Earlier this morning (November 8), the Grammys revealed the nominations for their 2025 awards ceremony. With Beyoncé once again exuding her prowess as an immovable force in music with 11 nominations, Kendrick Lamar came in right behind , sharing second place with Post Malone, Billie Eilish and Charli XCX with seven nominations each.
“Not Like Us” was Lamar's sharp jab at Drake in their heated battle last spring, and it became a cultural phenomenon when it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in June. The panel rewarded the track for its ubiquity, as it will compete in the song and record of the year categories after dominating the rap charts for a historic 21 weeks, ousting 2019 champion Lil Nas X's “Old Town Road” from all over. – time leaderboard. Lamar's successful coup against Drake first began when he collaborated on Metro Boomin and Future's “Like That” last April. Similar to “Not Like Us,” Lamar's strategic jabs at the 6 God on “Like That” marked a major moment, starting the heavyweight feud and now securing nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance as well.
With Kendrick having a strong handle on the rap side of things, former TDE compatriot Doechii is arguably the shining star in this year's nominations, picking up three nominations, most notably for Best New Artist. Alligator bites never heal won critical acclaim and established Doechii as a formidable prospect in the rap scene. The most impressive feat of including Doechii in next year's ceremonies is this Alligator bites never heal making her the first female rapper to enter the Best Rap album category since Cardi B's Invasion of privacy in 2020.
In addition to Doechii's triumph, female rappers Latto, GloRilla, Rapsody and Cardi B all earned nominations this year. The crackling of the speakers “Yeah Glo!” anchored GloRilla's explosive 2024 and earned the Memphis superstar two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance to go along with his Rapsody set. Rapsody, a previous Grammy nominee in 2017 Laila's Sophia and of 2019 Staycaught the attention of the committee this year with her lyrical masterpiece Please don't cry. As proven in the past, Rap's affinity for storytelling and chilling honesty make her a fixture when Grammy season rolls around.
Some notable omissions of female rappers still stood out, particularly the absence of Sexy Red. The St. Louis favorite has enjoyed a tremendous run with singles like “Get It Sexxy” and “U My Everything” featuring Drake. A better new artist look would have benefited Sexy, who has been at the forefront of rap for the past two years.
Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, the leaders of the female rap scene, both released new chart-topping albums — with the latter debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 228,000 equivalent album units in the first week of 2023 — but nowhere in this year's nominations either. For Megan, her self-titled album in June is arguably the highlight of her career, showing her to be more comfortable as an MC. Although she eventually found her footing there, unlike her 2020 Grammy nomination, Megan didn't have a grand-slam single like “Savage” to give her an extra boost in the race.
Tommy Richman, one of music's brightest rookies this year with his hit “Million Dollar Baby,” also received zero nominations, despite the song's resounding success — which included a peak at No. 2 on the Hot 100. Richman faced controversy online several months ago when he mocked the idea of doing a rap song with “Baby.” The reports surfaced shortly after Richman tweeted that his team was putting “Baby” up for consideration in the Best Rap Melodic Performance category, leaving fans confused by the decision following his initial comments.
Finally, it's important to point out the nominations of Eminem and Common, as they dispelled the theory that rap is a youth sport. The two lyricists will each compete in the Best Rap album and Best Rap Performance categories. Eminem made his big comeback this year with his 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), while Common reunited with respected producer Pete Rock for their joint album The Auditorium, Vol. 1.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/grammy-nominations-hip-hop-kendrick-lamar-1235823825/
