that Seattle newcomers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who dedicated their entire indie run to breaking barriers, can steal the big win. 

In a recent interview with The Source, the “Thrift Shop” rapper says he’s ready for backlash if he beats out Compton’s good kid. “[In the Best Rap Album category], we’re up against Kendrick, who made a phenomenal album,” Macklemore–he’s also going head-to-head with Kendrick for Best New Artist and Album of the Year–told the mag. “If we win a Grammy for Best Rap Album, hip-hop is going to be heated.”

And he’s right. However, the potential “heat” that would sent toward Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is not warranted since the two didn’t create any less of a hip-hop album than anyone else nominated. The exceptionally produced project delivered strong social messages, provided party-ready tracks and exhibited touches of true lyricism.

Macklemore’s version of the genre is certainly a byproduct of hip hop as it was first introduced, but even though the content of the first rap-related Grammy winners (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince) is vastly different from the LPs of today’s nominees, The Heist shouldn’t be singled out for a potential upset because it sounds different than traditional boom bap. Hip-hop purists questioning if Macklemore’s pop-heavy tracks fit within the rap landscape, let alone be nominated against Kendrick’s culture-shifting debut, must realize the wide spectrum of sounds in the genre.

With the boundary-less growth of hip hop, rap fans must adapt to the difference in today’s sound, and surely Macklemore’s core would vouch for The Heist (via Twitter, of course)–hip hop’s reaching new heights. The hip hop collective, especially those who love gkmc must come to the realization that not only is Macklemore a true hip-hop artist but accept that the genre is changing.