In this Dec. 7, 2018 file photo, hip-hop recording artist Cardi B performs at Z100’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in New York. The bronx rapper is nominated for several Grammy Awards including one for album of the year, record of the year and best rap album. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
The 2019 Grammy Awards are less than a week away and the music industry has gathered its best performing artists of the year.
The famous award show will be hosted by Grammy winner herself, Alicia Keys. Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, along with many others will be performing at the award show.
This year was a big one for hip hop and R&B. This left artists like Cardi B and Post Malone nominated for more than one category.
Cardi B is nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with “Girls Like You,” Best Rap Album and Best Album with “Invasion of Privacy” and Record of the Year with “I Like It.” Cardi B is an outspoken artist who is notorious for Instagram Live gossip sessions and her own style of boisterous rap. She released an album, as well as multiple singles and features throughout the year.
Post Malone is nominated for Album of the Year with “Beerbongs & Bentleys.” He has also been nominated for Record of the Year along with Rap Performance for “Rockstar” featuring 21 Savage and Best Pop Solo Performance with “Better.” Malone gained his popularity from sad but relatable song lyrics.
There are also big names in the pop genre that have been nominated for Grammys such as Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.
Grande has been a hot topic lately, between her engagement and breakup with Pete Davidson to her two widely performed new singles that topped the charts. Let’s not forget that Grande also released an album in 2018 and is releasing another this weekend. She is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance with “God Is A Woman” and Best Pop Vocal Album with “Sweetener.”
2018 treated Lady Gaga well with her role in “A Star Is Born” featuring her own song “Shallow” that is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop/Duo Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media. As well as the abundance of awards for “Shallow” Gaga is also nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance with “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’).”
Taylor Swift released her album “Reputation” in 2018 which was popular last summer. “Reputation” was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, Swift’s only Grammy nomination this year.
While the Grammys focus on some of the most famous musical artists, there are also nominations of artists who are slightly more underrated like Childish Gambino with “This is America” and the Arctic Monkeys with “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” and “Four Out Of Five.”
Gambino blew up with the song “This is America” for its iconic music video showcasing the chaos people of color face in America. He indirectly addresses social issues in the video by rapping about police and guns. The song is nominated for four Grammys including Record of the Year, song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Music Video.
The Arctic Monkeys released “Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino” five years after their popular album “AM” receiving mixed feedback from fans but positive feedback from critics. The album is nominated for best Alternative Music Album. The single “Four Out Of five” is nominated for Best Rock Performance. For some, this may be unexpected as they’ve laid low for a long time while recording their newest album.
Shockingly, there were some nominations that no one saw coming, like the viral video “I’m not racist.” Joyner Lucas was nominated for based on the viral content for Best Music Video.
Madison Appleby is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at madison.appleby@uconn.edu.
