Welcome to the Hip-Hop Oscars

With one very, very notable exception, the Oscars haven't been a particularly hip-hop friendly affair - or, for that matter, a particularly black people friendly affair until Denzel broke through - but that doesn't mean even the serious hip-hop head can't enjoy the upcoming 82nd Academy Awards with a little creative thinking. Today they released the list of best picture nominees, a list RefinedHype has made a little more beat and rhyme friendly.

Film: “Avatar”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Any R. Kelly album. At first you're convinced there's no way Kells can actually live up to the hype - it can't be that good - but after one listen you're like "F**k me, he actually somehow managed to outdo my expectations." Plus, like Avatar, R. Kelly's definitely down for some inter species sex.

Film: “The Blind Side”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Kind of cheesy but still enjoyable? Centered around a white woman who cashes in on the skills of a young black man? It could only be Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas.

Film: “District 9″
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Aliens are forced to live amongst us, resulting in equal parts fascination and abject horror from the general populace? It's gotta be Lady Gaga.

Film: “An Education”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: This is the one movie on the list I didn't see, and you know what? Even though I lot of people whose opinion I trust say it's a an incredible work I oddly feel absolutely no desire to see it, kind of like how I feel about Jay Electronica. I don't know why I haven't listened to more of his music yet, I just haven't, and until I have to, I probably won't.

Film:“The Hurt Locker”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Heart crushingly intense, often violent and occasionally suicidal. Raekwon's "Only Built for Cuban Linx 2" isn't the official soundtrack but it should have been. Plus it would have been hilarious to see Ghostface make a cameo as an overweight Blackwater security guard, kind of like Sallah in "Raider of the Lost Ark".

Film: “Inglourious Basterds”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Hmmmmm...after a prolonged absence Tarantino re-emerges and makes one his best, grittiest works yet; can I use "OB4CL2" again? No? Well then how about Eminem's "Relapse". Both come from the minds of very twisted men, both contain a lot of blood and it also fulfills the prolonged absence clause. I think we have a winner.

Film: “Precious"
Hip-Hop Equivalent: A young black woman has to fight against a world that seems set to guarantee her failure, plus her mom's an angry crackhead? Oh, and Mariah Carey occasionally shows up? Congratulations Keyshia Cole.

Film:“A Serious Man”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: You thought I'd struggle to find a hip-hop parallel for a movie about a suburban Jewish man whose life falls apart didn't you? Nope. Saigon. Ok, so Sai's not Jewish and he's not from the suburbs, but every time you think he's finally gonna catch the break he deserves things only get worse. Come on, that wasn't easy.

Film:“Up”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: A movie ostensibly aimed toward the younger set but that adults find themselves liking too? Does Drake work here? Maybe if the fat little kid in "Up" tore his ACL while performing this would have been easier. Let's make this happen on the director's cut Pixar.

Film:“Up in the Air”
Hip-Hop Equivalent: Like George Clooney in "Up in the Air" you almost don't want to like Kanye, he's an obviously flawed man who sometimes does terrible things, but at the end of the day you have to admit he's damn good at his job and he's actually pretty likable. If only Clooney wore a woman's fur coat in the flick this would be a lock.