Grammy 2019 Nominees – Rappers, women aiming big after past snubs

The industry’s annual gala draws eye rolls every year from critics who say the winners are too white and too male, but for the second consecutive year, black hip-hop artists dominated the nominations across the board.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar – who won a Pulitzer Prize for his album “DAMN.” but not a Grammy for Album of the Year – earned eight nods while Canadian rapper Drake snagged seven.

Women artists scored nods in all of the top categories, after being largely snubbed a year ago: rapper Cardi B, pop diva Lady Gaga, pop futurist Janelle Monae and folk rocker Brandi Carlile are among the frontrunners.

In the Best New Artist category, six of the eight nominees are women.

But skepticism lingers that nods will actually translate into wins, after rap mogul Jay-Z left empty-handed last year despite eight nominations.

That show sparked a major backlash — even retro-funk star Bruno Mars’s surprise sweep in the top categories was divisive, as it was seen as somewhat out of touch with the more groundbreaking work on offer.

In response, the Recording Academy — which organizes the gala, to be held this year at the Staples Center — created a diversity task force and expanded the four top categories from five nominees to eight.

“The industry and the Recording Academy do understand that they have a problem on their hands,” Murray Forman, who studies pop music at Boston’s Northeastern University, told AFP.

‘It has to start with us’

As the gala approached, controversy was brewing, with a slate of superstars declining to perform.

Drake, Lamar and Childish Gambino have all reportedly turned down offers to perform — and Ariana Grande withdrew from the show over creative difference with organizers.

Even Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich has admitted the “problem” over hip-hop artists who feel undervalued by the Academy, which includes more than 13,000 music professionals.

Lamar once again has a chance to win the prestigious Album of the Year award after three prior losses, this time for masterminding the soundtrack for the blockbuster superhero film “Black Panther.”

The lead song off the soundtrack – “All the Stars,” which he performed with R&B singer SZA – is in the running for both Record of the Year, which honors best overall song, and Song of the Year, which awards songwriting.

Drake, who has sparred with the Recording Academy in past years, nabbed nominations across the top categories for his album “Scorpion” and inescapable 2018 hit “God’s Plan.”

Women snagged five of the eight Album of the Year nominations: Cardi B, Carlile, Monae, R&B prodigy H.E.R. and country star Kacey Musgraves are in the running.

Lady Gaga boasts five nominations including for both Record and Song of the Year for her heart-pounding hit “Shallow,” which she performed in the film “A Star Is Born” with co-star Bradley Cooper.

Carlile – this year’s most-nominated woman – said women must promote each other to bring about change.

“We can blame men, and we can blame the industry and we can blame commerce, but it has to start with us,” the 37-year-old told Variety.

 ‘Racialized categories’

Despite rap’s strong number of nominations, most experts are not expecting a quick revolution, saying successful black artists have long been restricted to wins in categories like Best Rap Album.

“It’s not so much that black people are invisible or not innovating — it’s about those innovations being contained to racialized categories,” said Guthrie Ramsey, a musicologist at the University of Pennsylvania.

After last year’s shutout, Jay-Z dissed the Academy in “APES**T” – his track with wife Beyonce – vying on Sunday for Best Music Video, along with four other boundary-pushing black nominees.

But for others, part of rap’s appeal is that it remains non-conformist.

“So much of rap music history has been about resistance and counterculture – a win also means the approval of mainstream culture,” said Akil Houston, a hip-hop scholar at Ohio University.

“In a way, then you lose that outsider edge.”

Dolly Parton honored

Sunday’s ceremony, hosted by songstress Alicia Keys, will feature performances by Gaga, Cardi B, Carlile and Monae.

Country music icon Dolly Parton will be honored in a pre-Grammy show for her musical and philanthropic contributions, and will also perform Sunday.

A separate tribute to the late Aretha Franklin is also planned.

The Grammys gala will air Sunday from 5:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday).

The nominees

Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations with eight, followed by Canada’s Drake at seven.

Folk rocker Brandi Carlile is the most-nominated female artist with six nods:

Album of the Year

Cardi B, “Invasion of Privacy”

Brandi Carlile, “By The Way, I Forgive You”

Drake, “Scorpion”

H.E.R., “H.E.R.”

Post Malone, “Beerbongs & Bentleys”

Janelle Monae, “Dirty Computer”

Kacey Musgraves, “Golden Hour”

Various Artists, “Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By”

Record of the Year, recognizing overall performance on a song

Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “I Like It”

Brandi Carlile, “The Joke”

Childish Gambino, “This Is America”

Drake, “God’s Plan”

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, “Shallow” (from “A Star Is Born”)

Kendrick Lamar & SZA, “All The Stars” (from “Black Panther”)

Post Malone featuring 21 Savage, “Rockstar”

Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey, “The Middle”

Song of the Year, recognizing songwriting 

Kendrick Lamar and SZA, with songwriters Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears and Anthony Tiffith, “All The Stars” (from “Black Panther”)

Ella Mai with songwriters Larrance Dopson, Joelle James and Dijon McFarlane, “Boo’d Up”

Drake with songwriters Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels and Noah Shebib, “God’s Plan”

Shawn Mendes with songwriters Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris and Geoffrey Warburton, “In My Blood”

Brandi Carlile with songwriters Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, “The Joke”

Zedd and Grey, with songwriters Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson and Marcus Lomax, “The Middle”

Lady Gaga with songwriters Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, “Shallow”

Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and Ludwig Goransson, “This Is America”

Best New Artist 

Chloe x Halle

Luke Combs

Greta Van Fleet

H.E.R.

Dua Lipa

Margo Price

Bebe Rexha

Jorja Smith

Best Music Video

The Carters, “APES**T”

Childish Gambino, “This Is America”

Joyner Lucas, “I’m Not Racist”

Janelle Monae, “Pynk”

Tierra Whack, “Mumbo Jumbo”

Best Rap Album

Cardi B, “Invasion Of Privacy”

Mac Miller, “Swimming”

Nipsey Hussle, “Victory Lap”

Pusha T, “Daytona”

Travis Scott, “Astroworld”

Best Rock Album

Alice in Chains, “Rainier Fog”

Fall Out Boy, “Mania”

Ghost, “Prequelle”

Greta Van Fleet, “From the Fires”

Weezer, “Pacific Daydream”

Best Pop Vocal Album

Camila Cabello, “Camila”

Kelly Clarkson, “Meaning of Life”

Ariana Grande, “Sweetener”

Shawn Mendes, “Shawn Mendes”

P!nk, “Beautiful Trauma”

Taylor Swift, “Reputation”

Best Alternative Music Album

Arctic Monkeys, “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino”

Beck, “Colors”

Bjork, “Utopia”

David Byrne, “American Utopia”

St. Vincent, “Masseduction”

Best World Music Album

Bombino, “Deran”

Fatoumata Diawara, “Fenfo”

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, “Black Times”

Soweto Gospel Choir, “Freedom”

Yiddish Glory, “The Lost Songs of World War II”