Like the holidays, awards season is fully underway. Most ceremonies won’t be held until after the new year, but you can already start placing your bets (we don’t actually advocate gambling, but everything else about this year has been a crapshoot) on the 2018 Grammy winners. Variety has the complete list of nominees, which is topped by JAY-Z with seven nods, including Record and Album Of The Year. Kendrick Lamar isn’t far behind with six nominations, including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance. 4:44 and HUMBLE. were among some of our best reviewed albums of the year, so there’s no real surprise there.
Neither is the inclusion of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, which was the song of the summer and earworm that we were all just getting out of our heads. Same for “Bad And Boujee,” which is up for Rap Song Of The Year in a race that includes “Bodak Yellow,” from Taylor Swift toppler Cardi B. Childish Gambino (a.k.a Donald Glover) nabbed five nominations for Awaken, My Love!, including the confusingly named Best Urban Contemporary Album.
In the metal and rock categories, Metallica, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Mastodon are all vying for the big prizes. LCD Soundsystem is in the Best Dance Recording competition, while A.V. Club faves Sylvan Esso are up for Best Dance/Electronic Album. You’ll find the complete list of categories and nominees at Variety. You may now commence discussion of snubs.
Record Of The Year
“Redbone,” Childish Gambino
“Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story Of O.J.,” JAY-Z
“HUMBLE.,” Kendrick Lamar
“24K Magic,” Bruno Mars
Album Of The Year
Awaken, My Love!, Childish Gambino
4:44, JAY-Z
DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
Melodrama, Lorde
24K Magic, Bruno Mars
Song Of The Year
“Despacito,” Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & 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 & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255,” Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
“That’s What I Like,” Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best New Artist
Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Love So Soft,” Kelly Clarkson
“Praying,” Kesha
“Million Reasons,” Lady Gaga
“What About Us,” P!nk
“Shape Of You,” Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Something Just Like This,” The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
“Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“Thunder,” Imagine Dragons
“Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man
“Stay,” Zedd & Alessia Cara
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version), Michael Bublé
Triplicate, Bob Dylan
In Full Swing, Seth MacFarlane
Wonderland, Sarah McLachlan
Tony Bennett Celebrates 90, (Various Artists) Dae Bennett, Producer
Best Pop Vocal Album
Kaleidoscope EP, Coldplay
Lust For Life, Lana Del Rey
Evolve, Imagine Dragons
Rainbow, Kesha
Joanne, Lady Gaga
÷ (Divide), Ed Sheeran
Best Dance Recording
“Bambro Koyo Ganda,” Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa
“Cola,” Camelphat & Elderbrook
“Andromeda,” Gorillaz Featuring DRAM
“Tonite,” LCD Soundsystem
“Line Of Sight,” Odesza Featuring WYNNE & Mansionair
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Migration, Bonobo
3-D The Catalogue, Kraftwerk
Mura Masa, Mura Masa
A Moment Apart, Odesza
What Now, Sylvan Esso
Best Rock Performance
“You Want It Darker,” Leonard Cohen
“The Promise,” Chris Cornell
“Run,” Foo Fighters
“No Good,” Kaleo
“Go To War,” Nothing More
Best Metal Performance
“Invisible Enemy,” August Burns Red
“Black Hoodie,” Body Count
“Forever,” Code Orange
“Sultan’s Curse,” Mastodon
“Clockworks,” Meshuggah
Best Rock Song
“Atlas, Rise!,” James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)
“Blood In The Cut,” JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters (K.Flay)
“Go To War,” Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters (Nothing More)
“Run,” Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
“The Stage,” Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters (Avenged Sevenfold)
Best Rock Album
Emperor Of Sand, Mastodon
Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, Metallica
The Stories We Tell Ourselves, Nothing More
Villains, Queens Of The Stone Age
A Deeper Understanding, The War On Drugs
Best Alternative Music Album
Everything Now, Arcade Fire
Humanz, Gorillaz
American Dream, LCD Soundsystem
Pure Comedy, Father John Misty
Sleep Well Beast, The National
Best R&B Performance
“Get You,” Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis
“Distraction,” Kehlani
“High,” Ledisi
“That’s What I Like,” Bruno Mars
“The Weekend,” SZA
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Laugh And Move On,” The Baylor Project
“Redbone,” Childish Gambino
“What I’m Feelin’,” Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones|
“All The Way,” Ledisi
“Still,” Mali Music
Best R&B Song
“First Began,” PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
“Location,” Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
“Redbone,” Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
“Supermodel,” Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA)
“That’s What I Like,” Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Free 6LACK, 6LACK
Awaken, My Love!, Childish Gambino
American Teen, Khalid
Ctrl, SZA
Starboy, The Weeknd
Best R&B Album
Freudian, Daniel Caesar
Let Love Rule, Ledisi
24K Magic, Bruno Mars
Gumbo, PJ Morton
Feel The Real, Musiq Soulchild
Best Rap Performance
“Bounce Back,” Big Sean
“Bodak Yellow,” Cardi B
“4:44,” JAY-Z
“HUMBLE.,” Kendrick Lamar
“Bad And Boujee,” Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Best Rap/Sung Performance
“PRBLMS,” 6LACK
“Crew,” Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
“Family Feud,” Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé
“LOYALTY.,” Kendrick Lamar Featuring Rihanna
“Love Galore,” SZA Featuring Travis Scott
Best Rap Song
“Bodak Yellow,” Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
“Chase Me,” Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer,
songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi)
“HUMBLE.,” Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
“Sassy,” Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody)
“The Story Of O.J.,” Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)
Best Rap Album
4:44, Jay-Z
DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
Culture, Migos
Laila’s Wisdom, Rapsody
Flower Boy, Tyler, The Creator