Bringing about immediate arguments, the Grammy nominations have been announced right in the middle of both the increasingly challenging holiday season and the year-end debate surrounding what was truly "best" over the past 12 months. Yet, for all the criticism we rightfully hurl at the Grammys every year, their status as a driving force—including, as Sickamore pointed out, on Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD—is still impossible to discredit outright.
This year's eligibility window spanned from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018. This, of course, means that several songs that feel very representative of 2018 as a whole (i.e. Ariana Grande's "thank u, next") aren't included. Still, there's been plenty dropped within that window that deserves a never-ending supply of acclaim. In that spirit, entries from Janelle Monáe and Kacey Musgraves felt pretty damn surefire, and for good reason.
There was room for added surprise this year, however, given that this will mark the first time the Grammys has employed its expanded rules for categories like Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Instead of the usual five nominees, those categories—in addition to Best New Artist and Record of the Year—were given eight. Also, it's worth noting that Kanye West and Kid Cudi's "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)" ultimately did not land a rock category nomination.
At any rate, you'll find a rundown of select 2019 Grammy nominees below. Kendrick Lamar leads with the most at 8, while Drake (7), Cardi B (5), and Childish Gambino (5) follow close behind. Producer Boi-1da also had a massive showing, bagging a whopping 6 nominations of his own.
Album of the Year
- Drake, Scorpion
- Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy
- Kendrick Lamar and Various Artists, Black Panther: The Album
- Post Malone, Beerbongs & Bentleys
- Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour
- Janelle Monáe, Dirty Computer
- Brandi Carlile, By the Way, I Forgive You
- H.E.R., H.E.R.
Record of the Year
- 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”
- Kendrick Lamar, SZA, “All the Stars”
- Post Malone, 21 Savage, “Rockstar”
- Zedd, Marren Morris & Grey, “The Middle”
Song of the Year
- Drake, "God's Plan"
- Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "All the Stars"
- Ella Mai, "Boo'd Up"
- Shawn Mendes, "In My Blood"
- Brandi Carlile, "The Joke"
- Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey, "The Middle"
- Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, "Shallow"
- Childish Gambino, "This Is America"
Best New Artist
- Margo Price
- Jorja Smith
- Dua Lipa
- H.E.R.
- Bebe Rexha
- Luke Combs
- Chloe x Halle
- Greta Van Fleet
Best Rap Performance
- Drake, "Nice for What"
- Cardi B, "Be Careful"
- Travis Scott f/ Drake, "Sicko Mode"
- Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake, "King's Dead"
- Anderson .Paak, "Bubblin"
Best Rap/Sung Performance
- Kendrick Lamar and SZA, "All the Stars"
- Childish Gambino, "This Is America"
- 6lack f/ J. Cole, "Pretty Little Fears"
- Christina Aguilera f/ GoldLink, "Like I Do"
- Post Malone f/ 21 Savage, "Rockstar"
Best Rap Song
- Drake, "God's Plan"
- Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake, "King's Dead"
- Travis Scott f/ Drake, "Sicko Mode"
- Eminem f/ Joyner Lucas, "Lucky You"
- Jay Rock, "Win"
Best Rap Album
- Pusha-T, DAYTONA
- Travis Scott, ASTROWORLD
- Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy
- Mac Miller, Swimming
- Nipsey Hussle, Victory Lap
Best R&B Performance
- Toni Braxton, “Long As I Live”
- The Carters, “Summer”
- Lalah Hathaway, “YOY”
- H.E.R. f/ Daniel Caesar, “Best Part”
- PJ Morton, “First Began”
Best R&B Song
- "Boo’d Up"
- "Come Through and Chill"
- "Feels Like Summer"
- "Focus"
- "Long As I Live"
Best R&B Album
- Toni Braxton, Sex & Cigarettes
- Leon Bridges, Good Thing
- Lalah Hathaway, Honestly
- H.E.R., H.E.R.
- PJ Morton, Gumbo Unplugged
Best Urban Contemporary Album
- The Carters, Everything Is Love
- Chloe x Halle, The Kids Are Alright
- Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
- Miguel, War & Leisure
- Meshell Ndegeocello, Ventriloquism
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
- Kanye West
- Linda Perry
- Boi-1da
- Larry Klein
- Pharrell Williams
Best Music Video
- The Carters, “APESHIT”
- Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
- Joyner Lucas, “I’m Not Racist”
- Janelle Monáe, “PYNK”
- Tierra Whack, “Mumbo Jumbo”
Best Song Written for Visual Media
- "All the Stars," Black Panther
- "Mystery of Love," Call Me By Your Name
- "Remember Me," Coco
- "Shallow," A Star Is Born
- "This Is Me," The Greatest Showman
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
- Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson
- Blade Runner 2049, Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer
- Coco, Michael Giacchino
- The Shape of Water, Alexandre Desplat
- The Last Jedi, John Williams
Best Pop Solo Performance
- Beck, “Colors”
- Camila Cabello, “Havana (Live)”
- Ariana Grande, “God Is a Woman”
- Lady Gaga, “Joanne”
- Post Malone, “Better Now”
Best Pop Vocal Album
- Camila Cabello, Camila
- Kelly Clarkson, Meaning of Life
- Ariana Grande, Sweetener
- Pink, Beautiful Trauma
- Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes
- Taylor Swift, Reputation
For the full list of nominees, do this. The ceremony itself goes down Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.
