Beyoncé Dominates The Grammys With 9 Nominations, Chance the Rapper Makes History

Consensus was that Beyoncé was going to clean up very well with the Grammy nominations this morning, and that consensus was right. Lemonade received an astounding 9 nominations throughout the Pop, Rap and even the Rock categories. That kind of broad support is the kind you want heading into the race, especially if you want an Album of the Year award. After coming close with her brilliant self-titled release, she might just get it with Lemonade which is her biggest, boldest work yet. She is now the most nominated woman in Grammy history.

giphy-4

Many suspected Adele would be Beyoncé’s biggest competition, and I think that was a smart hunch to have. 25 set the record for biggest first sales week ever in a sales climate that sees artists struggling to hit Platinum status. And while the album was undeniably huge, it only received five nominations. Now, that’s not exactly all that troubling; Adele only qualifies in the Pop categories. However, Beyoncé’s reach is a lot further, which could be what pushes her to that Album of the Year win. Besides, Adele won very recently; it seems like her best shot is in Pop Vocal Album, where she only has to compete with the likes of Sia and Ariana Grande.

Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West all scored eight nominations, missing in various degrees. Drake scored an Album of the Year nomination for Views, and slid into Record of the Year along with Rihanna for “Work.” West missed out on all of the major categories, but had “Famous” and “Ultralight Beam” recognized in both Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance.

chance-the-rapper-chance-3-new-album-download-free-stream-640x640

The biggest story of the nominations though is Chance the Rapper, whose streaming only mixtape Coloring Book made history. Not only did the rapper score a Best New Artist nomination, but he received attention in Best Rap Album. I was hoping he could pull out an Album of the Year nomination, but his seven nominations are nothing to scoff at.

Take a look at the major categories below.

Record of the Year:

  • “Hello,” Adele
  • “Formation,” Beyoncé
  • “7 Years,” Lukas Graham
  • “Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake
  • “Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots

Album of the Year

  • 25, Adele
  • Lemonade, Beyoncé
  • Purpose, Justin Bieber
  • Views, Drake
  • A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson

Song of the Year

  • “Formation,” Beyoncé
  • “Hello,” Adele
  • “I Took A Pill In Ibiza,” Mike Posner
  • “Love Yourself,” Justin Bieber
  • “7 Years,” Lukas Graham

Best New Artist

  • Kelsey Ballerini
  • The Chainsmokers
  • Chance the Rapper
  • Maren Morris
  • Anderson .Paak

Best Pop Solo Performance

  • “Hello,” Adele
  • “Hold Up,” Beyoncé
  • “Love Yourself,” Justin Bieber
  • “Piece By Piece (Idol Version),” Kelly Clarkson
  • “Dangerous Woman,” Ariana Grande

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

  • “Closer,” The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
  • “7 Years,” Lukas Graham
  • “Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake
  • “Cheap Thrills,” Sia featuring Sean Paul
  • “Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

  • “Cinema,” Andrea Bocelli
  • “Fallen Angels,” Bob Dylan
  • “Summetime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin,” Willie Nelson
  • “Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway,” Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album

  • 25, Adele
  • Purpose, Justin Bieber
  • Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande
  • Confident, Demi Lovato
  • This Is Acting, Sia

See the full list of nominations here