As an avid music lover, I always look forward to the announcement of Grammy nominations because it highlights some of the greatest moments of music in the past year. Although, the Grammys aren’t the only way to measure the true worth of an artist’s work, it’s still nice to see some of my favorite artists get acknowledged for all of the amazing things they do for music. That being said, here are five of my favorite nominees for the 2018 Grammys, in no particular order:
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Bodak Yellow by Cardi B (Best Rap Performance/ Best Rap Song)
By now we’re all familiar with the newest female rapper to top the charts, Ms. Bellcalise Almazar aka Cardi B. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard her hit song “Bodak Yellow” which was the first song to reach #1 on the billboard charts by a female rap artist since Lauryn Hill in the 90s. Cardi B is not your typical rap artist and seeing the Bronx native become a success warms the heart of any regular shmegular girl.
2. SZA (Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance, Best R&B song, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Rap/Sung Performance)
I am absolutely obsessed with SZA and with the most Grammy nominations of any female nominee (5 to be exact), the first lady of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with. Her album, Ctrl, which was released this summer contains a slew of anthems for you resident 20 something girl trying to make sense of her life and her trials in love.
3. Kehlani (Best R&B Performance, Best Remixed Song)
Kehlani is also an upcoming name in the R&B world who released her debut album Sweet, Sexy, Savage earlier this year. The Bay native has been nominated for Best R&B performance for her song Distraction which has one of the best music videos of the year. If you hadn’t watched it yet, you can check it out here but prepare to have your edges snatched. Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPHbeSGVKJo Kehlani was also recently honored with the “Rule Breaker” Award at Billboard’s Women in Music Awards.
4. 6lack (Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Rap/ Sung Performance)
6lack (pronounced black) is a gem in the Hip Hop world. His album Free 6lack, released 2016, has just now begun to gain traction on the charts coupled with the recent completion of his first headlining tour. Billboard summarized his album as a “brand of moody hip-hop not only champions the DIY model of hustling but spotlights vulnerability and honesty in a way the emoji generation can understand” and I couldn’t agree more.
5. Khalid (Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best R&B song, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Music Video)
Khalid is another breakout artist from this year. Most well known for his hit single “Location,” Khalid released his debut album “American Teenager” which chronicles his experience with love, friendship, and being young in general. In addition his collaborations with other artists like Alessia Cara has landed him a spot in one of the most coveted award nomination categories, Best Song of the year.
Sources:
https://image-ticketfly.imgix.net/00/02/67/68/42-og.JPG?w=650&h=341
https://parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/grammy-nominations-60-years-ftr.jpg
http://img.wennermedia.com/social/rs-sza-v1-caef9ee6-c938-4f82-a50d-f05fb2fef08e.jpg
http://kehlanimusic.com/sweetsexysavage/images/Fb_pre-order_OG.jpg
http://static.djbooth.net/pics-features/rect/khalid-american-teen.jpg
http://static.djbooth.net/pics-features/rect/free-6lack.jpg
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7573628/6lack-free-debut-album-interview
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8047027/grammys-2018-complete-nominees-list