For the 2018 Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy has leaned heavily on hip-hop and R&B in its biggest categories, with Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar receiving more nominations than any other artists Tuesday.
Hov led the pack with eight nominations for his new album, 4:44 — praised as a return to form for the rapper — while Kendrick Lamar nabbed seven for his fourth studio album, Damn. Both albums are also nominated for Album of the Year, alongside Childish Gambino’s Awaken, My Love!, Lorde’s Melodrama, and Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic. Jay-Z and Mars also have tracks nominated for Song of the Year — “4:44” and “That’s What I Like,” respectively. Both Song and Record of the Year feature one of the biggest hits in Billboard Hot 100 history, the remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” with Justin Bieber. If it wins Song of the Year, it would be the first Spanish-language song to do so.
SZA has the most nominations for a female artist with five, including Best New Artist, where she’ll compete with Alessia Cara, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, and Julia Michaels. Cardi B’s breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow,” was nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. Gambino’s five nominations — which include “Redbone” for Record of the Year — show that the artist’s transition from self-parodying rap to soulful R&B was a hit with the Recording Academy.
Check out the nominees for the biggest Grammy categories below.
Album of the Year
Childish Gambino, Awaken, My Love!
Jay-Z, 4:44
Kendrick Lamar, Damn.
Lorde, Melodrama
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
Record of the Year
Childish Gambino, “Redbone”
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
Jay-Z, “The Story of O.J.”
Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.”
Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”
Song of the Year
“Despacito,” Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi and Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44,” Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
“Issues,” Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels, and Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1–800–273–8255,” Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, and Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid)
“That’s What I Like,” Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus, and Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best New Artist
Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
Best Pop Solo Performance
Kelly Clarkson, “Love So Soft”
Kesha, “Praying”
Lady Gaga, “Million Reasons”
P!nk, “What About Us”
Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”
Best Pop Vocal Album
Coldplay, Kaleidoscope EP
Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life
Imagine Dragons, Evolve
Kesha, Rainbow
Lady Gaga, Joanne
Ed Sheeran, Divide
Best Rap Album
JAY-Z, 4:44
Kendrick Lamar, Damn.
Migos, Culture
Rapsody, Laila’s Wisdom
Tyler, the Creator, Flower Boy
The full list of Grammy nominees is available here. The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS at Madison Square Garden on January 28.
