Jay-Z and wife Beyonce

Jay-Z and wife Beyonce Credit: Jay-Z and Beyonce (Getty Images)

From Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis to the Ramones and Bob Dylan, New York has been the inspiration for some of America's most iconic music.

As the city gears up for the Grammy Awards this Sunday, keep an eye on the nominees with roots in the Big Apple.

fun.
Record of the Year ("We Are Young"), Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album ("Some Nights"), Best New Artist, Producer Of The Year - Non-Classical

The 1970s-style indie rock band is based in New York and producer Jeff Bhasker heard the beginnings of "We Are Young" from frontman Nate Ruess in a room at the Bowery Hotel.

Jay-Z
Best Short Form Music Video ("No Church In The Wild"), Best Rap Performance ("N----- In Paris" and "I Do"), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("No Church In The Wild" and "Talk That Talk"), Best Rap Song ("N----- In Paris")

Jay-Z grew up in the Marcy Houses in Bed-Stuy and eventually attended Trenton Central High School in New Jersey with the Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, though he did not graduate. Jay-Z owns a share in the Brooklyn Nets and encouraged their relocation to the Barclays Center. He also lives with his daughter, Blue Ivy, and wife, Beyoncé, in TriBeCa.

Beyoncé
Best Traditional R&B Performance ("Love On Top")

Speaking of which, Mrs. Carter (Jay-Z's last name) was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but now calls the TriBeCa penthouse home.

Anthrax
Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance ("I'm Alive")

Guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker first came up with the name of the band while looking at a biology textbook in 1981, the same year Ian graduated from Bayside High School in Queens. Ian says seeing Kiss live at Madison Square Garden in '77 had a huge impact on his life and career. He is also a die-hard Yankees fan.

Fiona Apple
Best Alternative Music Album ("The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do")

Fiona Apple grew up on the Upper West Side and sang in Christmas pageants at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

SWV
Best Traditional R&B Performance ("If Only You Knew")

SWV members Leanne "Lelee" Lyons and Tamara "Taj" Johnson grew up singing together in Bed-Stuy. The pair began singing with Cheryl "Coko" Clemons, from the South Bronx, in high school. In 1990, they started SWV.

Nas
Best Rap Performance ("Daughters"), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Cherry Wine"), Best Rap Song ("Daughters"), Best Rap Album ("Life Is Good")

Nas was born in Crown Heights but his family later moved to Long Island City. He grew up in Queensbridge projects where he met an upstairs neighbor who introduced him to hip-hop music. After dropping out of school, Nas became immersed in the Queensbridge and New York hip-hop scenes before recording his debut album in the early '90s.

Kanye West
Best Rap Performance ("N----- In Paris" and "Mercy"), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("No Church In The Wild"), Best Rap Song ("Mercy" and "N----- In Paris"), Best Short Form Music Video ("No Church In The Wild")

Though the rapper can credit a lot of his early work to Chi-town, Kanye West makes the best of both coasts, living in L.A. and an apartment in SoHo.

Chris Martin (Coldplay)
Best Rock Performance ("Charlie Brown"), Best Rock Album ("Mylo Xyloto")

Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow divide time between London and L.A., in addition to a swanky TriBeCa loft.

Errick Allen not guilty … Sloth encounters … What's up on Long Island Credit: Newsday

Updated 7 minutes ago Fallen NYPD cop wake ... Suffolk water rates ... Nissan settlements ... Female winemaker

Errick Allen not guilty … Sloth encounters … What's up on Long Island Credit: Newsday

Updated 7 minutes ago Fallen NYPD cop wake ... Suffolk water rates ... Nissan settlements ... Female winemaker

Latest video

Newsday LogoSUBSCRIBEUnlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 5 months
ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME