It’s that time of year again!
Indeed, the air is still buzzing as today brought with it the highly anticipated 2018 Grammy nominations unveiled, per usual, via a special announcement weeks before the actual showing. But, what also comes with the ‘per usual’ announcement are the jaw-dropping surprises, snubs, and all out “shut-outs” that accompany the annual spectacle.
Always a heated debate-starter, the coveted tally saw the likes of chart-toppers Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd and more go without mention in (as some fans argue) the correct categories, while hitmakers Taylor Swift, DJ Khaled, & Future got no mention at all.
Look inside for That Grape Juice‘s take on the year’s biggest surprises & snubs:
Surprise: Urban Artists Dominate 2018 Nomination Tally
Hip Hop & R&B will be out and in full effect at next year’s Grammy ceremony. Thanks to a whopping 8 nominations for Jay Z‘s ‘4:44,’ 7 nods for Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Damn,’ 6 for Bruno Mars’ ’24K Magic,’ and 5 for SZA & Childish Gambino respectively the nomination tally is not only led by practitioners of Urban genres but also led primarily by artists of color (for the second year in a row).
Snub: Future & Nicki Minaj respectively made history with their 2017 offerings. The former – with his albums, ‘Future’ & ‘Hndrxx’ – became the first artist in Billboard history to achieve back-to-back No.1 debuts on the Billboard 200 in successive weeks and the first artist to ever replace himself at #1. Minaj, with a series of placements on the Hot 100, became the first woman to have at least 80 entries on the tally (and currently leads among all women in history). Elsewhere, DJ Khaled rocked charts with ‘I’m the One’ and ‘Wild Thoughts.’
While their fans celebrated the milestone achievements, the Recording Academy was obviously not impressed as both artists saw their releases omitted from nominations.
P.S. What about J. Cole‘s ‘4 Your Eyez Only’ (released December 2016)?
Surprise: Lorde nabs Album of the Year nod
Snub: The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, & Ed Sheeran Score Minimum Nods
With ‘Starboy’ and ‘Divide’ respectively, The Weeknd & Ed Sheeran both released chart-topping albums that not only scored #1 hits, but also garnered impressive sales and critical acclaim. Unfortunately for them, the acclaim stopped there. Much like fellow chart-topper Lady Gaga – whose last set (‘Joanne‘) also garnered thumbs up from some of the industry’s top critics – the guys didn’t ear much love from the Recording Academy.
All three were shut out of major categories. Gaga & Sheeran’s opuses were limited to Pop categories while The Weeknd, whose offerings often straddle the line of Pop & Urban, was limited to one nomination in the Urban Contemporary category.
Surprise: Alessia Cara, SZA, & Lil Uzi Vert Garner ‘Best New Artist’ Nods
Big shout to SZA for 5 nods right out of the gate!
Snub: Cardi B & Camila Cabello Omitted from Best New Artist
She may have made history with her chart-topping hit, ‘Bodak Yellow,’ but one place Cardi B didn’t see her named penciled was among the year’s best new artists. Never fret, however, she can at least boast mention in two rap categories.
Surprise: Our girl Ledisi honored with 3 nominations!
Snub: No women nominated in Record of the Year category / No White Men in Album of the Year
Not even Taylor Swift, a Grammy darling, was able to score any nods this year in major categories. Her album, ‘Reputation,’ may have missed the deadline, but its lead singles didn’t. She did however land mention in lesser categories.
Reports have it this is the first year since 1999 there were no White men nominated in the ‘Album of the Year’ category.